The opportunity to be the home crowd favourites at a national championship is in the grasp of 14 masters curling teams who have qualified for provincials.
That’s because once the provincials at Creston Curling Club are complete, the winning teams will compete at the 2018 Coastland Engineering & Surveying Canadian Masters Curling Championships happening in Cloverdale and White Rock.
Fourteen teams have now qualified for the 2018 BC Masters Curling Championships, presented by the Hearing Loss Clinic, which will go ahead at Creston Curling Club Mar. 6-11. Six more men’s team berths are up for grabs Feb. 16-19 at playdowns in Lake Cowichan and Mission.
The event in Creston will be two 10-team round-robins with three-team playoffs. The top two mens teams and the top womens teams will qualify for nationals held at Cloverdale Curling Club and Peace Arch Curling Club, which will run from Apr. 1-8. (https://www.2018masterscurling.com/).
A total of 10 women’s teams and four men’s teams have qualified for provincials.
The 10 women’s teams are:
·Team Lepine from Cloverdale/Langley/Port Alberni and Qualicum curling clubs, with skip Karen Lepine, third Lynne Noble, second Lorraine Jeffries, lead Agnes Sigurdson and coach Craig Lepine.
·Team Fiedler from Cranbrook Curling Centre, with Joan Fiedler, Joy Walker, Christine Knight and Ria House.
·Team Klebe from Chilliwack and Richmond curling clubs with skip Janet Klebe, third Kerri Miller, second Jane Adam, lead Laurie Shimizu and coach Vic Shimizu.
·Team McFadden from Royal City Curling Club with skip Carol McFadden, third Mona Bassett, second Monica Hunter, and lead Heather Miller.
·Team Sanders from Juan de Fuca and Kerry Park Curling Centres with skip Pat Sanders, third Lorraine Gagnon, second Sherry Findlay and lead Roselyn Craig.
·Team Brunn from Cloverdale and Langley curling clubs with skip Linda Brunn, third Connie Stunden, second Donna Christian and lead Ann Knopp.
·Team Obee from Nanaimo Curling Centre with skip Marg Obee, third Noreen Martin, second Jill McGlenen and lead Moyra Graham.
·Team Dufour from Comox Valley Curling Centre with skip Amber Dufour, third Mary Holden, second Denise Colburn and lead Elaine Starchuk.
·Team Clark from Royal City/Marpole/Golden Ears/Cloverdale and Langley curling centres with skip Gwen Clark, third Pam Chow, second Sandy Fister and lead Susan Teleske.
·Team Gardner from Royal City Curling Club with skip Isobel Gardner, third Margaret Dunn, second Diane Armstrong and lead Rita Araki.
The four men’s teams that have qualified are:
·Team Koffski from Kelowna Curling Club with skip Rob Koffski, third Pat Ryan, second Gerry Richard, lead Randy Nelson and fifth Glen Brennan.
·Team Beaudry from Nelson and Trail curling clubs with skip Garry Beaudry, third Brian LeMoel, second Harry Davidson and lead Richard Faunt.
·Team King from Beaver Valley, Trail and Grand Forks curling clubs, with skip Bill King, third Don Bedard, second Al Bressanutti and lead Murray Walsh.
·Team Kent from Cranbrook, Kimberley and Elkford curling clubs with skip Gerald Kent, third Ken McHargue, second Ivar Larson and lead Dennis Rounsville.
For the full team rosters, linescores and schedules, visit http://playdowns.curlbc.ca.
Two events (Feb. 16-18) at Cowichan Rocks and Mission Granite Curling Club will decide the remaining men’s qualifiers.