Senior curlers passed the broom to the younger generation last week.
The Senior Curling League, based out of the Prince George Golf and Curling Club, presented $1,000 ($100 each) to the 10 rinks who qualified for provincial championships in the 2013-2014 season.
"This is the first time we've done something like this," said Floyd Crowley, president of the PGGCC Seniors Curling League. "We'd like to do it again. It's a way to help the younger curlers in our club."
The league made the decision at the beginning of the season to donate $100 each to provincial qualifying teams to help them with their travel expenses.
It's the first time for the league, the biggest in the club, to provide the funding.
The league accumulated the funds through a variety of social events it holds throughout the year, such as a home-and-home competition against Quesnel seniors, a whist and food evening, a turkey shoot (similar to the Ford Hot Shots where curlers earn points on a variety of shots they make and win a frozen turkey as a prize), and a golf tournament.
The Prince George rinks who received the funds are a cross-section of women's, master's men's, mixed doubles, men's, juvenile, wheelchair, junior and blind curlers.
They include rinks skipped by Tracey Jones and Patti Knezevic (women's); Bill Cameron (men's); Bill Lim (men's masters); Harry Ulch (mixed doubles); Alyssa Connell (juvenile girls); Diamond Wilson (College Heights, high school girls); Dustin Withey (junior men); Frank LaBounty (wheelchair) and Terry Pipke (blind curling).
The senior league competes twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays and is comprised of 46 women, mixed, men teams, and also has two wheelchair curlers.
To be eligible to compete, curlers must be 50 years old or older.
IN-TURNS: Lim's rink posted a 2-5 record at the master men's provincial championship last weekend in Creston.
Lim's team, which includes third Owen Matheson, second Don Martin, lead Clarence Wigmore, and fifth Rick Mintz, defeated Garry Gelowitz of Kelowna 8-5 and Victoria's Tom Melnyk 5-4 in round-robin play and did not qualify for the playoffs.
Ralph Will's crew from Sparwood defeated Gelowitz 7-2 in Sunday's final.
Wilson's high school team from College Heights finished sixth overall at the B.C. High School provincial curling championship in Parksville.
Her rink includes third Alyssa Connell, second Bailey Eberherr, and alternating leads Sadie Brummond and Erin Ross.
The team posted a 3-4 round-robin record, icing wins against Burnaby's St. Thomas More (11-0), Creston's Prince Charles (7-2), and Kitimat's Mt. Elizabeth (9-8).
Delta's Seaquam secondary won the girls' title.
