The Cheryl Wyatt Rink clinched a comeback in the A event to claim the win in the Ladies Valentines Bonspiel last weekend, Feb. 9-11.
Playing against the provincial junior girls team from Kitimat, Cheryl Wyatt, Jacquie Munson, Nancy Reniero and Sandra Hoffman were down in the sixth end 2-6.
The ladies managed to score three in the seventh, steal one in the eighth, and clinch one more in the extra to win the game 7-6.
Geared for fun, the Valentines bonspiel this year was built around an ’80’s theme and drew 32 teams, decked out in fun costumes and enjoying the social atmosphere, curling, games, draws, and dancing.
The Hannah Copeland Rink, sporting ‘80’s aerobic wear, and the Kathie Simpson Rink, dressed as Pacman characters, won awards for best costumes.
Margaret Copeland has played in the bonspiel for the last 16 years and says it was a blast.
She loves “getting to see everybody, having fun out on the ice, dancing, and drinking,” she said.
Sharlee Edwards, who has also curled for years, agreed.
“It’s tons of fun,” she said. “It’s good exercise, something different, and the organizers are awesome, they’ve got (lots of) games and entertainment.”
Edwards says she enjoys the whole atmosphere of the bonspiel, from the games to the dinner to all the other aspects.
“It’s everything: it’s the game, seeing the teams from out of town, (and) the prize table is always really nice.”
Copeland added that curling is great because it draws people of all ages.
“I have my 17-year-old daughter and 20-year-old daughter both playing,” she said, noting that there are players ages 13 to 80 in the bonspiel.
“I like the fact that you can come out to curl on any given night, and you can play someone ten years younger than you, or you can play somebody that’s 10 years older than you,” she said.
The other events went as follows:
In the B event, the Lisa Lawley Rink slid into first place over the Brousseau Rink from Kitimat. (On the Lawley rink was Lisa Lawley, Janice Julseth, Kishanda Lawley, and Jessica Lawley, and on the Brousseau rink was Sherri Stefanon, Charlene Galante, and Tina Chamberlin).
It was a 6-6 tie in the sixth end, with the Brousseau Rink scoring one in the seventh and then a beautiful draw by the Lawley Rink skip Janice Julseth to score two points and clinch the win.
In the C event, Kitimat’s Laurel deGoeij Rink won (with deGoeij, Erin Baker, Samantha Tough, and Kerri Wightman).
The final game went down to the last rock against the Hannah Copeland Rink (with Copeland, Kallie Edwards, Bianca Reniero, and Meghan Bowles).
The D event winners were Rebecca Kucharyshen, Kim MacDougall, Jody Kucharyshen, Joan Kucharyshen, and Claudia Brand, who have won the A event multiple times but were beat out by the Melanson rink to drop into the D.
In the D-final, they beat the Jessica Bernhardt rink (with Bernhardt, Katie Wahl, Crystal MacLeod, and Linda Mille).
