In curling, representing your hometown or the region where you were born is a big deal.
For Brette Richards and Blaine de Jager, they will have that opportunity this week as the 2019 BC Curling Championships take place in Quesnel at the (newly developed) West Fraser Centre.
Though the city is just an hour’s drive south on Highway 97, Richards explains to PrinceGeorgeMatters if enough people can get to the rink, it’ll give them more energy.
“I imagine there’ll be people from the [Prince George curling] club, some fans, and even people we played against that will come down, remember us, and will want to take in the action, wonder down, and say ‘Hi’. I look forward to any run-ins we may have since it’s as close as it can be for us this year.”
The 35-year-old Richards, herself, hasn’t lived in the Northern capital since the mid-2000s, but still enjoys returning to her roots.
The women's team that wins the provincial title will earn the right to represent BC at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Sydney, Nova Scotia next month.
Richards is no stranger to sweeping at Canada’s national women’s curling championship, having competed there twice before (2009, 2017).
“We’re all gunning to get that red heart on our jacket with the BC crest,” she explains. “I know how fantastic the experience is. For 10 days, you get treated like a celebrity and a rockstar. You get to go out, play on amazing ice, compete against the top teams in the country, and represent your province. I would love to go back!”
She says she, her sister Blaine, and her team feel confident they can win, adding BC, unlike other curling-heavy provinces across the country, has never really had that one team that always wins.
“I expect us to be in contention. It’s one of those factors as to who’s hot coming into the tournament, whoever is one with the ice; it all seems to come together for someone it seems. BC is a wide-open province in terms of curling.”
An interesting advantage Richards claims her team has is the fact the tournament this year is being played in an arena, not a regulation curling rink.
“Arena ice is basically its own animal. It behaves its own way and its got its own characteristics. So whoever can figure that out first will certainly have the bigger advantage, which I’m confident will be us.”
Richards, de Jager, and their team claimed one of the final two spots in the contest earlier this month in a qualifying bonspiel.
The 2019 BC Curling Championships run from tomorrow (Jan. 29) to Feb. 3 in Quesnel.
