Barrier: William Dion is proud of his teammates

sprout. The Quebec team did not qualify for the championship round of Tim Hortons Briar. Drummondvillois William Dion and his comrades nevertheless returned from Calgary with a sense of duty.

In their last game of the preliminary round on Thursday, Quebec representatives were devastated to win against the guest team of Kevin Coe. After taking a 5–3 lead at the fifth end, captain Mike Fornier’s team finally conceded a 10–5 defeat.

“Kevin Coe has been one of the most prolific fringes ever in the barrier. He was also the last representative of the country at the Olympics. We were playing very well, but in the second half of the match, we made some minor mistakes that we had to spend on the game. In curling it is about an inch or centimeter, ”said William Dion, who was playing a backup role in his second appearance at the Canadian Men’s Curling Championship.

He said, “Even if we had won this game, we would not have gone to the next round, because there would have been results in other games.”

With a record of four wins and four defeats, the Quebeckers finished the competition in fifth place in Group B, equaling it with Nova Scotia. Only the top four teams from each group were given championship round passes.

“We were involved in every game. Even against the best teams, we gave them a cold sweat. Technically, they were about to defeat us, but it was never easy.

Representatives from Curling Quebec also won 10–7 from Captain John Eaping’s Ontario team, one of the best in the world. “I’m very proud of the people,” Dion said. Considering the fact that we cannot practice before arriving here, we gave a very honest performance. “

According to William Dion, the entry of veteran Martin Crete as the third pitcher gave the Fourner team a solid dose of experience. The veteran was making his ninth appearance at the barrier.

He said, “Martin did well with our team as soon as he arrived. He is an exceptional teammate and super good player. When the pressure increases, he is a person who plays well, ”he said.

Dion also wanted to highlight the performance of lead Jean-François Trapanier in the Alberta bubble. “If we look at the figures after eight games, Jean-François is the best lead in Canada with an average of 94%. He played an absolutely exceptional tournament. He said that since we have not made it to the second round, he will not be named in the All-Star team, but he stood against some of the best players in the world.

An integrated athlete

As an alternative, William Dion was only involved in a game against Nunavut. “In curling, the fifth player is like a moral endorsement. When I climbed on ice it was like candy to me. As people could not practice together, all the time they could spend on ice was beneficial, ”the 33-year-old said.

William Dion, known for his unified qualities and his infectious energy, has increased the incentive manifold during his team’s games. He said, “I had a role in achieving the best of all. With my experience in sports, I know what to say and when to say it. I take place on the ice, but when things are going well I let the world go. When things go wrong, I sometimes make an intervention, just to change focus. It is difficult to play well when everything is very serious and everyone is under a lot of stress, ”suggested Vert At or former former kicker of the football team at Sherbrooke University.

Why are the members of Team Quebec called horses? Michael Fournier explains. 🐎 🐎 🐎 🐎 🐎 # Barrier2021 @CurlingQuebec pic.twitter.com/JL3UPdNLV7

– Curling Canada FR (@CurlingCanadaFR) March 6, 2021

During the tournament, we came to know that Mike Fornier’s team brushes call each other “horses”. It is also William Dion who is at the core of the team’s motto, “Feed the Horses”, a historical and military context that reminds one of the importance of feeding horses before launching into a fight.

“When we started playing with Mike, he was motivated to pitch his investments like he was alone in practice. However, we have good sweepers in the team. Calling her “feeding the horses” was a positive and humorous way of reminding her that she didn’t have to do everything alone, we were with her as a team. I knew that when he is fun and things are light, Mike plays the best. By erasing it, we reminded him that we were there to sweep, ”said William Dion.

Due to the sanitary context, the barrier was fought in a protected environment. Subject to the screening test, players had to limit their team’s exposure to bubbles. According to Dion, the absence of the audience deprived the event of its special cachet.

“The beauty of curling is its friendly spirit. This is the only game where spectators and players come together after a match. It is part of the unique experience of a barrier. This is especially true in Western Canada, where people are following it with great interest. This year it was not so, ”said Dion, who served as the second pitcher in his first participation in 2018.

Claiming to be satisfied with his role in the team, William Dion retained the dream of attending Bayer again in the future.

“A lot of sacrifice has to be made to play curling, especially for a young family and a new job, but the contestant’s fire is still in me,” said Jean, a young father who taught history in high school.

Barrier Classification (Group B)