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Doyle brothers make curling a family affair

Brothers Glyn and Evan Doyle made it clear, they do not have that much in common.
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Glyn Doyle (right) prepares to throw a rock as Evan gets ready to sweep during practice at the Smithers Curling Centre last Thursday.

Brothers Glyn and Evan Doyle made it clear, they do not have that much in common.

Evan is in his second year at Smithers Secondary School and Glyn is in his final year.

They hang out with different people and said they don’t spend much time with each other aside from curling practices and games.

“We definitely hang out with different groups,” said 17-year-old Glyn. “We don’t particularly have anything in common. We both play music as well. That’s pretty much it.”

While they claim they’re very different, on paper, they have more similarities than they like to admit.

They are both incredibly athletic, playing on soccer, volleyball and hockey teams in town. They also juggle being in band — Glyn plays the trombone and the tuba, while 14-year-old Evan plays the flute and drums.

Though they play many of the same sports, they haven’t had the opportunity to play on the same team, mostly because of the three-year age difference.

But this year, in their last chance to play on a high school team together, the brothers joined the high school curling team and played alongside each other. They played the entire season and now, along with junior Sean Turney, and seniors Adam Hartnett and Matthew Steventon, they will head to the B.C. school provincials in February.

Glyn, who plays skip, started curling roughly eight years ago, while Evan, a spare who subs in as lead or second, picked it up just a couple years later.

“It’s more of a strategy game, more technical than a physical game. There’s lots of strategy and skills involved in this game compared to other sports,” said Glyn.

Evan agreed.

“It’s just toned down from all the physical sports like hockey,” he said.

Laurence Turney, head coach of the high school curling team, has been teaching the boys for years and is close friends with the family.

“They’re good, smart athletes. They know what they want to do, they play hard. They’re enthusiastic and emotional about it,” said Turney.

“They have a lot of desire and . . . they’re really good at seeing how to play the game. Coaching them, you can give them tips and you can see them immediately thinking it through and trying it.”

Turney said the pair share a passion for sports, but differ in their playing styles.

“Evan kinda wants to be the best right away, he’s got to get into it and learn it a little bit more,” said Turney.

“Glyn he’s a very smart skip, I enjoy watching him. He thinks about what he’s going to do, he looks at all his options and most of the time chooses the best option.”

Since Glyn is the more experienced curler, having been to provincials four years in a row, he said he tries to offer advice to his younger brother, that is when Evan will take it.

“There’s definitely a bit of conflict, but it’s to be expected. He doesn’t necessarily like taking advice from me because he wants to hear it from someone else,” said Glyn.

Evan will make his first appearance at provincials later this month.

sHe said he is nervous about playing on a larger stage, but admitted he will try to use techniques he learned from his older brother.

“Technique and how to release the rock,” said Evan. “I look up to him for some things, he’s more of a model to shoot for.”

“You mean to beat?” laughed Glyn.

They will travel to Creston Feb. 18-22 to try to capture the provincial curling title side by side.