They were the youngest team at last year's B.C. Scotties Tournament of Hearts. They were also one of the best.
Jennifer Fewster and her Prince George Golf and Curling Club mates have every intention of stepping back onto provincial ice this season.
"We'd really like to take another crack at that," said the 26-year-old Fewster, who has younger sister Kristen Fewster at third, Blaine Richards at second and Amber Cheveldave at lead. "We're feeling pretty comfortable this year. It's nice coming into our second year playing together as a team. You already feel like you've worked through all those kinks. We're happy to just be going out there and curling."
At the 2010 Scotties, held last January in Penticton, Fewster went an impressive 6-3 in round robin and finished third out of 10 teams. In playoffs, the P.G. rink met defending champion Marla Mallett and lost 7-3.
This season's B.C. Scotties is Jan. 17-23 in Cloverdale. Fewster and company will have two chances to advance to provincials. Their first opportunity will come next weekend in Summerland, which will host an interior playdown. From that event, the top two teams will move directly to the B.C. championship. A second interior playdown is scheduled for Dec. 17-19 in Williams Lake. Again, the top two rinks will earn provincial berths. Two coastal playdowns are also on the Curl B.C. calendar. They will be held next weekend in Langley and Dec. 17-19 in Comox.
This weekend, the Fewster foursome is in Kamloops, tuning up for the first interior qualifier. The team has also been throwing stones on the Peace Curling Tour, which holds events in places like Fort St. John, Grande Prairie and Dawson Creek.
"It's nice to be able to travel within five hours (of Prince George) and get some games in," Fewster said. "We're just trying to get out there and play as much as we can before we get into the real competitive stuff."
As the Fewster rink takes aim at another provincial appearance, the skip said the team's unity will be a definite strength.
"We're able to pull ourselves together and really focus on curling," said Fewster, whose sponsors include Pomeroy Inn & Suites, RONA, Benchmark Automotive Services, IPL and Redwood Plastics. "Being able to work together as a team is something we really value. We're pretty proud to say that it's something we think we've been successful at."
The national Scotties Tournament of Hearts is Feb. 19-27 in Charlottetown, P.E.I. Worlds are March 19-27 in Esberg, Denmark.
