Balsdon kicks off Dominion Tankard Monday.
Greg Balsdon's rink was a finalist in the Ontario men's curling championships that wrapped up in Grimsby in 2011. From left to right: Balsdon, Chris Ciasnocha, Tyler Morgan and Jamie Farnell. Balsdon's foursome is back this year in Stratford, aiming to dethrone six-time defending champion Glenn Howard.
Photo/COURTESY
Greg Balsdon, who grew up in the area of Leslie and Lawrence avenues, curling out of the now-closed Avonlea Curling Club in Don Mills, will try for one of the few titles that has eluded him in his curling career - the Dominion Tankard men's provincial championship which runs all next week (Feb. 6 to 12) in Stratford.
Last year Balsdon, 34, along with teammates Chris Ciasnocha, Tyler Morgan and Jamie Farnell made it to the final where they ran into a familiar roadblock for all curlers seeking the Ontario crown - Glenn Howard.
Balsdon lost 10-3 to Howard who won his sixth straight title and who will, of course, be back this year trying to make it seven in a row.
Although last year was Balsdon's fifth appearance at the Tankard, it was the first with his current team.
"It was a great experience last year. We talked a bit about it, if maybe we were a little nervous for the final," he said in an interview. "The ice changed a little bit for the final and we didn't pick up on it fast enough."
Howard received an automatic bye. Balsdon's team, which actually represents the Loonie Curling Club, a one-rink curling club north of Kingston in cottage country, had to qualify the hard way, which they did rather handily, cruising undefeated through regional and zone competitions.
On the competitive curcuit, his relatively new team has nibbled at plenty of playoff money, but has yet to break through with a major win this season.
In addition to his high performance team, Balsdon is also involved with a club team in Richmond Hill, where he now lives, and they recently wrapped up their second straight Toronto Curling Association bonspiel title as well as winning the provincial men's club championship and then going on to finish runner-up at the national club championships.
Back when he was growing up in North York, Balsdon won two provincial high school curling championships for Don Mills Collegiate in 1994 and 1995, and also in 1995 won the provincial schoolboys curling title run by the Ontario Curling Association. In 1996 he won the provincial junior mixed championship and in 1998 won the provincial college title while attending Hamilton's Mohawk College.