By Troy Gillard (Twitter: @Troy_Gillard)

Canada Games a launching point for curling stars Hodgson, Peterman

Feb 22, 2019 | 3:34 PM

Two local curling stars competing at our country’s highest level say the Canada Winter Games played a key role in launching their careers.

Lacombe native Colin Hodgson won gold at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, YT playing third on Team Alberta skipped by Red Deer’s Joel Peterman.

“The Canada Games was the first major event I really went to, it left a major impression on me,” says Hodgson. “When you’re 16 years old and you get to see all these athletes, it’s like your first Olympics. It’s what drove me to continue on and play men’s because I want to get to the actual Olympics.”

The gold medal in 2007 was the first major title of Hodgson’s curling career and, he notes, a major factor in eventually playing pro.

“It reinvigorated my passion for the sport, which kept me going for a few more years. I had some more success in juniors, which gave the opportunity to get on some pretty good men’s teams out of juniors and ultimately led me to Manitoba where I’ve been on a team that’s been in the top five or 10 in the world.”

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Hodgson now lives in Winnipeg and will be playing lead for Team Manitoba at the 2019 Tim Horton’s Brier in nearby Brandon starting March 2.

Jocelyn Peterman, Joel’s younger sister, was watching closely when that team won gold in 2007. Four years later she won silver as a skip at the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Peterman, who played second for Team Canada at the 2019 Scotties in Sydney, Nova Scotia and won the tournament with Team Alberta in 2016, says watching the 2007 Games gave her valuable insight on what to expect as a competitive player.

“I saw how much fun my brother had there and how he got to really enjoy it because he took advantage of being part of a bigger team, not just curling,” Peterman recalled. “We just enjoyed every aspect of the event and watched every other possible sport we could, and it was just a ton of fun.”

Peterman says she and teammates Kristine Anderson, Becca Konschuh, Jocelyn Peterman, Brittany Tran were rather heartbroken when they had to settle for silver on 2011. But nearly a decade later she’s learned to appreciate what they accomplished.

“I think now we’re pretty proud of it. There was a lot of great teams and quite a few athletes we still compete against now. It was like a mini Scotties, but for us back then it was only our second time representing Alberta, so it was really cool.”

Peterman, who also competed at the 2013 Canada Summer Games in softball, rekindled her Games legacy a couple weeks ago as a torchbearer for the NMP National Torch Relay in Olds.

“I was glad that it worked out and that I was able to come and be a part of the event,” she said, glowingly. “The torch celebration was really cool, and I have lots of family in Olds so it was great to be a part of it.”

The curling competition at the 2019 Canada Winter Games gets underway Sunday at the Pidherney Curling Centre.

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