Ten years ago, Patti Knezevic played in the final of the women's provincial curling championship for the first time. With Kelly Scott as her opponent, she lost in a most painful manner - 7-6 in an extra end when Scott, who had last-rock advantage, drew to the four-foot, about one inch closer to the button than a Knezevic stone.
Knezevic and her teammates - Tracey Jones, Kay-Lynn Thompson and Melinda Kotsch - had that 11th end set up the way they wanted it. Unfortunately for them, Scott made the game-winning shot anyhow, and on tricky ice to boot.
In a post-game interview at Vancouver's Marpole Curling Club, Knezevic had a tear roll down her cheek while she was talking to Vancouver Sun reporter Lyndon Little. For Knezevic, the loss was hugely disappointing. But, at the same time, she wouldn't have done anything differently in terms of strategy.
In curling, sometimes you lose by an inch. That's just the nature of the game.
If Knezevic shed any tears last Sunday in Maple Ridge, they were drops of joy.
This time, in the B.C. Scotties women's final for the fourth time in her career, she won.
Finally, she won.
In a full-circle kind of way, Knezevic's triumph came in an extra end, 5-3 against Sarah Wark of Victoria.
Wark, much less-experienced than Knezevic, had a chance to draw for two in the 10th end but tossed her last rock through the house and settled for a single point and a 3-3 tie.
In the extra end, Wark needed to draw to the button with her final stone but wrecked on a guard in the 12-foot. The game was over, with Knezevic and teammates Kristen Fewster, Jen Rusnell and Rhonda Camozzi the ones doing the celebrating.
"That's curling," Knezevic said to Gary Kingston of the Sun. "We truly did get a break, a huge break to even go into 11."
In her other appearances in the B.C. final, Knezevic was humbled 10-4 by Kelley Law in 2007 and dropped a 9-6 decision to Scott in 2013.
The loss two years ago came in the first season of play for Knezevic's current lineup. With the formation of the squad, experience (in the persons of Knezevic and Camozzi) joined youth (Fewster and Rusnell, hot-shot sisters recently removed from the junior ranks). Together, they became Prince George's version of the Dream Team.
Now, they get to go to the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Feb. 14-22 in Moose Jaw, Sask. From a historical point of view, Knezevic is just the second Prince George skip to earn a spot in nationals, a feat Diane Dalio accomplished in 1994. Sadly, Dalio passed away last September after a long battle with cancer.
Anybody who is familiar with Knezevic's efforts over the years to qualify for the Canadian championship has to be cheering unabashedly for her now. Her ascent to this level required perseverance, sacrifice and more than a little faith that she could do it. And to qualify this year is truly remarkable considering the fact her home rink - the Prince George Golf and Curling Club - wasn't even available for use because of a broken-down ice plant. That meant Knezevic and company had to travel to find games. Road trips every second weekend were the norm, and mental training was crucial.
Despite issues on the home-front, this breakthrough to nationals has all unfolded very nicely. While the Knezevic foursome will head into Moose Jaw as underdogs, they could very well pull off some upsets against more familiar names like Jennifer Jones (Manitoba), Stefanie Lawton (Saskatchewan), Val Sweeting (Alberta) and Mary-Anne Arsenault (Nova Scotia).
Why? Well, most importantly, Knezevic's Team B.C. (hey, that sounds great) is filled with exceptionally talented and knowledgeable players who have dedicated their lives to the game. The rink proved its power by rolling to a 5-0 record at provincials and beating Scott - a former Canadian and world champion - 8-3 along the way.
And, even though Knezevic hasn't had her own team at nationals before, she went to last year's tournament in Montreal as an alternate for the Kesa Van Osch rink, which won provincials here in Prince George. Most of the time, alternates don't see any real action but that wasn't the case for Knezevic. Because of a nasty flu bug that was circulating, she got into several games, including two as the skip. That experience certainly helped her to this year's B.C. title and it will help her again when the Canadian championship is contested. If Knezevic rises to the top at the national Scotties, she and her teammates will pack up for Sapporo, Japan, which will host the world championship from March 14 to 22.
For now, though, Knezevic, Fewster, Rusnell and Camozzi should be allowed to bask in the glow of their Scotties berth.
For all of them, in a game of inches, this has been years in the making.
