Team Slattery of Vernon have qualified for the Scotties B.C. Women’s Curling Championships, presented by Best Western, Jan. 2-7, in Victoria.
Veteran Kim Slattery, who skips while throwing lead rocks for her young group, stopped Karla Thompson of Kamloops/Golden Ears 6-4 in Saturday’s A final of the 10-rink playdowns in Hope.
Slattery is supported by fourth Alyssa Kyllo, third Kelsi Jones and second Morgayne Eby. They are coached by Mark Longworth, who was in the men’s playdowns in Vernon.
“The girls played very well, making some brilliant shots to get us out of trouble and finishing off scoring opportunities,” said Slattery.
Slattery opened by upending Sarah Wark of Chilliwack before brushing back Dailene Pewarchuk of Victoria 9-6.
Thompson took the second berth by shading Wark 6-5 in the B final, while the third provincial spot went to Holly Donaldson of Victoria-Vancouver, 9-7 winners over Wark in the C final.
Thompson’s team features third Kristen Recksiedler, second Shannon Joanisse and lead Trysta Vandale. Three of the players were the B.C. Scotties champions in 2016 and Joanisse was part of the Mallett rink that won in 2017.
The Donaldson rink was a bronze medalist at last year’s B.C. Scotties when the team was skipped by Lindsay Hudyma, who plays third this year. The team is rounded out by 2014 B.C. Scotties champions Steph Jackson-Baier and Carley Sandwith. They are coached by Georgina Wheatcroft, a two-time world champion and Olympian from 2002.
The two women’s teams to have qualified already based on their Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) points are Team Gushulak, from Royal City Curling Club in New Westminster, and Team Brown, from Kamloops Curling Club. The remaining three berths for the women’s playdowns will be available through open playdowns being held in Kelowna this weekend.
At the Vernon Curling Club, where two men’s berths were up for grabs, Brent Pierce of New Westminster bounced Longworth 9-3 in the A final.
Pierce, a former world champion (2000), was backed by third Andrew Bilesky, second Steve Kopf, lead Rhys Gamache and fifth Derek Errington. Bilesky, Kopf and Errington were B.C. men’s champions in 2013.
The Okanagan rink of Chris Baier took the B event spot by outlasting Longworth 9-7 in the B final. Baier had third Adam Cseke, second Matt Tolley and lead Cal Jackson. Baier lives in Victoria but Cseke, Tolley and Jackson live in the Okanagan.
Pierce and Baier move to the belairdirect B.C. Men’s Championship, Jan, 31-Feb, 4, in Parksville.
The five men’s teams who qualified last weekend will join Team Sean Geall, from Kelowna Curling Club, and Team Dean Joanisse, from Golden Ears Winter Club in Maple Ridge, and who qualified at the end of November because they were the top-ranked B.C. teams on the CTRS list.
The 2018 belairdirect provincials will also feature the defending champions, Team John Morris of Vernon, as long as the team can return with three out of four of the players who played last year.
In the Kootenay playdowns, Team Medford of Cranbrook took the single berth that was available.
The Victoria playdowns saw two local rinks earn the qualification spots. Team Jason Montgomery took the A Event berth, while the B title went to Team Wes Craig of Shawnigan Lake.
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