BC Provincials Men & Woman

The 2020 BC Championships in Cranbrook  are in full swing and the frontrunners are beginning to emerge.

BC Provincials Men & Woman
BC Provincials Men & Woman

In men’s play, three teams remain unbeaten and will be looking for the first qualifier position and a playoff berth. The teams include Team Joanisse, Team Richard and Team Cotter. The Richard rink from Kelowna of skip Jeff Richard, third Tyler Klymchuk, second Corey Chester and lead Rhys Gamache will play Dean Joanisse’s rink to earn a spot in the A Event final. The Joanisse rink from Golden Ears Winter Club and Royal City Curling Club is made up of Joanisse, third Andrew Bilesky, second Steve Kopf, lead Aaron Watson and fifth Steve Petryk.

Defending champions Team Cotter, from Vernon and Kelowna curling clubs, with skip Jim Cotter, third Steve Laycock, second Andrew Nerpin and lead Rick Sawatsky defeated Team Montgomery in Draw 6 to earn their A Event final spot. The A final will go ahead tomorrow (Jan. 30) at 4pm).

BC Provincials Men & Woman
BC Provincials Men & Woman

There are plenty of great storylines among the other contenders. Brad Wood, who has three Briers under his belt, is skipping a team from Vernon and Penticton. Not only is he a playing in the event but he is also sponsoring a number of teams – and the event itself. The Nufloors owner said he liked supporting the players. “It’s tough to get sponsorships for this kind of thing, so I like to do it. To be able to curl in it is just the bonus on top of it.”

BC Provincials Men & Woman
BC Provincials Men & Woman

Wood is still in the mix for a B Event qualification, having only lost one game so far.

 

Despite having been on a larger stage, Wood still finds it exciting to play in a BC championship. “It’s still really exciting. It’s always fun to kind of see all your other friends and the new guys you get to meet, especially these young up-and-coming teams. It’s fun to watch them because they really develop the sport. It’s something I haven’t seen for 12-15 years. It’s a nice change.”

BC Provincials Men & Woman
BC Provincials Men & Woman

And for Rob Dennis of Team Dennis, who have dropped to the C Event, the experience has meant a lot. The skip of the team from Royal City Curling Club and Salmon Arm Curling Centre,  brought in a rock star coach – BC, Brier and World Champion Greg McAulay, who also happens to be his father-in-law.  Dennis said he appreciated the partnership. He said: “It’s great. He brings such a wealth of knowledge for sure and experience. He’s been super great, mostly on the mental side. The big part is getting us mentally ready, talking about stuff before and debriefing after. He sees everything and he pays attention to us watching and playing so it’s invaluable really, it’s been fantastic.”

Draw 2 - Woman_029

On the women’s side, Team Wark is the frontrunner with a 3-0 record heading into their fourth game this evening. (8pm MST). Their lineup features skip Sarah Wark, third Kristen Pilote, second Carley Sandwith and lead Jen Rusnell.

Draw 2 - Woman_031

Team Daniels, from Delta Thistle Curling Club has two wins under their belt. Skip Sarah Daniels, third Kayla MacMillan, second Holly Horvat, lead Sarah Loken and coach Katie Witt sit with a 2-1 record, but with one  of those wins against Team Brown, who have the other 2-1 record. Team Brown features skip Corryn Brown, third Erin Pincott, second Dezaray Hawes and lead Ashley Klymchuk.

Draw 2 - Woman_028

Draw 2 - Woman_027

TEAM ROSTERS:

 

Men’s teams:

Defending Champions:

Team Cotter, Vernon and Kelowna Curling Clubs

Skip: Jim Cotter
Third: Steve Laycock
Second: Andrew Nerpin
Lead: Rick Sawatsky

CTRS Winner:

Team Tardi, Langley and Victoria Curling Clubs

Skip: Tyler Tardi
Third: Sterling Middleton
Second: Jordan Tardi
Lead: Alex Horvath
Coach: Paul Tardi

Tour Winner:

Team Wenzek, Royal City Curling Club

Skip: Daniel Wenzek
Third: Cameron de Jong
Second: Cody Tanaka
Lead: Nicholas Umbach

Tour Winner:

Team Geall, Abbotsford and Royal City Curling Clubs

Skip: Sean Geall
Third: Jared Kolomaya
Second: Sebastien Robillard
Lead: Nicholas Meister

Regional Qualifiers:

Team Dangerfield, Victoria Curling Club

Skip: Neil Dangerfield
Third: Denis Sutton
Second: Darren Boden
Lead: Glen Allen

Team Montgomery, Victoria Curling Club

Skip: Jason Montgomery
Third: Chris Baier
Second: Miles Craig
Lead: Will Duggan

Team Jackson, Victoria Curling Club

Skip: Glen Jackson
Third: Andrew Komlodi
Second: Jason Clarke
Lead: Joel Cave

Team Medford, Cranbrook Curling Centre

Skip: Chris Medford
Third: Steve Tersmette
Second: Mitch Young
Lead: Jeff Langin

Team Salviulo, Castlegar Curling Club

Skip: Nando Salviulo
Third: Jamie Ingram
Second: Cody Bartlett
Lead: Kevin Maffioli

Team Richard, Kelowna Curling Club

Skip: Jeff Richard
Third: Tyler Klymchuck
Second: Corey Chester
Lead: Rhys Gamache

Team Longworth, Vernon Curling Club

Skip: Mark Longworth
Third: Michael Longworth
Second: Rob Nobert
Lead: Cam Weir

Team Olsen, Kamloops Curling Club

Skip: Brad Thompson
Third: Grant Olsen (skip)
Second: Trevor Miyahara
Lead: Brent Yamada

Team Joanisse, Royal City/GEWC

Skip: Dean Joanisse
Third: Andrew Bilesky
Second: Steve Kopf
Lead: Aaron Watson
Fifth: Steve Petryk

Team Dennis, Royal City/Salmon Arm

Skip: Rob Dennis
Third: Doug Kilborn
Second: Brad Blackwell
Lead: Rick Miller
Coach: Greg McAulay

Team Thompson, Vancouver Curling Club

Skip: Aaron Thompson
Third: Jack Holmes
Second: Derek Smith
Lead: Scott Robertson

Team Wood, Vernon/Penticton curling clubs

Skip: Brad Wood
Third: Matt Tolley
Second: Nathan Small
Lead: John Slattery

Women’s teams

Defending champions:

Team Wark, Abbotsford Curling Club

Skip: Sarah Wark
Third: Kristen Pilote
Second: Carley Sandwith
Lead: Jen Rusnell

CTRS winner

Team Brown, Kamloops Curling Club

Skip: Corryn Brown
Third: Erin Pincott
Second: Dezaray Hawes
Lead: Ashley Klymchuk
Coach: Allison MacInnes

Tour Winner:

Team Thompson, Kamloops Curling Club

Skip: Karla Thompson
Third: Jodie Brennan
Second: Amanda Guido
Lead: Lanette Nordick
Coach: Darryl Horne

Tour Winner:

Team Richards, Kelowna and Victoria curling clubs

Skip: Brette Richards
Third: Blaine de Jager
Second: Steph Jackson-Baier
Lead: Rachelle Kallechy
Fifth: Patti Knezevic
Coach: David Harper

Team Pewarchuk, Victoria Curling Club

Skip: Dailene Pewarchuk
Third: Taylor Reese-Hansen
Second: Ashley Sanderson
Lead: Sydney Brilz
Coach: Todd Troyer

Team Slattery, Vernon/Kelowna curling clubs

Fourth: Alyssa Kyllo
Third: Sheila Cowan
Second: Shaina McGiverin
Lead/Skip: Kim Slattery

Team Daniels, Delta Thistle Curling Club

Skip: Sarah Daniels
Third: Kayla MacMillan
Second: Holly Horvat
Lead: Sarah Loken
Coach: Katie Witt

Team Gushulak, Royal City, Kelowna and Vancouver curling clubs

Skip: Diane Gushulak
Third: Grace MacInnes
Second: Megan McGillivray
Lead: Sandra Comadina
Coach: Neil Houston