The first step to getting back to the Scotties sa国际传媒 Women鈥檚 Curling Championship approaches for Sarah Wark and her Victoria Curling Centre foursome, which is off to Kelowna for the first of two open playdown events.
After coming so close to winning a provincial title last year, the team is excited about the opportunity to get back.
One draw 鈥� that slid about 18 inches too long 鈥� was all that kept the talented skip and her crew of third Simone Brosseau, second Michelle Allen and lead Rachelle Kallechy away from an appearance at last year鈥檚 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Moose Jaw, Sask.
The crushing extra-end loss (she had a chance for the win in the 10th end with the draw for two) to Prince George鈥檚 Patti Knezevic will long be remembered by the 29-year-old skip, who hails from Duncan.
But the defeat also provided a much valued lesson.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good to remember stuff like that. It鈥檚 good to remember how hard it can be and how good it can be at the same time,鈥� said Wark. 鈥淚t鈥檚 only made us better and really brought the team together.
鈥淲e want to be in that [provincial final] game again. It鈥檚 nice to have the experience of that game now. We hadn鈥檛 had that before and we can only build on that and I feel like we鈥檇 be more prepared this year.鈥�
The team has made a slight change from 2015 in that Kallechy is now holding the broom in the house on Wark鈥檚 final two stones.
The foursome has played in four events this season 鈥� the Cloverdale Cash Spiel, Prestige Hotels and Resorts Curling Classic, Hub International Crown of Curling and the Coronation Business Group Ladies Classic in Maple Ridge. They finished second to Diane Gushulak in the latter.
The Wark team lost 8-3 in that final after defeating Gushulak 4-1 earlier in the round-robin. The VCC-based team also downed Kesa Van Osch鈥檚 Nanaimo rink 9-8 at that event. Van Osch 鈥� with Kalia Van Osch at third, Shawna Jensen at second, Caley St. Blaze at lead and Marika Van Osch as the alternate 鈥� will also be at the playdowns this weekend, the only other Island team competing among the seven teams looking for three qualifying spots.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 think it was our best performance as a team, but there was a lot of fight there and it was nice to qualify and make some money coming into November,鈥� Wark said of the Maple Ridge event. 鈥淲e鈥檙e feeling confident in ourselves, in how we鈥檙e throwing and managing ourselves as a team, so it will depend on a lot of stuff once we get [to Kelowna].鈥�
It is the same curling club in which Wark qualified last season.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e just excited that playdowns are finally here. We鈥檝e been waiting since January to have another crack at it,鈥� said Allen, the second. 鈥淸Provincials] has definitely been the goal coming into the season.
鈥淲e talked a lot about what we did last year and where we can improve. Hopefully, we鈥檝e ticked all those boxes and can achieve the goal of getting to provincials. It鈥檚 always a bit of a dogfight to get there, but hopefully we鈥檒l be successful,鈥� she added.
And maybe have that chance to win a sa国际传媒 crown.
鈥淥nce you鈥檙e there and once you鈥檝e had that taste, you want to get back. So it鈥檚 definitely on the longer horizon list of goals, but there鈥檚 a lot of work to do between now and then,鈥� Allen said.
Wark opens play against Amy Gibson of Royal City Curling Club at noon on Friday. Van Osch faces Stephanie Prinse of Chilliwack in that same opening draw.
The A-event qualifier will be determined Saturday at 9 a.m., with the B winner advancing Saturday at 7 p.m. The final berth will be earned Sunday at 1 p.m.
EXTRA ENDS: Knezevic has an automatic berth to the sa国际传媒 championship as defending champion and veteran Kelly Scott earned the other automatic spot through CTRS points in the province.
