Back in the game!

Craig Savill relishes with world championship experience as Czech coach

By NICHOLAS RABL

Craig Savill needs no introduction. 

In terms of his playing career, he’s won almost everything there is to win: two world junior championships, two Brier titles and two world men’s championships, among numerous Grand Slam victories. The only thing missing is an Olympic appearance – though he had a sniff when he earned silver at the Canadian trials in 2009.

This week, he walked onto the carpet at TD Place in Ottawa, host city of the 2023 BKT Tires & OK Tire World Men’s Curling Championship, for the first time in nearly seven years. 

But this time, it wasn’t as a player making an emotional guest appearance.

Savill’s return to the arena near the Rideau Canal came as coach of the Czech Republic national team, consisting of skip Lukas Klima, third Marek Cernovsky, second Radek Bohac, lead Martin Jurik and alternate Lukas Klipa.

“It’s been a few years with them now with these guys and there’s still a bit of a learning curve,” said Savill. “There’s knowing when to speak up and knowing when to shut my mouth and let them talk it out amongst themselves – and I’m still getting to know them because there’s some different personalities. But there’s lots of potential if they want to work hard.

“The curling from around the world – it’s getting really tough right now. You have to put a lot of time and effort into competing.”

The last time he participated in a curling championship at TD Place was in 2016, albeit not under ideal circumstances.

In late 2015, Savill was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer often found in 20- to 30-year-old males. The life-changing news forced him to resign from his 11-year tenure as lead for Glenn Howard’s legendary Ontario-based team, which featured household curlers Richard Hart, Brent Laing, Wayne Middaugh and Jon Mead throughout its dominant run in the sport.

Savill’s plan to play in a national championship at home in Ottawa, near his old hometown of Manotick, for the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier was immediately derailed. His diagnosis sent a shock wave through the curling community. 

But, as a gesture of kindness, Savill was named an honourary alternate by Team Howard for the Brier.

In an unprecedented display of sportsmanship, Savill was invited to throw two rocks. And he made both perfectly.

“That was such a special moment for me,” he said. “Walking out there this week brought back a flood of memories from that time. I remember it fondly.”

Savill, who now lives in Kensington, P.E.I., with wife Karen and their two kids, actually competed for a Brier berth this season with Adam Casey in the P.E.I. playdowns but fell short of a Purple Heart.

Though his past presented many challenges, a now healthy Savill stayed focused on the future with his team from Prague, which finished 3-9 this year.

“Looking back on it, I don’t think they played at a level they’d consider their best. They had moments of brilliance, but just not consistent enough this week.”

It was Klima and Co.’s first time playing at a world championship in Canada.

“They’re not used to having so many fans around. And curling fans in Canada are great because they start cheering for everybody, so I think the Czech guys picked up some fans along the way. They really started relishing it at the end and enjoyed themselves.”

Savill explained how opportunities to gain experience are few and far between for his relatively fresh team.

“Czech Republic is a really small curling country so there’s not a lot of money,” he said. “So not lots of funding for me to come over (to Czech Republic) with them. I’ve gone to the big events, but going day-to-day or to a World Curling Tour event or training sessions just isn’t feasible at this point. Hopefully in the future we can start doing that because it would really help this team improve.”

The Czechs’ time in Ottawa wrapped up Friday afternoon after a 9-3 loss to Bruce Mouat’s team from Scotland. This event marked the end of the season for Savill’s crew.

“There’s nothing else after this,” said Savill. “We’ll just have to regroup and talk about this year and what went well, what needs to be changed and where we’re gonna go next year.”