Jim Cotter’s Okanagan rink tasted victory early in the 2015-16 curling season, winning the tier 2 title at the Tour Challenge last weekend in Paradise, Nfld.
Cotter, third Ryan Kuhn, second Tyrel Griffith and lead Rick Sawatsky defeated Stony Creek, Ontario’s Mark Kean 5-3 in Sunday’s tier 2 final of the season’s first Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event.
For Grand Slam events this season, the top 15 teams on the World Curling Tour’s order of merit are placed in tier 1, while the next 15 teams qualify for tier 2.
With the victory, the Cotter rink moves up to 17th overall and a step closer to qualifying for tier 1 events in the future.
Cotter’s team, from Vernon and Kelowna, picked up $9,200 and now has $12,000 in earnings this season.
Earlier this month, the Okanagan foursome made it to the semis of Stu Sells Tankard in Oakville, Ont.
