A team was kicked out of the Red Deer Curling Classic on Sunday.
Skip Jamie Koe and his foursome from Yellowknife, NWT was ejected from the event by the World Curling Tour (WCT) for unsportsmanlike behaviour.
The WCT, which oversees the Red Deer Curling Classic, announced its decision on Twitter.
“They were supposed to curl Saturday at 4:30, which they went down to do, and Jamie Koe was unable to play, so he didn’t,” recalls Wade Thurber, who is manager of the Pidherney Centre. “The other three guys went ahead and played, but the one player (Ryan Fry), who was most of the problem, was a little out of control. He broke some brooms, there was foul language and he was putting on a display that was unacceptable.”
Thurber says there was also a hole left in the wall in the dressing room, which Fry has since offered to pay to fix.
Not only were Koe and teammates Ryan Fry, DJ Kidby and Red Deer native Chris Schille removed from the event, they’ve also been barred from competing in the Red Deer Curling Classic moving forward.
In a tweet Sunday morning which was deleted on Monday morning, Schille expressed his displeasure with the decision.
Thurber clarified the venue’s stance.
“Schille texted me and was apologetic for everything. He probably regrets posting that tweet,” Thurber told rdnewsNOW on Monday. “We’ve had people comment and say things like ‘I suppose they’ve just got to apologize and they can get back in next year.’ Well it’s not going to be that easy. Whether we decide to ban one player or the whole team, or hand out a suspension, we haven’t discussed it yet as a committee.”
Thurber adds that while they appreciate the team’s business, it doesn’t mean they get free reign to create a gong-show on the ice.
Team Koe had a 1-2 record on the weekend and played just one end of their fourth game versus Josh Heidt in Sunday’s 12:30 draw when the decision was made to kick them out of the event. Several people had taken to social media saying Team Koe was intoxicated when they took to the ice for the game.
“This is not indicative of the game. I’m sure there’s been lots of fun bonspiels out there where people have had too much to drink, but not typically in an angry way, and in a competitive world, this is really unusual,” Thurber continues.
“These are serious bonspiels, it’s the World Curling Tour. Normally what you’re going to see is the players drinking when they’re done curling for the day, or once they’ve lost out of the spiel. Typically you don’t see them drinking before they go out on the ice. They pay a $1000 entry fee and there’s 10 grand up for first place.”
Thurber says at the end of the day, it was just a regretful afternoon.
“They’re very apologetic. I would say some of the players on that team tried to control Ryan (Fry) but he was past the point of taking advice from anybody, and then the others were guilty by association, so we had to remove the whole team.”
On Monday morning, Jamie Koe issued a statement on Twitter which reads, “On behalf of my team, I would like to apologize to everyone involved in the 2018 Red Deer Curling Classic. Due to a lapse in judgement on Saturday, we contributed to a unpleasant experience for others. Although I removed myself from the last game before it started, the actions from the team led to our disqualification. We were disrespectful and the committee was right to disqualify us from further play which we did not argue. I would like to sincerely apologize to the athletes, fans and organizers at the event. I will be taking steps to ensure this never happens again.”
In a second tweet, Koe said, “I would also like to thank everyone for all the messages of support during this time. For those that know me as a person and how I conduct myself. I truly am blessed with so many amazing people in my life.”
Fry is a member of the Brad Jacobs rink that won gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in 2014. He was subbing in for Team Koe this weekend in Red Deer.
“I want to express how sorry I am to everyone affected by my actions on Saturday,” Fry Tweeted Monday afternoon. “I never meant to offend anyone but that’s the result of a poor decision – I have to live with the consequences and will be taking every step needed to guarantee this never happens again. #notgivingup.”
rdnewsNOW has also reached out to the World Curling Tour for comment.
