It has been a year of firsts for Amy Edwards’ curling rink.
Her first season as a skip, and for her teammates – third Shayna Doll, second Kylie Tokairin and lead Sydney Hofer – it is their first year of competitive curling altogether.
For this newly formed rink, it will also be their first berth in the Tim Hortons B.C. Juvenile Curling Championships, which go March 3-6 at the Cowichan Rocks curling facility in Lake Cowichan.
Edwards, a Grade 10 Vernon secondary student, has spent the last three seasons curling with various junior teams, making an appearance at junior girls provincials with Vernon’s Alyssa Kyllo in 2008.
Both Tokairin and Doll are Grade 10 students who curl out of the Enderby Curling Club, while Hofer is Grade 9 student at Fulton.
Coached by Merry Miller, Edwards opens the round-robin this morning (8:30) against Juan de Fuca’s Mariah Coulombe, followed by a 4 p.m. draw against Trail’s Megan MacKay. They end pool play Saturday against Coquitlam’s Gabrielle Plonka. The gold-medal game goes Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
n After enjoying a send-off celebration for his departure for the Tim Hortons Brier, Vernon’s Jim Cotter got down to business with a 6-4 Baron Insurance Super League win over Dave Merklinger’s Jet Ice Wednesday night at the Vernon Curling Club.
The first-place Jet Ice crew (14-5), got an early jump with a double steal in the first end, followed by a single steal in the second.
Cotter (13-6) made an angle-double for two in the third, and after the two rinks swapped singles in four and five, Cotter put the game away with a triple steal in six.
Jeff Richard’s B.C. Trailer overcame a slow start to brush back Jon Gardner’s Sladen Moore 8-6.
Gardner (9-10) opened with a triple in one, but Richard (4-15) responded with a double in two and a triple of his own in three.
Trailing by one heading into the final end, Gardner was unable to roll behind cover on his last shot, allowing Richard to count one.
With help from a handful of super spares, Jenn Gerow’s Gateway Mechanical pulled out a 5-2 win over Brad Kuhn’s North Enderby Timber.
Tied 2-2 after four ends, the Gateway rink (7-12) counted three in the fifth end to ice the game, dropping Kuhn to 13-7.
T.J. Perepolkin’s Canaccord Wealth Management grounded Kayla Gunner’s Armstrong Inn 6-1.
Already trailing by one, Gunner (2-16) had her draw attempt pick, allowing Perepolkin a steal of two. Canaccord (11-8) put the game away with a draw for three in the fourth end.
Wayne Laface’s Inspiration Homes earned a default win over Blake Kimura’s Village Green Hotel.
