The Brier is returning to our hometown and we’re very excited for what that means for curlers and curling fans in the Ottawa area.

When the national men's championship was hosted here in 2001 all of us were in attendance as big (yet little!) curling fans. In fact Joanne even travelled to Ottawa to watch that Brier - although we didn't meet until several years later.

This experience not only put us up close with some of the best and now legendary curlers in the world, it also put some of us on the Brier ice for a Little Rockers game in front of thousands.

When a major curling event comes to your community it is an amazing opportunity to not only witness great shot making but also to give back to your community. We've met so many incredible volunteers at every Season of Champions event. We still keep in touch with our volunteer driver from our first Ontario Scotties. (Hi Denny!) We encourage people who can to volunteer their time and resources to make the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier another memorable event for others and for themselves.

The lounge events at Briers and Scotties are legendary and unlike most other sports, curling allows you to get up close and personal with the game’s top players, coaches and even broadcasters after that last rock is thrown and the arena lights are flipped off.

Rachel Homan at the Rideau Curling Club in Ottawa (left). Homan (right) skipping at the 2013 Scotties.

Ottawa has not hosted a major curling event in over a decade but as a team we've been fortunate to capture two Scotties titles just down the highway in Kingston and Montreal. We have felt the amazing energy of Ottawa curling crowds made up of fans who made those short treks and we’re excited to see those same fans filling TD Place Arena for next year’s Brier.

We have no doubt the 2016 Ottawa Brier will inspire at least four more young curlers down the same path we started on in 2001.

Brier Coming to Ottawa in 2016!