Gimli curler Maddox Boaz is quickly making a name for himself after earning second place in his age category at the Hit, Draw, Tap (HDT) provincial championships held in Selkirk on Feb. 8.
Maddox Boaz, 9, with his second-place trophy he earned at the Hit, Draw, Tap Provincial Championships in Selkirk on Feb. 8. Pictured with Viterra representative Ray Baloun
The nine-year-old, who has curled for five years with the Gimli Curling Club, said he was “happy, happy, happy” to finish among Manitoba’s top young curlers.
HDT is a skills-based competition for athletes aged six to 12 in which participants demonstrate ability in three fundamental shots — the hit, draw and tap.
Maddox competed against seven other curlers. Fellow Gimli Curling Club athlete Adley Gibson also competed in the 10-12 age category.
Maddox scored three points on his hit, two on his draw and one on his tap after taking a tumble. His total resulted in a three-way tie for second, forcing a sudden-death draw-to-the-button tiebreaker, which he won to secure second place.
Of the three shots, Maddox said the hit is his favourite because it feels the easiest. His favourite part of the championship was winning a trophy.
“I was very proud to make it to provincials,” he said.
He qualified after finishing in the top three at a local competition in Gimli and later won the regional event at the Springfield Curling Club to advance.
In preparation, he spent extra time practising in addition to his regular junior program.
“He refrained from throwing rocks full sheet for a large amount of the season as he wanted to keep his weight consistent on his shots,” his father Jay Boaz said.
Following the competition, Maddox met Olympic champion Jill Officer and posed for a photo with her 2014 Sochi Olympic gold medal.
CurlManitoba event and development manager Elaine Owen said she was pleased with the response to this year’s championship and emphasized the importance of positive early competition experiences.
“It is a great starting point for athletes to be able to experience a competition,” she said. “CurlManitoba has seen many athletes from HDT playing in our provincial competitions and some have gone on to compete in nationals.”
This was Maddox’s first provincial appearance after previously competing only in local funspiels. His family remains his biggest support system.
“My dad is my coach and my mom is my biggest fan,” he said. “I was very happy my Grams and Grums came to watch me and to show my grandma and grandpa my trophy when I got home.”
He now hopes to continue improving and compete in bonspiels — and offers simple advice to other young curlers:
“Wear warm socks,” he said. “It’s cold out there.”
