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Prince George blind curlers take third at Western Canadian championship

The BC Blind Curling Champions returned to Prince George from the Western Canadian Championships in third place after a three-way tie for first.

The BC Blind Curling Champions returned to Prince George from the Western Canadian Championships in third place after a three-way tie for first.

“We ended up in third place by a couple of stones, it was that close,” Pipkey said about the Western Canadian Championships. “The whole tournament was really close and we could’ve easily been in six or seventh place.”

To get there the Rosen Rink that plays in the Prince George Seniors League at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club won the provincial championships held in Prince George earlier in the year.

The team included Skip Eric Rosen, Terry Pipkey, lead, Russell Gervais, third, and the two ‘sightlings’, as Pipkey affectionately calls them, are Leona Gervais, sweeper, and Jack Nylund, second and coach, who help guide the visually impaired curlers on the ice.

Gervais thinks it’s important for visually impaired youth to come out and try curling.

“We are one of the oldest teams around and I’d like to coach the younger ones,” Gervais said. “There’s kids in Saskatchewan and in Alberta and we don’t have that. We need that and it doesn’t matter what age they are, we’d like to see them come out and try the sport.”

Coach Nylund offered some perspective on the team’s performance.

“They are a great team and super athletes,” he said. “What’s really amazing about these characters is that they are able to adapt to a game that requires a lot of sight and now they are becoming curling experts.”

Next year’s Canadian Western Championships are scheduled to take place in Edmonton and in 2024 the competition hits BC.

Gervais would like Prince George to put a bid out for the honour.

Here's the link to the Masters in Motion video with all the details PG Blind Curlers video.