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Airdrie curler Aaron Sluchinski competes at first Brier as Team Bottcher alternate

Sluchinski, who got to play in Team Bottcher's one-sided wins over Prince Edward Island and Yukon, said it was a valuable learning experience to watch how his temporary teammates prepared for their matches.
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Aaron Sluchinski (right, seen here curling in a mixed-doubles event with Brittany Tran) recently competed at his first Tim Horton's Brier, as the alternate for Team Bottcher.

Airdrie curler Aaron Sluchinski achieved a long-awaited dream this month, taking to the pebbled ice at the 2022 Tim Horton's Brier – Canada's national men's curling championship.

As the alternate for Team Bottcher, Sluchinski had the opportunity to play in three ends during the 10-day tournament, which was held from March 4 to 13 at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge.

“It felt good to be in that atmosphere with all the top teams in Canada,” Sluchinski said. 

Team Bottcher finished in third place, missing out on the final by losing 9-3 to Team Gushue on March 13. Team Gushue, from Newfoundland and Labrador, went on to win the Brier by besting Team Koe 9-8 in the final.

With Sluchinski as their alternate, Team Bottcher posted a 9-3 record throughout the tournament. While the team had beaten Team Gushue in the round robin, they were unable to replicate the achievement in the semi-finals.

Sluchinski, who got to play in Team Bottcher's one-sided wins over Prince Edward Island and Yukon, said it was a valuable learning experience to watch how his temporary teammates Brendan Bottcher, Patrick Janssen, and Brad Thiessen prepared for their matches. 

“They’re at the top of the curling world, so it was good to see how they prepare for a big event like that, and how their demeanour is going into each game,” he said. “That was exciting for me.”

The Airdrie curler threw two rocks in Team Bottcher's 11-4 win against Team Smith from Prince Edward Island and he threw four rocks in the 10-4 win over Team Scoffin, who represented Yukon.

Having now enjoyed a taste of Canada's top men's curling competition, Sluchinski said he will be eager to try and qualify for the Brier next year. While he's had plenty of success in mixed-doubles curling competitions in recent years alongside teammate Brittany Tran – including two provincial titles – he hasn't been able to qualify for the Brier.

“Moving forward, I want to put a little more into the men’s game and see if I can get to the next level,” he said.

 The Airdrie curler's current teammates on Team Sluchinski include Kerr Drummond and Dylan Webster.

“I think with our team, we have a lot of talent. We just never put in all the effort these other teams do,” he said. “I think we’ll be committed to doing that next year. There are only three of us on the team, so we’ll look to fill that fourth spot with a good player from Alberta. Hopefully things click for us.”

Sluchinski said he has two more bonspiels circled on his calendar before he caps off the 2021-22 curling season in early April. He'll be heading to Leduc this weekend for a mixed-doubles competition, before returning to Leduc for a men's bonspiel in the first week of April.

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