Rylan Kleiter
{{short description|Canadian curler}}
{{Infobox curler
| name = Rylan Kleiter
| image =
| image_size =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|7|4}}
| birth_place = Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
| Curling club = Sutherland CC,
Saskatoon, SK
| Skip = Rylan Kleiter
| Third = Joshua Mattern
| Second = Matthew Hall
| Lead = Trevor Johnson
| Alternate =
| Mixed doubles partner = Brittany Tran
| Member Association = {{SK}}
| Brier appearances = 1 ({{Brier|2025}})
| Top CCA ranking = 6th (2024–25)
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's Curling }}
{{MedalCountry | {{CAN}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | World Junior Curling Championships }}
{{MedalGold| 2019 Liverpool | }}
}}
Rylan Kleiter (born July 4, 1998) is a Canadian curler from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/files/2020/01/2020-New-Holland-U21-Canadian-Juniors-Media-Guide-1.pdf|title=2020 New Holland U21 Canadian Juniors Media Guide|website=Curling Canada|access-date=August 14, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/#!/competitions/6240/teams/25985/team_athletes/25985-fourth-23349|title=Rylan Kleiter Profile|website=Curling Canada|access-date=August 14, 2020}} He currently skips his own team. Team Kleiter is known for their brightly coloured paint splash pants.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/curling/curling-fashion-more-than-norwegian-pants-1.4976375|title=Curling fashion becoming more than those Norwegian pants|website=CBC Sports|author=Devin Heroux|date=January 13, 2019|access-date=August 14, 2020}}
Curling career
=Juniors=
Kleiter and his rink of Trevor Johnson, Joshua Mattern and Matthieu Taillon represented Saskatchewan internationally for the first time at the 2015 U18 International Curling Championships where he skipped the team to a 2–3 round robin record, unfortunately missing the playoffs. The team was able to win their two consolation games however, winning the C Event.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=3796&teamid=85948&profileid=|title=2015 U18 International Curling Championships|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 14, 2020}} Team Kleiter won the U18 provincial championship once again in 2017. They represented Saskatchewan at the 2017 Canadian U18 Curling Championships in Moncton, New Brunswick and topped their pool with a 4–1 record. Two more wins in the championship pool qualified them for the playoffs as the second seed. They lost the semifinal against Nova Scotia and the bronze medal game against British Columbia, unfortunately not winning a medal.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/#!/competitions/2392|title=2017 Canadian U18 Curling Championships|website=Curling Canada|access-date=August 14, 2020}} They also won the U21 provincial in 2017, sending them to the 2017 Canadian Junior Curling Championships. Like their first trip to the U18's in 2015, they didn't qualify for the playoffs, finishing 2–3.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/#!/competitions/2182|title=2017 Canadian Junior Curling Championships|website=Curling Canada|access-date=August 14, 2020}}
Team Kleiter returned to the junior championship again in 2018{{Cite news|url=https://thestarphoenix.com/sports/local-sports/rylan-kleiter-buttons-up-provincial-junior-curling-title-for-second-time-in-a-row/|title=Rylan Kleiter buttons up provincial junior curling title for second time in a row|website=Saskatoon StarPhoenix|date=January 2, 2018|access-date=August 14, 2020}} but this time finished with a worse record of 1–5.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/#!/competitions/3377|title=2018 Canadian Junior Curling Championships|website=Curling Canada|access-date=August 14, 2020}} The following season they once again won the provincial juniors and represented Saskatchewan on home ice at the 2019 Canadian Junior Curling Championships in Prince Albert. This year, the Saskatchewan team had a great showing, going 8–2 in the round robin and championship pool to secure a playoff berth. Their run ended in the semifinal however, losing to Manitoba's J. T. Ryan.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/#!/competitions/4390|title=2019 Canadian Junior Curling Championships|website=Curling Canada|access-date=August 14, 2020}} With their good showing, Kleiter was asked to be Tyler Tardi's alternate at the 2019 World Junior Curling Championships. They only lost two games en route to the World Junior Curling Championship championship title and gold medal. Kleiter played in three games during the tournament.{{Cite web|url=https://results.worldcurling.org/Championship/Details/634|title=2019 World Junior Curling Championships|website=World Curling Federation|access-date=August 14, 2020}} Also during the 2018–19 season, Team Kleiter was invited to the 2019 Canadian Open Grand Slam of Curling event as the sponsors exemption.{{Cite news|url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/kleiter-makes-eye-catching-debut-at-canadian-open/|title=Kleiter makes colourful debut at Canadian Open|author=Jonathan Brazeau|date=January 9, 2019|access-date=August 14, 2020}} They played against the top teams in the country, losing all three of their triple knockout games to Kevin Koe, Brad Jacobs and Reid Carruthers.
In their last year of junior eligibility, Team Kleiter won their fourth straight provincial junior title and once again a spot at the 2020 Canadian Junior Curling Championships.{{Cite news|url=https://thestarphoenix.com/sports/curling/kleiter-banking-on-past-experience-heading-to-fourth-junior-curling-nationals/|title=Kleiter banking on past experience heading to fourth junior curling nationals|website=Saskatoon StarPhoenix|author=Darren Zary|date=January 15, 2020|access-date=August 14, 2020}} They would once again have a great showing at nationals, qualifying for the playoffs with a 7–3 record and as the third seed. In a narrow semifinal against Newfoundland and Labrador, Team Saskatchewan gave up a key five ender in the eighth end, ultimately losing the game 9–8.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/#!/competitions/6240|title=2020 Canadian Junior Curling Championships|website=Curling Canada|access-date=August 14, 2020}}
=Mens=
Kleiter started finding success in men's play during the 2023-24 curling season, where he skipped a team alongside junior teammates Mattern and Johnson, and with Matthew Hall as second. The team finished in second place at the 2024 SaskTel Tankard, the provincial men's curling championship, losing to Mike McEwen 7–3 in the final. In their second season together, the team found even more success, winning the Tier 2 event of the 2024 Tour Challenge Grand Slam event. This win automatically qualified the team for the 2025 Masters Grand Slam event, where they finished with a 1–3 record. Shortly after their Grand Slam event, Kleiter also won their first SaskTel Tankard, beating Steve Laycock 8–5 in the final, qualifying them to represent Saskatchewan at the 2025 Montana's Brier.
=Mixed Doubles=
Kleiter began curling with Brittany Tran during the 2024-25 curling season, and the pair found immediate success, qualifying for the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Olympic Trials by defeating Lisa Weagle and John Epping 6–3 in the final of the first Direct-Entry Qualifier event.{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Main&eventid=8524|title=Canadian Mixed Doubles Olympic Trials Qualifier|website=CurlingZone|access-date=June 3, 2024}} Tran / Kleiter had a strong showing at their first Olympic Trials, finishing in 4th place, losing to Rachel Homan and Brendan Bottcher in the 3 vs 4 game.
Football
In addition to curling, Kleiter also played Canadian football in his youth. While attending the University of Regina, he played for the Regina Rams football team as a placekicker/receiver. Before attending the University of Regina, he played for the Saskatoon Hilltops in the Canadian Junior Football League from 2016 to 2019.{{Cite news|url=https://leaderpost.com/sports/curling/rylan-kleiter-tackling-football-and-curling-at-u-of-r|title=Rylan Kleiter tackling football and curling at U of R|website=Regina Leader-Post|author=Murray McCormick|date=February 4, 2022|access-date=March 1, 2025}}
Personal life
Kleiter is currently an accountant with Ernst & Young LLP.{{cite web |title=2023 PointsBet Invitational Media Guide|url=https://www.curling.ca/files/2023/09/2023-PointsBet-Invitational-media-guide-VER1.pdf|website=Curling Canada |date=September 2023 |accessdate=2023-09-24}} He studied accounting at the University of Saskatchewan. His father Dean Kleiter represented Saskatchewan twice at the Tim Hortons Brier in {{Brier|2001}} and {{Brier|2003}}. His mother is named Sherry.
Teams
| class="wikitable"
! scope="col"| Season ! scope="col"| Skip ! scope="col"| Third ! scope="col"| Second ! scope="col"| Lead |
| scope="row"| 2014–15{{Cite web|url=https://www.curlingzone.com/player.php?playerid=30089&view=Teams#1|title=Rylan Kleiter Past Teams|website=CurlingZone|access-date=August 14, 2020}}
| Rylan Kleiter || Trevor Johnson || Joshua Mattern || Matthieu Taillon |
|---|
| scope="row"| 2015–16
| Rylan Kleiter || Trevor Johnson || Joshua Mattern || Matthieu Taillon |
| scope="row"| 2016–17
| Rylan Kleiter || Trevor Johnson || Joshua Mattern || Matthieu Taillon |
| scope="row"| 2017–18
| Rylan Kleiter || Trevor Johnson || Joshua Mattern || Matthieu Taillon |
| scope="row"| 2018–19
| Rylan Kleiter || Trevor Johnson || Joshua Mattern || Matthieu Taillon |
| scope="row"| 2019–20
| Rylan Kleiter || Trevor Johnson || Joshua Mattern || Matthieu Taillon |
| scope="row"| 2020–21
| Rylan Kleiter || Joshua Mattern || Trevor Johnson || Matthieu Taillon |
| scope="row"| 2021–22
| Rylan Kleiter || Joshua Mattern || Trevor Johnson || Matthieu Taillon |
| scope="row"| 2022–23
| Rylan Kleiter || Joshua Mattern || Trevor Johnson || Matthieu Taillon |
| scope="row"| 2023–24
| Rylan Kleiter || Joshua Mattern || Matthew Hall || Trevor Johnson |
| scope="row"| 2024–25
| Rylan Kleiter || Joshua Mattern || Matthew Hall || Trevor Johnson |
References
{{Reflist}}