Curling has its big rewards, from Winter Olympics gold to world championships. At the national level for sa国际传媒, it’s the Brier men’s and Scotties Tournament of Hearts women’s national championships. The quest in this province to get there this year goes through the 2025 sa国际传媒 men’s and women’s championships, which begin today in Langley.
“It’s the reason we play, to put on that sa国际传媒 jacket, and play in the Brier. It means everything,” said skip Cameron de Jong from Victoria Curling Club, among the 10 men’s rinks to have qualified for provincials.
Victoria Curling Club rinks have won the last two sa国际传媒 men’s championships to represent the province in the 2023 and 2024 Briers.
“All the talented teams around us in our VCC Super League, and the quality of our ice, means we play in mini provincial tournaments week-in and week-out and lifts all our club teams,” said de Jong, in explaining VCC’s success.
However, the only player remaining from the 2024 Catlin Schneider and 2023 Jacques Gauthier provincial-champion VCC rinks is Alex Horvath, now third on the de Jong rink. The Brier-appearance three-peat is a personal goal for Horvath but he stresses this is a new group: “We’ve known each other since our junior days and this is for the guys in this rink who haven’t won it [provincials] yet,” he said.
It is a deep rink. Joining de Jong and Horvath are second Corey Chester, the former two-time sa国际传媒 junior champion fresh off competing in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics mixed-doubles qualifying trials with Taylor Reese-Hansen of the VCC. The lead is Brayden Carpenter and spare Paul Cseke.
It hasn’t been for lack of trying for de Jong, who has qualified for his seventh provincial championship tournament: “You learn it’s a long week and to have patience and to take your time. You can’t get uptight. You’ve got to be yourself and not play anybody else’s game. The biggest thing is to figure out the ice early on,” he said.
The other Victoria Curling Club men’s rink to qualify for provincials is three-time sa国际传媒 runner-up Jason Montgomery. He’s come close, losing to the Schneider rink in the all-VCC 2024 provincial final at the Archie Browning Sports Centre, to follow up his two previous sa国际传媒 championship game losses to Jim Cotter from the Okanagan.
“We have as good a chance as any this year,” said Montgomery, after winning the Island Shootout earlier this season.
“You never know if it’s going to be your week or not at provincials. But I like the way we’re playing and are going to make another run at it. We just have to keep grinding.”
Montgomery’s rink consists of third Chris Baier, second Miles Craig and lead Troy Cowan.
“Both rinks are top-five in the province and we’re all friends off the ice,” said Montgomery, of the VCC rival de Jong rink.
But it’s Royal City of New Westminster which leads the parade this year into the men’s provincials with the Connor Deane, Frank O’Driscoll, Brent Pierce and Jay Wakefield rinks qualified. The other rinks qualified are Jeff Guignard of Vancouver, Cody Tanaka of Tunnel Town/Langley, Rob Nobert of Vernon/Kamloops, Jeff Richard of Vancouver/Langley/Vernon, Brook Calibaba of Kamloops and Glenn Venance of Penticton.
The concurrent eight-team women’s sa国际传媒 championship in Langley will have Victoria Curling Club rinks like a rash on the ice with half the field from the VCC — Steph Jackson-Baier, Kayla MacMillan, Dailene Pewarchuk and Taylor Reese-Hansen.
Jackson-Baier, who has won nine sa国际传媒 championships in various categories, is backed by Jessie Sanderson, Ashley Sanderson and Diane Gushulak. MacMillan’s rink consists of Sarah Daniels, Lindsay Dubue and Sarah Loken. Pewarchuk is backed by Kayla Wilson, Sasha Wilson and Cierra Fisher. Reese-Hansen, fresh off playing in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics mixed doubles qualifying trials with Chester, is backed by Megan McGillivray, Kim Bonneau and Julianna MacKenzie.
The VCC rinks are up against Corryn Brown and Holly Hafeli, both of Kamloops, Kristen Ryan of Maple Ridge and former Island skip Sarah Wark of Abbotsford.
Pool play begins today, running through the men’s and women’s finals Sunday.
The sa国际传媒 champions advance to the Brier in Kelowna from Feb. 28 to March 9 and Scotties Tournament of Hearts from Feb. 14-23 in Thunder Bay, Ont.
