This year’s competition for the 2018 Boston Pizza BC Junior Curling Championships is intense, with some teams so close in skill that the qualifying matches are down to the decimal point.
Eight teams have earned berths in the provincial championships by competing in the BC Junior Curling Tour, five qualifying events held across B.C.
Cloverdale’s Team Tardi will return to the BC Junior Curling Championships this year after earning the top berth, posting 297 points during the tour.
Last year, the team took it all the way – winning the provincial championships, then earning gold at the national curling championships and representing the nation at worlds in Gangneug, South Korea in February, where they fell just short of winning a medal.
This year, they’re back, with skip Tyler Tardi, third Sterling Middleton and second Jordan Tardi on the team again, joined by a new lead, Zachary Curtis.
Royal City Curling Club’s Team McCrady came in second place for junior men’s, with 264 points. Team McCrady features skip Matthew McCrady, third Brayden Carpenter, second Nicholas Umbach and lead Jacob Umbach.
Third berth went to Team Monette, out of Vernon, with 186 points. Cloverdale Curling Club’s Team Silva, featuring Nathan Silva, Nicolaus Bonneau, Scott Wilson and Nicholas Hoffard, was not far behind, with 184 points.
Meanwhile, the competition for the junior women’s berths was being calculated down to the decimal points.
Team Daniels, from the Delta Thistle Curling Club and Royal City Curling Club, was the top performer, securing 254 points. The team roster includes skip Sarah Daniels, third Kayla MacMillan, second Megan Daniels and lead Sarah Loken.
Victoria Curling Club’s Team Reese-Hansen, featuring Taylor Reese-Hansen, Catera Park, Jordan Koster and Sydney Brilz, came in with a strong second of 241 points.
It was then down to Team Fisher and Team Royea, who were neck-and-neck for a third place finish.
Representing Kamploops, Royal City, Chilliwack and Prince George, Team Fisher posted 147.19 points.
Langley’s Team Royea, featuring skip Everly Royea, third Tanis Short, second Madeline Britz and lead Ardis Mellor-Laing, came in at 146.43 points.
Vernon’s Team McGillivray did not place, but earned an honourable mention. They came just short of earning a berth, posting 146.25 points.
These eight teams will meet again at the BC Junior Curling Championships at Langley Curling Centre from Dec. 18 – 23.
There are eight more berths available – four for women’s teams and four for men’s teams. Open playdowns will take place in Osoyoos from Nov. 24 – 26, and Gibsons from Dec. 1 – 4.
The provincial tournament will see eight men’s teams and eight women’s teams go head-to-head. The round robin tournament will take place from Dec. 18 – 23, and both the junior women’s and junior men’s finals will be livestreamed online at sportscanada.tv/curlbc on Dec. 23.
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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Team Tardi celebrating their win at the BC Junior Men’s Curling Championships last year. (Contributed)
