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In part two of our conversation with curling star Jace Freeman, the skip talks about what it's been like being the leader of the team, what the future holds and more.
Freeman admits he never really saw himself as a skip, it just kind of happened. "It was kind of something that I wasn't overly planning to do, really. The rest of my team actually aged out of junior that first year, so I was looking for anyone to play with. I had made some connections with players closer to my age from that year, so I got three guys together that were around my age and we decided that I was maybe the best qualified to skip the team. So, I started skipping that year and that was five years ago. We had great success that first season, maybe more than we thought we'd have, and that kind of jump started my career as a skip and I've been skipping ever since."
Being a skip comes with more pressure but Freeman was aware of what he would be facing. "I knew what to expect going in, my brother was a skip growing up and my dad was a career skip, he's always done it. They've taught me a little bit and how to handle things. I skipped a little when I was younger, so I caught on quick. I don't remember feeling too nervous about it, it just kind of suited me well."
Growing and forming bonds as a team came quickly, according to Freeman. "It makes it so easy when they're all great guys. They're from the Winnipeg area, so there was some distance, but we caught on really quick. Most people in curling are really great people, you have the same passion and interest. It was so easy and we became really good friends after just a couple of events."
While his first season as a skip was successful, this season, Team Freeman has gone to another level. "It's been an incredible year," Freeman says proudly. "We accomplished most of our goals going in. We won every junior event we played in in Manitoba, which was a big goal, for sure. Did well in a junior event in Ottawa, made the semi's. Then we played in lots of men's events, which qualified us for the Viterra, which was an amazing experience. We did well in men's events, we qualified in five of the six we were in. We had a great season. I'd say we accomplished our goals, making the Canadian Juniors was a big one, and qualifying for the playoffs there was huge too, that's not easy to do at that event."
Having found success at the men's level already, Freeman believes it makes him even hungrier as he heads into the men's league full time next season. "Playing in men's events is massive, for sure. You get to play against teams that are not going to miss as much as the junior teams will. It helps you be ready and makes you a better team. Going into junior nationals, most of those teams are men's caliber, they play men's teams a lot, so it just helps you see where you're at and helps you be ready."
After all the success this season, the future of Team Freeman is a little up in the air, according to the skip. "It's tough to say right now, we just got home, so we'll talk about it for a bit. Our second has one more year of junior eligibility left, we'll have to look into that if he want's to play junior's next year with another team. Moving into men's next year will be a little different but with how much we played this year, we're confident going forward."
Being a Freeman and getting to represent the family in the sport they love means the world to the young star. "It means everything," he says proudly. "Growing up, I wanted to be a really good curler like my dad, my mom and my brother. To be able to represent the Virden Curling Club at six national events, and just becoming a solid player, carrying on the family name, it means everything."