Team BC, featuring three Okanagan women, win national masters curling title

Photo: Contributed

Left to right: Penny Shantz (skip), Cindy Curtain (3rd), Danielle Shaughnessy (2nd) and Donna Mychaluk (lead).

A team including three Okanagan women have won the Canadian Masters Ladies curling championships.

The rink skipped by Penny Shantz of the Vernon Curling Club represented Team BC in the tournament in Saguenay, Quebec April 7 to 13.

Shantz captured the title with Cindy Curtain of the Penticton Curling Club, Danielle Shaughnessy of the Kelowna Curling Club and Donna Mychaluk of the Langley Curling Club.

Shantz said this is the third time in a row she and Curtain have won the tournament.

“So I feel pretty lucky… Because it's hard to get there. Nevermind, win it.”

After making a move back to the Okanagan from Vancouver Island, Shantz says the team picked up its other two members Shaughnessy and Mychaluk.

“The whole team gelled extremely well, so when that happens, you want to win even more, right? Because you enjoy each other so much as a team — it was all working,” Shantz said.

The tournament was an 11-team round robin featuring teams that qualified through their provincial championships across Canada.

The top four teams after round robin play went on to the championship playoff round. On the path to the title, B.C. defeated Ontario 6-3 in the semi-final. The finals would see B.C. beat Alberta 7-6 with a final rock win.

On the men’s side, B.C. was represented by the Wes Craig team from Duncan, which lost in the bronze medal game. Ontario ended up winning the men’s title.

Masters curling is for those aged 60 and over.