2 Manitoba junior curlers have busy championship season as both teammates and rivals

The opportunity to wearManitoba's colours at one national championship wasn't enough for two junior men's curlers.

Apparently, even two tournaments wasn't enough.

Virden's Jace Freeman and Elias Huminicki of Winnipeg Beach are preparing to play in threeCanadian curling championships two as teammates and one as opponents over the next eight weeks, beginning Sunday at the under-18 nationals in Timmins, Ont.

"It's definitely going to be a task," said Freeman, adding theyhoped they'd make one championship event this year.

"We were not entirely expecting to go tothree this year. Definitely exceeding our expectations a little bit."

The 18-year-olds are on the same under-18 curling team (those teamsallow for players who were 17 the year prior to the tournament), but on different under-21 teams.

Freeman, who skips the under-18 squad, andHuminicki earned their spot in Timmins along with teammates Jack Steski of Winnipeg and Rylan Graham of Winnipeg Beach with a 6-5, extra-endvictory over Ronan Peterson in December's provincial final in Altona.

Two months earlier, Freeman got the better of Peterson atthe Canada Winter Games trialsin Winnipeg, winning the final 7-5. That capped aperfect 7-0 week and earned him the right to wear the buffalo at the Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island, where men's curling events runfrom Feb. 28 to March 5.

That tournament "will be way different than any other curling nationals I'll ever go to," said Freeman.

"Only one team every four years gets to go. You feel very blessed to be a part of that."

Both Freeman and Huminicki competed at last year's under-18 Canadian championship in Oakville, Ont., which Freeman thinkswill help as he readies for the upcoming nationals.

"It was still a very surreal feeling putting on the Manitoba jacket for the first time and playing competition from around the country really strong competition," he said.

"That definitely gave me a lot of experience and will help me this year with these three national championships."

Playing on opposing rinks helps play as teammates

But it wasn't always easy to find time to practise together.

"I think we got three or two or three practices before our Canada Games trials, and we kind of just went out on a limb and trusted each other," Huminicki said.

"We knew that we had what it takes, so that's how we kind of figured it out and managed to do it without getting a lot of practice time."

Huminicki and Freeman's under-18 team competed in only two events this season, butwon both. They spent more time withtheir respective under-21 squads.

Freeman skips a team withThomas McGillivray of St. Adolphe, and WinnipeggersRyan Ostrowsky and Aaron Macdonell. They captured the season-long Manitoba Junior Curling Tourtitle.

Huminicki throws second stones for skip Jordon McDonald, who won a second-straight Manitoba junior men's title last month in Portage la Prairie.

McDonald edged Freeman 8-7 there,but both squads earned spots at the Canadian under-21 junior men's championship, which takes place in Rouyn-Noranda, Que., from March 26 to April 2.

Huminicki says there are benefits to playing on opposingunder-21 teams when it comes to playing together at the under-18 level.

"Once we play each other as rivals, it gives both of us, actually, an opportunity to see us at our struggle points," he said. "It'll help us grow with each other once we do play in the U18 [national events]as teammates."

Despite dropping the provincial under-21 final, Freeman has had a tremendous season.

"It's been kind of a dream season," he said.

His under-21 team also earned a spot in the 32-teamManitoba men's curling championship, running later this month inNeepawa.

Freeman's team will still compete, but since he'll be in Ontario, his older brother Brooks will take over skipping duties.

Freeman beat out a team that included his dad, Graham,to qualify for men's provincialsandgave his fathera good ribbing afterwards.

"I'm not sure he wantedto hear it so much," Freeman said, chuckling.

But he says he owes a lot to his older brother and his dad, who coaches both Freeman's under-18 and under-21 teams.

"Without either of them, I wouldn't be near where I am now, that's for sure. They taught me pretty much everything I know," Freeman said.

While Freeman and Huminickiare nowsettingtheir sights on earning a Canadian curling championship, the accomplishmentof reaching three national tournaments in one season isn't lost on them.

"When you look at the bigger picture, it's truly unbelievable and surreal how how much it means to a guy to go to all these events," Huminicki said."Words can't describe how awesome it is."