Written By Jan Sims
ILDERTON - A member of the Ilderton Curling Club is Brier-bound. Owen Henry is part of the team representing Ontario which will compete at the upcoming 2026 Montana’s Brier in St. John’s Newfoundland February 27 to March 8th.
“The Brier is a different beast than any curling event that I have ever played in,” says Henry. “I have experience playing in week long national championships but nothing of the magnitude the Brier holds,” adds Henry.
Henry plays second for Team King, which is skipped by Jayden King out of the Tillsonburg Curling Club. “I think second is perfect for me. I enjoy the sweeping aspect and the many shot selections at the second position is awesome. At the level we have got to, I have learned how important the second position is, and although I don’t throw last and get all the pressure at the end, I have to play well for us to be able to be successful,” says Henry.
At 21-years-old, Henry will be among the youngest players competing in the Brier. He recently earned the distinction of being the youngest Ontario Tankard Champion, when his team captured top honours at the 2026 provincial men’s championship in Elmira in January. “It was a picture perfect week for us in Elmira. We joked going in, that if the rankings stayed true, we would be okay with that as the great season we have had, got us the #1 ranking going in,” says Henry.
The team took home the trophy with a 9-6 victory. “It’s really cool to be competing against the people I have watched on TV and who have inspired me to curl. My teammates and I are all under 25 and hope that this Tankard win and the end to the quadrennial leads to a “changing of the guard”, gaining us access to more opportunities in our young careers,” says Henry.
Henry started curling in Ilderton Curling Club’s Little Rocks program at age 8, and “fell in love with the sport immediately.” Off the ice, he’s pursuing a BSc in Math and Statistics at Brock University, where he skips the OUA champion varsity men’s curling team. He hopes to one day play in the Olympic Games. “Aside from my own career, I hope to be able to inspire new kids to curl and know that the opportunities are endless in this sport. It has taken me across the province, country and continent with my best friends and I hope new athletes are inspired by my journey,” says Henry.
