A curler who threw his first rocks in Vankleek Hill is on his way to the 2025 Brier.
Gavin Lydiate, son of Greg and Shelly Lydiate of Vankleek Hill, will be an alternate on Team Ontario at the Canadian Men’s Curling Championship, better known as the Brier, in Kelowna, British Columbia from February 28 to March 9.
Lydiate, 22, recently graduated with a degree in Human Kinetics from the University of Guelph, where he also played Vice (third) on the varsity curling team. He is a member of the team led by skip Sam Mooibroek, which curls at a club in Whitby. Team Mooibroek won the Ontario Tankard provincial men’s championship in Cobourg on January 27 against Team Howard, making it the team to represent Ontario at the Brier.
Gavin began junior curling at the Vankleek Hill Curling Club when he was six years old. His early coaches included Larry Brack, Lyndon MacNaughton, Kelley Allen, and Don McFaul. Gavin then curled in Alexandria and attended camps and bonspiels across Canada and Europe.
Greg Lydiate said his son’s potential in curling was evident early on.
“I think a lot of people saw it in him,” he said.
Gavin attended École secondaire publique Le Sommet in Hawkesbury, where he also was a member of the school’s curling team.
“He was curling everyday for about five hours,” Greg Lydiate remarked.
The Brier began in 1927 as the Macdonald Brier, sponsored by Macdonald Tobacco and named after the Brier variety of fine cut tobacco the company sold at the time. Granite rocks were selected for use in the Brier at a time when there was controversy between granite or iron stones, which were popular in Eastern Ontario and Québec. In 1980, sponsorship was taken over by Labatt Breweries and the event was known as the Labatt Brier until 2000. Mobile phone manufacturer was sponsor from 2001 to 2004, and the event was known as the Tim Hortons Brier from 2005 to 2023. Restaurant chain Montana’s has sponsored the Brier since 2024.
