It's been a rough last 48 hours for Jamie Koe but he's trying to turn the page and make amends for what happened at the Red Deer Curling Classic.
Curling Canada/Michael Burns photo
Koe and his rink of Ryan Fry, Chris Schille and DJ Kidby were given the boot by the bonspiel's organizers after engaging in what was described as "unsportsmanlike behaviour" by the World Curling Tour. The disqualification meant they forfeited their final game against Josh Heidt of Saskatchewan on Sunday afternoon with Heidt being given an official 1-0 win.
Koe released a statement on his Twitter account apologizing to everyone involved with the tournament.
"Due to a lapse in judgement on Saturday, we contributed to an unpleasant experience for others," the statement read in part.
In speaking with Yellowknifer on Monday morning, Koe said he wasn't going to throw anyone under the bus for what happened.
"We obviously enjoyed ourselves down there, but I'm not going to comment on who did what or anything like that," he said.
Everything seemed to come to a head during the team's game against Kody Hartung of Saskatchewan when the two rinks squared off in a B qualifier game of the triple-knockout tournament and not a consolation bracket as has been reported. Fry apparently broke several brooms during the game and later put a hole in the wall of one of the locker rooms at the venue.
Koe said he removed himself before the game against Hartung because he was in no condition to play, but once the organizers handed down their decision to disqualify his rink, he took it without complaint.
"They let us know what they would do and we respected it," he said. "Ryan went back and apologized first thing the next day and the rest of us got in contact with the club shortly after that. We just wanted to let things settle down before we apologized and we just want to make things right."
Schille, who plays on Koe's team as the out-of-territory player when they enter the NWT Brier Playdowns, issued his own statement of apology on Monday.
"We took our fun a little too far which led to curlers and fans being uncomfortable and upset," it read in part.
A sign was put up inside the venue stating Koe's rink had been barred from playing in future tournaments at the Pidherney Curling Centre, but the organizers were still figuring out what to do as of press time, according to Wade Thurber, the club's facility manager.
As for Koe, he said he just wants to move on from this and get back to normal.
"It's a stretch to say we'd be going back there anytime soon, but we've apologized and tried to make things right with them," he said. "They told us our behaviour was unacceptable and I can't argue with that. It's a hard lesson to learn, but it's all about getting back to what's important in life and getting back to normal."