The 91大黄鸭 Curling Club was host to yet another prestigious tournament this past weekend.
The province鈥檚 best blind and visually impaired curlers hurried hard to the Okanagan where three local curlers were crowned the champions, along with their two out-of-town teammates, at the West Coast Blind Curling Association provincial bonspiel.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really happy with how the tournament turned out,鈥� said blind curler and tournament organizer Bill Mah.
It was the third time in the last 10 years that 91大黄鸭 has hosted the blind provincials with teams from 91大黄鸭, Prince George and Vancouver competing against the champion rink. With a hybrid team of three 91大黄鸭 curlers and teammates from Vancouver and Kamloops taking the gold.
鈥淭he round-robin was great, the facilities were great and we didn鈥檛 hear any complaints so we assume everyone was happy,鈥� joked Mah.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always a great opportunity to host and showcase the 91大黄鸭 curling scene.鈥�
READ MORE: Blind curling provincials come to 91大黄鸭
91大黄鸭鈥檚 Frank Costello, Darren Stallnecht and Brain Lechelt joined visiting teammates Vern Short and Pat Willing as the winning rink. The group has now booked a spot at the Canadian Vision Impaired Championships in Ottawa in February 2021.
Blind curling varies only slightly to the traditional rules of the sport; with a sighted guide helping the rink teammates with their approaches and deliveries.
鈥淭he fun thing is you get to curl, meet people, and expose the game of curling to the blind and visually impaired,鈥� said Mah.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why these types of events are very important for the game.鈥�
READ MORE: League donates $2,500 to memorial scholarship for late 91大黄鸭 Chiefs president
Mah said that these events, put on by the KCC and the 91大黄鸭 Blind Curlers group, would not be possible without the help from volunteers. Anyone who is interested in the sport or in volunteering can contact Mah at 250-878-0710.
At the provincials鈥� finals on Jan. 12, the Vancouver rink came second, Prince George game third and the full 91大黄鸭 team came fourth.
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