A Victoria team won the men鈥檚 B.C. curling championships at Esquimalt鈥檚 Archie Browning Sports Centre, while a Vancouver-based rink took its second straight women鈥檚 title.
Victoria鈥檚 Team Schneider took the B.C. title by defeating fellow locals, Team Montgomery, 5-2 in the men鈥檚 competition. The win earns the men a spot in March鈥檚 national championships 鈥� the 2024 Montana鈥檚 Brier in Regina, Sask.
Most of Team Schneider are repeat champions, but the team has changed its skip 鈥� and as a result its name 鈥� since last year when they competed as Team Gaultier.
Although most of the team lives in Victoria, Regina product and skipper Catlin Schneider will get to compete in front of his hometown crowd at the national championship.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty sweet, as any provincial title is,鈥� Schneider said in an interview as he was between flights on his way back to Saskatchewan on Monday (Jan. 29). 鈥淓ven a little more sweet that it鈥檚 a hometown Brier coming up.鈥�
Schneider was raised in a curling family, and his dad also competed in a Brier championship.
鈥淚 kinda grew up in the sport,鈥� he said.
Vancouver鈥檚 Team Grandy repeated as women鈥檚 champs in Esquimalt, with an 11-3 victory over Kamloops鈥� Team Brown. Team Grandy will compete in the 2024 Scotties Women鈥檚 Curling Championships in Calgary, Alta. from Feb. 16 to 25. The Vancouver curlers made it to the semifinals during last year鈥檚 Scotties national championships.
Grandy was undefeated in the B.C. finals.
鈥淚t feels amazing,鈥� skip Clancy Grandy said in a press release. 鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of the team for what we put together this week.鈥�
Greater Victoria has had two of its four curling clubs close in recent years, but Esquimalt club president Alan Teasdale said that he鈥檚 starting to see an uptick in membership.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to see the downward trends somewhat reversed and going up,鈥� he said.
With curling鈥檚 popularity lagging during the pandemic, Schneider said it鈥檚 the job of the sport鈥檚 top players to try to boost popularity.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great sport, and it should be exposed a little more,鈥� he said.
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