The Penticton team skipped by Michelle Pratt were the A draw winners from the 2016 Osoyoos Ladies Buccaneer Bonspiel this past weekend. Team members included (from left) Michelle Pratt, third Shirley Chapman, second Nicole Nemechek and lead Shawna Chapman. They defeated Osoyoos’ Betty Steinbart rink in the final. (Trevor Nichols photo)
The toughest shot of Michelle Pratt’s tournament was a “sneaky draw” to the button that squeezed around four stones and wrestled a potential three-point steal away from her opponent.
The graceful shot by the Penticton-based skip catapulted her team to a lead that Osoyoos’ Betty Steinbart rink couldn’t overcome and captured them the ‘A’ draw of the International Curling Club’s Ladies Buccaneer Bonspiel this past Sunday.
This year’s annual bonspiel featured 20 teams, including 12 local teams. The tournament started Friday evening and wrapped up with finals in all draws on Sunday afternoon.
After the eventual sixth-end surrender by Steinbart, Pratt, still sporting the flamboyant parrot hat she had donned as a tribute to the bonspiel’s pirate theme, said she couldn’t have done it without her team.
“To me that’s a team shot – it’s not just the thrower – because it’s the person that’s calling the line, and it’s the sweepers too,” she said, praising third Shirley Chapman, second Nicole Nemecheck and lead Shawna Chapman.
She said that winning with her “BFFs” was a highlight of the weekend and that the victory was really just a bonus on top of the great time she and her team had on and off the ice.
“A girls’ weekend out in Osoyoos, what more could you ask for? And then to come out on top in the ‘A’ event is just the icing on the cake,” Pratt said.
She said overall the tournament had been “fabulous,” with great ice (nice and keen, with a good curl), and just as much fun off the ice as on it.
A total of 20 teams competed in the ladies bonspiel this year, with 12 local teams going up against teams from as far away as Cloverdale, and players as far-flung as Edmonton and Prince George.
Also coming away with wins on Sunday were the Coen rink (featuring skip Connie Coen, third Christine Jurgenson, second Sharon Barton and lead Laura Haslett) in the ‘C’ draw, and the Buholzer rink in the ‘B’ draw.
Steffany Buholzer from Osoyoos was skipping her first tournament in the ‘B’ draw, and was helped along by third Cindy Grigg, second Donna Chase and lead Carol Youngberg.
Shannon Miller, a co-organizer of the tournament along with Steinbart, called the event a huge success.
Miller said it wouldn’t have been possible without the time put in by the many volunteers who helped out over the weekend.
The Saturday night social, which included a buffet dinner for the competitors and a dance, was once again a big hit as the curlers had a chance to wind down and relax after a long day on the ice, said Miller.
There was also a strong contingent of local curling fans who showed up throughout the weekend to cheer on the competitors and enjoy the curling and partake in the Saturday evening social event, said Miller.
TREVOR NICHOLS
Regional Reporter
The winners of the B draw at the 2016 Osoyoos Ladies Buccanner Bonspiel this past weekend was the Osoyoos team skipped by Steffany Buholzer. Members of the team include (from left) lead Carol Youngberg, second Donna Chase, third Cindy Grigg and Steffany Buholzer. (Trevor Nichols photo)
