By Jeremy
Two talented curling teams from Vernon showed off their curling prowess earlier this month at regional playdowns, earning them each a coveted berth in the 2011 BC Provincial Men’s Championships.
The playdowns (a curling term for a qualifier), hosted by the McArthur Island Curling Club in Kamloops, were held from December 10th to December 12th, featuring men’s teams from across the Interior of British Columbia. Vernon skip Aron Herrick, third Tobin Senum, second Marc Fillion and lead Jason Wizniak started the tournament on Friday with a close 9-8 decision to Tom Buchy of Kimberely in an extra end of play. The Herrick rink’s next two draws against the Dahms and Pierce teams were won by wide margins, allowing them to advance to the final. In the final, Herrick played Kamloops’ Brent Yamada rink. Though the Vernon team got off to an early lead, they were down two points in the tenth and final end of play. However, the Herrick rink sealed the deal by scoring five in the final end, making for a 10-7 score and an undefeated record at the playdowns.
At the same event, another Vernon team saw much success. The rink, consisting of skip Darin Heath, third Gary Vandenberghe, second Ryan Le Drew and lead Darrell Houston, handily won their first two games against the Decap and Griffith rinks. The Heath team ran into some trouble in their third game against Brent Yamada, losing 6-7 in an extra-end thriller. However, the foursome bounced back, cruising to victories against Firman and Buchy. To qualify for the provincials, Heath needed to defeat the Folk rink, skipped by former world champion Rick Folk. The Vernon quartet slid their way into a provincial berth by a score of 8-4, taking the provincial qualifying spot.
As a result of these successes, both of the Vernon-based Herrick and Heath rinks will be playing in the 2011 CDI BC Men’s Provincial Championships hosted by the Vernon Curling Club from February 7th-13th, 2011. Additionally, local curlers Jim Cotter and Rick Sawatsky have already qualified for the tournament as a part of the successful Bob Ursel team, and Vernonite Tyler Orme will be playing as part of the defending champion team of Jeff Richard. The winner of the championships will represent British Columbia at the Tim Hortons Brier in London, Ontario.
