Kenna Roalds’ rink from the Marpole Curling Club in Vancouver was undefeated in four games to capture the A draw in the 2014 Osoyoos Curling Club’s Ladies Bonspiel this past weekend. Team members, left to right, are lead LIsa Yesowick, second Tammy Cameron, third Endo Miki and Roalds. (Keith Lacey photo)
Kenna Roald had no intention of coming to Osoyoos to compete in the Osoyoos International Curling Club’s annual Ladies Bonspiel until she won a free stay at a local resort.
“I had won a two-day stay at the Watermark Beach Resort and I only had until April to cash in the tickets, so I started looking at possible bonspiels we could enter, I went online and we found out about this bonspiel,” said Roald, who asked her longtime teammates with the Marpole Curling Club in Vancouver to see if they would be interested in joining her in Osoyoos.
They all said yes, they booked a spot in the tournament and then curled superbly in going undefeated to capture the 2014 tournament, which wrapped up Sunday afternoon.
Roald’s team defeated the team skipped by Danielle Callens 7-4 in the A final Sunday afternoon.
Members of Roald’s championship team included lead Lisa Yesowick, second Tammy Cameron and third Endo Miki.
Callens, who curls out of the Osoyoos club, but also out of Penticton, was a late entry and brought her Penticton team to the ladies bonspiel.
Her teammates included lead Cathy Thompson, second Wanda Casorso and third Sharon Daniels.
Winners of the B draw were the Penticton-Summerland team skipped by Lil Blashko. Her teammates include lead Christine MacKinley, second Marianne Beaulac and third Cindy Curtain.
The winner of the C draw was the Osoyoos team skipped by Christine Jurgenson. Her teammates included lead Adrienne Mailey, second Jeanne Bensted and third Betty Steinbart.
A total of 21 teams competed in the bonspiel, which attracts teams from across the South Okanagan and many other parts of British Columbia.
Roald said she and the members of her victorious rink had a wonderful time on the ice and off throughout the entire weekend.
“Osoyoos is absolutely gorgeous and the bonspiel was very well organized by a group of very nice ladies,” she said. “We had a lot of spare time over the weekend, so we got out and about and everyone in the community was so welcoming and so friendly.
“We all had a terrific time and we’re very glad that we found out about this bonspiel and signed up.”
The final was never really in doubt as Roald’s team scored four points in the opening end and were never seriously threatened the rest of the way.
The tournament also featured a Saturday night dance, that was well attended by the curlers in the bonspiel and community members.
All four members of her current team have been competitive curlers for many years and they have enjoyed some solid success as a foursome since they joined up as a rink five years ago, said Roald.
“We won the women’s business league at our home club a couple of winters ago and we’ve done well in some bigger bonspiels on the coast,” she said. “In our five years together, this is really the first time we’ve been on a long road trip like this and I’m glad to say that we all got along very well and still love each other.”
Roald said she will do everything in her power to bring her foursome back to Osoyoos to defend their title next winter.
“It was a first class tourney and a lot of fun and we hope to come back if at all possible,” she said.
The fact a small club like the Osoyoos International Curling Club can attract more than 20 teams from all over the province is a glowing testament to the wonderful job the local organizing committee has done this year and in past years in putting this bonspiel together, said Roalds.
The tournament has a glowing reputation for showcasing quality, competitive curling, while also allowing the competitors to have a great time in a very friendly atmosphere, she said.
This year’s organizing committee was spearheaded by Shannon Miller.
Miller and her committee deserve a giant pat on the back for a job well done, said Roalds.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
The team skipped by Christine Jurgenson captured the C draw during this past weekend’s ladies bonspiel. Team members, from left, are second Jeanne Bensted, lead Adrienne Mailey, Jurgenson and third Betty Steinbart. (Keith Lacey photo)
