Four Palmerston curlers will be heading to Ottawa on Nov. 23 as Team Ontario to compete against teams from all over Canada.
After winning the regional Travelers Curling Club Championship in Collingwood on the weekend of Oct. 24, the team qualified for provincials on the weekend of Oct. 30, where it ended up beating Oshawa 8-5 in the final.
Winning the provincial tournament earned the rink – consisting of skip Mike Benjamins, vice Kevin Ross, second Jeff Fotheringham and lead Don Wilkin – a spot in the national tournament, representing Ontario.
“After winning the final, we were all very relieved that we had won and I think we were pretty surprised with what we had accomplished,” said Benjamins.
“I was very proud of the way my guys battled all weekend and never gave up when things weren’t going our way.”
Wilkin, who has been curling for over 30 years, is new to the team and filled a vacant spot after the team’s regular lead Shayne Ross could not attend either tournament.
It was the first time all four members curled as a team.
‘A real honor’
“I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to represent Ontario at a Canadian Championship,” said Benjamins.
“It’s going to be a real honour to wear the Ontario jackets and it’s going to be a really great experience for all of us.”
Benjamins said he was very proud to represent the Palmerston Curling Club, adding it will be great exposure for the club.
The team will head into round robin games against Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. The top three teams will advance to the playoffs against the top three from the other pool, which includes Yukon, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick.
The Guelph Curling Club women’s team of skip Tina Mazerolle, vice Allison Singh, second Erin Cook and lead Laura Davis-Cook, will also compete at the nationals.
