The Tillsonburg connection to the curling provincials

Jayden King represents the Tillsonburg Curling Club while competing in all of his events except for men’s. The Courtland resident won the provincial championships in mixed last year and recently was part of the team that won the Silver Tankard. (@Curling Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

Tillsonburg curling fans paid more attention paid to provincial curling championships this year, knowing one of their own was on the ice.

Jayden King was representing the Tillsonburg Curling Club when he competed at several provincial events this year.

The Courtland native started curling when he was 11 after watching it on television. Encouraged by neighbours Nora and Les Peter, he started to curl at the Tillsonburg Curling Club, and still does.

King then move to curling in London, since there weren’t a lot of younger competitive curlers in Tillsonburg, reaching out to Jennifer Cuddie, a competition development coach with experience at the national, national university and international levels.

“Then the rest was history,” he said.

Now 23 years-old, when he was 19, he wanted to take a more active role locally and joined the board of the Tillsonburg Curling Club.

“That’s where my involvement in Tillsonburg started again,” he said.

King is the skip of the team, a vital position in curling. He started in this role when he was 13 when it was asked who wanted to step up.

“I enjoy the pressure of throwing last when everything is on the line and to think about the critical angles and what the other team is going to do. It’s a natural fit for me right now,” he said.

He noted that teams used to win in curling if the skip was good, but that has changed.

“Now days you need the whole team to win to compete,” he said.

When King competes, he always represents Tillsonburg Curling Club – except for in the men’s division. He competes in men’s; mixed doubles, with one man and one woman on a team; four person mixed; and the Silver Tankard, where clubs send one full men’s team and one full women’s team.

“Their full men’s score and full women’s score is used to calculate a score versus using separately,” King explained of the Silver Tankard.

The Silver Tankard is the oldest curling event in Ontario. King’s team won the recent event in Oshawa, defeating Niagara Falls.

Most members of the Silver Tankard team are in university.

“We actually decided to enter this team when we were playing beach volleyball last summer,” he said.

It’s different with the larger team of eight, and King said fun is stressed at the Silver Tankard.

“It’s a good combination between competition and fun,” he said.

King tipped his hat to the fan support he receives in Tillsonburg.

“Most of the members follow our team and how we’re doing,” he said.

Outside of the Silver Tankard, King won the 2023 Ontario Juniors in men’s, and in 2024 provincially in mixed. Both qualified him to go to nationals. In 2022, competing in junior men’s he finished ninth of 18 teams. The following year, he was 10th of 18 teams in men’s and this year finished 12th of 14 teams in mixed.

King’s men’s team is ranked 16th in Canada, and 42nd in the world.

“Last winter we missed out on the Brier (men’s national championship) by one shot,” he said.

Next year, King’s goal is to win the provincial and go to the Brier in St. John’s, NL. He will have a new team next year.

Curling is a big obligation for King – he curled 18 of 21 weekends over the winter. Often this covers Thursday to Sunday.

“It’s a large time commitment,” he said. “When your schooling changes or your job changes, it’s tough.”

He is currently enrolled in a Masters of Human Health and Nutrition course at the University of Guelph. He will be done in August, with plans to go to teacher’s college next year, while continuing to curl. The longer-term goal is to supply teach after completing his schooling, while continuing to curl.

“Now it’s working towards the Brier and Olympics,” he said. “It’s shifting the focus from the provincial level and trying to break into the national level.”