Some top international curling teams will descend on Abbotsford this weekend to face off against some of the best teams in B.C.
Teams from Victoria, Kelowna, Vancouver, Maple Ridge, Vernon, Richmond, New Westminster, Langley, Kamloops, Surrey, Delta, Lake Country, Nanaimo, and Chilliwack will face against teams visiting from Yukon, Korea, Japan, Switzerland, and Russia at the Abbotsford Curling Club this Friday through Sunday.
“This weekend’s Abbotsford Curling Classic Cash Spiel, presented by Driving Force Decks International, will bring together some of the best B.C. and international curling the Lower Mainland will see all season,” Abbotsford Curling Club manager Kent Bird said.
“Most of the teams that competed to represent B.C. at last year’s 2017 Tim Hortons Brier and Scotties Tournament of Hearts will be competing at this Abbotsford event.”
This tournament will showcase 16 men’s teams from across the province — including defending national junior championship winning team Tardi from Surrey/Langley, and provincial championship runner up Team Joanisse from Maple Ridge, who has twice represented B.C. at the national championship Brier — along with 13 of B.C.’s top women’s curling teams.
Teams competing on the men’s side, from B.C., are: Chris Baier, Neil Dangerfield, Jason Montgomery, and Glen Jackson from Victoria, Jeff Guignard and Stephen Schneider from Vancouver, Dean Joanisse from Abbotsford, but curling out of Maple Ridge, Tyler Tardi from Langley, Brent Pierce from New Westminster, Cody Tanaka from Richmond, Sean Geall from Kelowna, and Mark Longworth from Vernon. They will face Soohyuk Kim (Korea), Yusuke Morozumi (Japan), and Stefan Staehli (Switzerland).
On the women’s side, B.C. teams competing are: Carry Brown and Karla Thompson from Kamloops, Shelia Cowan and Kayte Gyles from Cloverdale, Sarah Daniels from Delta, Holly Donaldson and Dailene Pewarchuk from Victoria, Diane Gushulak from New Westminster, Kelly Shimizu from Richmond, Sarah Wark from Chilliwack, Kim Slattery from Vernon, and Kesa Van Osch from Nanaimo. They will face Chelsea Duncan from Whitehorse, Yukon; Satsuki Fujisawa from Japan, and Viktoria Moiseeva from St. Petersburg, Russia.
The tournament’s first draw takes place 8 a.m. Friday, and continues through to the tournament championship draws Sunday afternoon.
“This exciting event is open to the public and free to attend. We encourage the Lower Mainland’s curling community to come out and see this great exhibition of B.C.’s finest curling” club manager Bird said. “Curling fans are also welcome to stick around Sunday for the Grey Cup and our chili and wings cook off.”
For more information go to www.abbotsfordcurling.com