Members of the Parksville Curling Club will represent Vancouver Island at the 2020 B.C. Senior Championships that will take place in Vernon, Feb. 18-23.
Team Shantz, (skip Penny Shantz, third Colleen Robson, second Debbie Erdos and lead Teri Palynchuk) earned the right to represent the region after winning the regional championships in Powell River, Jan. 17-19.
The 2020 senior curling championships features the top eight 50-plus men’s teams and top seven 50-plus women’s teams in the province.
The PCC quartet just started playing together last June. The unusual thing about this team is that not all the members are from the Parksville Qualicum Beach area.
Shantz is the only one who resides in Parksville. She’s a seasoned curler having competed in provincials, nationals and international competitions. She has won the B.C. Senior Curling Championships a number of times.
Robson is from Courtenay.
She has teamed up with Shantz when they won the B.C. senior ladies title. Palynchuk is from Nanaimo and Erdos is from Gabriola Island.
Erdos quipped that she’s the most dedicated member of the team because she travels the farthest to come and curl Parksville.
The out-of-town curlers don’t mind the commute.
They feel they’re getting a good value for their buck because of the quality of curling the Parksville Curling Club has and also it is considered to have one of the best ice rinks on the Island.
“We’re all members of the Parksville Curling Club,” said Robson. “We might come from different places but this is our home club. This is where we curl.”
Shantz said they’re looking forward to the provincial championships.
“The goal is to win it,” said Shantz. “But it’s going to be tough because there’s a lot of good team’s that’s going to be there.”
Shantz’s team has been using the Parksville Curling Club’s Cash League as a way to hone their techniques and strategy.
“The Cash League was established to prepare teams for provincials and national competitions,” said Shantz. “There are some very good curlers in the league and it’s helping us a lot with our game.”
Shantz has also added a fifth player to the team, Susan Hamilton, and has recruited coach Gerry Richard to help them achieve their goal at the provincials.