Sandra Jenkins will have to make room next to her Olympic bronze medal, as she led her team to a podium finish in the 2015 Canadian Senior Curling Championships.
Jenkins’ rink claimed the bronze medal in a seesaw battle against the number-one seeded rink from Saskatchewan, led by Cathy Inglis.
Both clubs traded singles in the first two ends.
They traded up their singles for doubles in the third and fourth, and tied at three after four.
In the fifth end, Jenkins took a two-point lead over the Yorkton, Sask. skip.
Inglis fired back in the following end.
A mistake by Jenkins saw Inglis snatch three points from the end, and take a one point lead heading into the final two frames of play.
Jenkins scored a single point in the seventh end to tie the match at six, heading into the final end.
Thanks to some vital shots and crafty strategy, the experienced rink, led by the former bronze Olympic medalist, stole the single from Inglis, who had the hammer, to win 7-6.
It was do or die for the Jenkins rink last Tuesday to qualify for the championship round, as seven of the eight teams had already booked a spot in the quarter finals, prior to their match with P.E.I.
Jenkins easily disposed of Shirley Berry’s P.E.I. rink, defeating them 8-3.
The win vaulted them into the second seed as both Alberta’s Terri Loblaw and Nova Scotia’s Colleen Jones lost their games.
That result left the three teams tied for second place with a 4-3 record.
Since their win and loss record was 1-1 in games against each other, the tiebreaker came down to draw shot distance totals.
After the totals were tallied, B.C. was ranked second, Nova Scotia third and Alberta fourth.
In the championship round, Jenkins, Kate Horne, Wendy Cseke and Carol Murray, coached by Darryl Horne, downed Saskatchewan 8-3 and Nova Scotia 4-2, in the first two games.
The B.C. rink hit a speed bump as they lost their third match of the championship round to Quebec, ending their five-match winning streak.
Again, facing elimination, the Jenkins rink curled their best under pressure.
The only game of do-or-die consequence in the championship round was fought on sheet six between Northern Ontario and B.C., who were both battling for the final playoff spot.
Jenkins stole three points in the third and did not look back as she coasted home to a 9-3 victory against Peggy Taylor of Northern Ontario, booking a spot in the semifinals.
At 9:30 a.m. last Saturday, Jenkins and co. took to the ice against Nova Scotia’s Colleen Jones in semifinal action, while it was a battle of Prairie provinces on the other half of the draw between Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Both rinks started nervously as the first two ends were blanked.
Jenkins broke the deadlock and scored a deuce in the third.
Jones quickly answered back with a deuce of her own in the fourth end.
Both teams traded singles in the next two ends before Jones stole a single in the sixth.
With the hammer in the seventh, Jenkins fought back to level up the match at four apiece.
In the final end, Jones drew to the button for the win and a place in the final to face Alberta’s Terri Loblaw, the tournament’s eventual gold medalist.
