Kennedy 'excited' about chance to join Team Jacobs

They’ve got a bit of a history already and for Marc Kennedy, after a year away from competing in the sport, it’s an exciting opportunity to get back into competitive curling.

Kennedy is set to join Brad Jacobs’ rink next season as the newest member of the former Olympic champs.

The Jacobs rink announced in mid-March that the team was looking for a “fresh start” and that third Ryan Fry would not be returning to the team next winter.

That’s when Kennedy got the call asking if he would be interested in joining Jacobs, E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden next season.

“I was a bit surprised to get the call,” Kennedy said. “I watched the guys play at the Brier and they looked like a team on a mission. They all played great. One shot here and there and they’re probably Brier champs. I was a bit surprised. but I can understand the need for a fresh start for all of them. I’ve been there.

“I was excited,” Kennedy added. “I needed a few days to think about it just from a family perspective and a health perspective with my hip. I don’t want to commit to something half way. I wanted to make sure I could be all-in with those guys and try to help them win some big stuff. I took a few days and then I was happy to call them back and tell them I’m all in.”

Kennedy takes over Fry, who will finish the season with the Jacobs rink before moving on.

When the new-look team takes to the ice next fall, it’s not going to be the first time the foursome has curled together.

Kennedy joined the Jacobs rink for the Canada Cup, a Curling Canada event, when Fry took a leave from the team for personal reasons.

With Kennedy, the Jacobs rink won the event.

“We had a bit of a fairy tale week,” Kennedy said. “We all got along really well and beat two of the best teams in the world on the first day. Everybody meshed. It was a little bit of a honeymoon stage when you’re getting to know guys and you’re getting along well. It was fantastic. We’re looking forward to building on the chemistry that we’ve already created.”

Kennedy joins the Jacobs rink in the midst of a new Olympic cycle and brings added Olympic experience to a team that won Olympic gold in 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

Kennedy was a member of Kevin Koe’s team that represented Canada in 2018 in Pyeongchang and won Olympic gold in 2010 in Vancouver as a member of Kevin Martin’s team.

“That’s a big reason for me joining this team is knowing these guys have been there and they know what it takes to win and the drive that they have to get back,” Kennedy said. “Those are all important factors in me coming back and joining these guys. In a way, it doesn’t give us an edge because there are a lot of teams that have won a lot, but we do know what it takes. I can tell by talking to them that they want to get back to the Olympics and so do I. It’s the most fun event in all of sports. We have that in coming and I look forward to seeing what this team can accomplish.”

Kennedy took the 2018-19 season off after throwing third stones for Koe last year.

Kennedy announced in March 2018 that he was taking a step back from competitive curling at the end of last season.

At the time, Kennedy said it wasn’t a decision that was a spur of the moment, calling it something he had wrestled with for some time.

After the announcement, some referred to his decision as a retirement of sorts, but retirement wasn’t the case.

“That was my body and my brain telling me that I needed a break,” Kennedy said. “I’ve been going pretty hard in curling for 20 years. I knew after the Olympics that everything was telling me to step back.

“I just needed a break,” Kennedy added. “It’s a hard thing to explain to people because it became retiring and I never wanted to (retire). I just wanted to step away for a while and get refreshed and get my hip feeling good and get some quality time with my family.”

The time away this season allowed the 37-year-old to spend time with his young girls.

“To have a year at home and not miss any cheerleading competitions and not worry about getting on a plane every couple of days, that’s what I needed,” Kennedy said.

The Koe rink eventually took on a new look this season with a new third in B.J. Neufeld and a new second in Colton Flasch.

Flasch replaced Brent Laing, who joined John Epping’s team this season.

The Jacobs rink will wrap up the season with two more events with Fry at third.

The team is set to compete in a pair of Grand Slam of Curling events to end the season – the Players Championship in Toronto, which begins on April 9, and the Champions Cup in Saskatoon, set to begin on April 23.