Nick Rizzo (curler)

{{short description|Canadian curler}}

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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|07|24}}

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Nick Rizzo (born July 24, 1961) is a Canadian curler from Brantford, Ontario. He was active on the World Curling Tour until 2015.{{cite web|title=Nick Rizzo|website=CurlingZone|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/player.php?playerid=3300&view=Events#1|accessdate=March 8, 2022}} He is a former provincial junior and mixed champion.

In 1979, his rink of Dan Aitchison, Brad Hager and Chris Hager won the provincial junior championship, finishing the event in first place with a 6–1 round robin record.{{cite news|title=Rizzo rebounds to capture title|date=February 19, 1979|page=8|newspaper=Kingston Whig-Standard|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97205794/the-kingston-whig-standard/|accessdate=March 8, 2022}} The team represented Ontario at the 1979 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, finishing with a 4–7 record, tied for eighth.{{cite news|title=Newfoundland gains bye to final with triumph over Saskatchewan|date=March 24, 1979|page=16|newspaper=Saskatoon Star-Phoenix|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97206191/star-phoenix/|accessdate=March 8, 2022}} In 1988, he won a provincial Colts championship and in April 2002, he won the 2003 Ontario Mixed Championship with his wife Jo-Ann and teammates Gareth Parry and Vicki Advent, defeating the Peter Mellor rink in the final.{{cite news|title=Rizzo relishes underdog role for mixed curling championships|date=January 7, 2003|page=11|newspaper=Brantford Expositor|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97205376/the-expositor/|accessdate=March 8, 2022}} This qualified the team to represent Ontario at the 2003 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship.{{cite news|title=Rizzo rink rocks provincials |date=April 22, 2002|page=13|newspaper=Brantford Expositor|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97211129/the-expositor/|accessdate=March 8, 2022}} At the Canadian Mixed, they made the playoffs, where they lost in the 3 vs. 4 game to Alberta's Shannon Kleibrink.{{Cite web| title=Canadian Mixed Curling Championship - Abbotsford, British Columbia - Team and player identification | url=http://www.curling.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Mixed_2003.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706174557/http://www.curling.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Mixed_2003.pdf | archive-date=2011-07-06}}

Rizzo played in his lone Grand Slam of Curling event at the 2004 BDO Curling Classic.{{cite news|title=Undefeated so far|date=November 5, 2004|page=20|newspaper=Grande Prairie Herald-Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97206831/the-daily-herald-tribune/|accessdate=March 8, 2022}} Rizzo, and his rink of John Epping, Scott Foster and Rob Brockbank did not make the playoffs, being eliminated by Scotland's Tom Brewster after defeating 2006 Olympic champion Brad Gushue.{{cite news|title=Allen rink falls short at $100,000 classic|date=November 8, 2004|page=20|newspaper=Brantford Expositor|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97207219/the-expositor/|accessdate=March 8, 2022}}

Rizzo has played in ten Ontario men's championships in his career,{{cite news|title=Brantford rinks take on Howard at provincials|date=February 2, 2008|page=13|newspaper=Brantford Expositor|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97212529/the-expositor/|accessdate=March 8, 2022}} his last provincial championship being in 2011.