The two teams representing B.C. at the Travelers Curling Club Championships next month will be on home soil.
The Kelowna Curling Club will host the 14 men’s teams and 14 women’s teams competing in the national championships.
Both B.C. teams hail from north Vancouver Island after the region swept the BC Club Challenge in Richmond in April.
The B.C. women’s champions hail from Campbell River Curling Club and Comox Valley Curling Centre. The team is composed of Kim Jonsson, Lonnie Schopp, Mickey Colburn and Yvette Green. The B.C. men’s champions are from the Comox Valley Curling Centre. The team is composed of Ron Schmidt, Norm Cote, Craig Bernes and Darren Richards.
“We will wear our B.C. colours with great pride,” Schmidt said. “We are so looking forward to playing in a week-long event against competitive teams from across the country.
“I’m sure we’ll make new friends and enjoy the festivities and sportsmanship. We hear from past participants what a great event it always is. We are ready!”
Colburn said, “We are looking forward to meeting other teams, exploring the area (if we have time) and to competing. It is very exciting to be representing B.C.”
The Kelowna Curling Club will host the championships from Nov. 20-26. The eight annual event is sure to be a memorable one, a spokesperson said.
This event is the ultimate experience for club curlers and all provincial and territorial champions receive a championship banner to hang in their home club.
Each year, the Travelers Curling Championships holds a contest for clubs to raise the most money in support of a great charity. In 2016, the Travelers Curling Club Championships is raising money to support youth curling across Canada, through the Curling Canada Federation.
There are great prizes to be won for the club that raises the most money. The top fundraising club will receive a cash grant of $6,000 for improvements to their club. There will also be four additional draws for $1,000 cash prizes for club improvements.