Normally when you hear about high school students throwing rocks, it isn’t a good thing.
However, if you are a member of Barrhead Composite High School’s (BCHS) curling teams, it’s encouraged.
And on the weekend of Feb. 25 and 26, the BCHS curling teams were rewarded for their excellence in throwing and sweeping rocks by coming home from the northern zone provincial high school qualifying bonspiel in Slave Lake with a gold medal and a berth into the provincial championships by the girls team and a bronze medal from the mixed team. The boys’ rink just missed the podium finishing in fourth place.
“We are really proud of all our teams,” said Rod Phillips, who coaches both the boys and girls. “This is the first time one of our teams have made it into provincials in three years.”
Officially the curling season for the boys and girls, started in late October, with the mixed team being formed less than a month ago.
Phillips said the school’s extracurricular curling program is organized differently than other high school sports that practice two or three times a week and then compete against other schools in a game or tournament.
“We actually play against adult teams in men’s or women’s leagues and bonspiels,” he said. “It wasn’t until we went to zones that they had a chance to compete against their peers.”
Kerry-Lee Kostiw, teacher supervisor, added playing adult teams on a regular basis benefits the players.
“Besides having the technical and physical skills, the sport of curling is about strategy and experience, so when you play against teams who have that it can only make you better,” she said.
Phillips and Kostiw noted the Alberta Provincial High School Curling Championships would be patterned after events such as the Tim Hortons Brier.
“It will be a great experience for them. A bagpiper leads them and there is a banquet with a speaker, usually a famous curler,” Kostiw said.
Leigh Murray, skip for the girls’ team, said she is excited to be going to provincials.
“I’m not really into any other sports so to able to go to provincials and represent my school is really something,” she said.
Lauren Kostiw, second, added that she didn’t really think going to provincials was a possibility until they got into the semi finals.
“The further we went along, I think the more and more excited we all became,” she said.
The BCHS girls will be joined by the mixed team from R.F. Staples High School from Westlock. The Provincial High School Championships took place in Lethbridge from March 3-5. Results were not known as of our press deadline.
