Team Tardi took home hardware, both team and individual, from the recently completed BC Winter Games in Mission.
Representing Zone 3 (Fraser Valley), the Langley foursome earned bronze in the juvenile men’s curling competition, held Feb. 20-23 at the Mission Curling Club.
Team Tardi, made up of skip Tyler Tardi, third Nicholas Umbach, second Scottie Kryski, and lead Joshua Desrosiers, represents the Langley Curling Club.
The Langley team defeated a Vernon foursome skipped by Thomas Love by a 9-2 count, in Sunday’s bronze medal game.
In addition to helping his team capture bronze, Tyler Tardi was honoured with a prestigious BC Winter Games award.
The W.R. Bennett Award for Athletic Excellence was handed to the Surrey-based curler at the end of the Games.
He was chosen above all competitors in all sports for the award.
In addition to winning a trophy, Tardi will receive a $2,500 bursary designed to recognize and support his ongoing development in sport or education.
The award was named in honour of the former Premier of British Columbia, William Bennett, who was instrumental in starting the BC Summer and BC Winter Games program in 1978.
The recipient is selected from nominations submitted by Provincial Sport Organizations included in each Games.
Each sport may submit a nomination for one male and one female athlete competing at the Games.
Nominees are considered on the basis of their past sport performances in the sport they are competing at the Games, their performance at the Games, their sport ambition and future potential, and demonstrated leadership both on and off the field of play.
Nomination forms are provided directly to Provincial Sport Organizations prior to the Games.
Team Tardi fell just short of its goal of competing for a gold medal, losing 6-3 to Team Carpenter – the eventual gold medalist – in Saturday’s semifinal.
Representing Zone 4 (Zone 4 (Fraser River-Delta), Team Carpenter curls out of the Royal City Curling Club in New Westminster.
Speed skating
Speed skater William Park dominated at the Games.
Park won all six gold medals that were up for grabs in the U14 boys division.
Five of his gold medals were for individual events with the sixth coming in the mixed 3,000m relays.
Park trains with the Langley Blades speed skating club under the guidance of coaches Eden Donatelli-Green and Julian Green, both former Olympians.
Gymnastics
A few Langley athletes stood out among the 90 gymnasts from all regions in B.C. who competed at the Games.
Amongst male gymnasts, Langley’s Ben Strybos placed first in the horizontal bar event.
In the women’s provincial 3 category Langley’s Sage Bishop-Beaurone won the overall bronze medal while taking first on vault and uneven bars.
Diving
Walnut Grove Pool was the site of the Games diving competition.
A quartet of divers became double gold medalists on Saturday.
Alison Komlos from North Vancouver, Nick Nepomuceno from North Vancouver, William Robertson from Saanich, and Tavia Waiz from White Rock emerged victorious, and thus added to their medal haul from Friday.
Girls ice hockey
The Zone 3 Fraser Valley team – including Langley defenceman Sophia Christopherson, Langley forward Danika Pasqua, and Aldergrove forward Amy Potomak – edged Fraser River Delta 3-2 in the Games’ gold medal game.
The girls hockey tournament was held at the Mission Sports & Leisure Centre.
The teams were comprised of U16-aged players selected from female U16 zone camps that were held in early January.