Maple Ridge will be well represented at this year’s provincial curling championships, with two local teams competing in the Chilliwack tournaments next week.
Team Ryan of the Golden Ears Winter Club snagged a first-place finish in the women’s “A” qualifier at the BC Open Qualifiers in December, which guaranteed them a spot in the upcoming 2023 Scotties BC Women’s Curling Championship.
On the men’s side, Team Joanisse, also of the Golden Ears Winter Club, tied for first place in the “B” qualifier, along with Team Cotter from the Vernon, Kelowna, and Kamloops curling clubs.
Now both of these Maple Ridge teams will be heading to the Chilliwack Curling Club for the Scotties and the BC Men’s Curling Championship, which will be held simultaneously from Jan. 10 to 15.
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Golden Ears Winter Club office manager, Shannon Joanisse, said that the club feels extremely excited to have so much representation at this year’s provincial championships.
“It is always great when your club is being represented at a high level like this, and with the event being rather local in Chilliwack, hopefully many of our club members can get out there to support our teams on their quest to winning a provincial championship,” said Joanisse.
If either of these teams are successful in bringing home a championship title, it’ll be the first time that a Golden Ears Winter Club team has won it since 2017.
This will be Team Ryan’s first time at the Scotties, while Team Joanisse will be returning to the men’s championship for the second year in a row after representing the community at the 2022 BC Men’s Curling Championship in Kamloops, where they were unable to snag a playoff spot.
There will also be another member of the Golden Ears Winter Club present at the tournament, although not with a local team. Jay Wakefield will be serving as second on Team Cseke, which Joanisse said gives the club “three teams to cheer for.”
Team Ryan will start the tournament by facing off against Team Jensen from the Royal City Curling Club. If they win the match, they’ll advance to face the winner of the matchup between Team Grandy and Team Cowan.
Team Joanisse will take on Team Montgomery of the Victoria Curling Club in the first round of the men’s championship. Following a win, they will then face Team Pierce, which is led by defending champion Brent Pierce.
“We have seen the teams out practicing and preparing for the event here at the club and wish them all the success,” said Joanisse.
Team Ryan consists of Kristen Ryan as skip, Megan Daniels as third, Kirsten Fox as second, and Dawn Mesana as lead.
Team Joanisse is made up of Dean Joanisse as skip, Brendan Willis as third, Neil Cursons as second, and Grant Dezura as lead.
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Tickets for the provincial championships are $10 per day for the qualifying rounds, and $15 per day for the playoff matches over the weekend.
Tickets can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2023-bc-scotties-presented-by-best-western-and-2023-bc-mens-tickets-429920964177.
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