Team Canada faces 'strong field' at curling worlds, says Gallant

P.E.I. curler Brett Gallant says the Canadian team will have to be sharp to compete in a balanced field at the World Curling Championship, starting this weekend in Edmonton.

Gallant is the second on the Brad Gushue rink that won the Brier earlier this month.

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Gallant said Sweden is having a particularly good year, but there will be no easy wins.

"It's a really strong field. It's quite a balanced field. We're going to have to be sharp every game," he said.

We've played a lot of these teams.- Brett Gallant

"To represent Canada, It's basically the strongest curling country there is going back, basically forever. Any chance you have a chance to represent Canada it means a whole lot."

This is not Gallant's first experience of a world championship. He competed at the world junior curling championship in 2009, but he said this experience will be quite different.

"We've played a lot of these teams in world curling tour events, so we're familiar with them," he said.

"In juniors you don't do as much travelling."

Brier win helps secure funding

While trying to stay focused on the worlds, Gallant is already looking ahead to next year's Olympics.

He had two dreams as a child: win the Brier — done — and win Olympic Gold.

The Brier win gets Gallant a step closer to competing in next year's qualifiers, and also helps financially.

In addition to the prize money the win guarantees two years of funding for the team members from Sport Canada.

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