Hosted by the Victoria Curling Club, the Safetek Profire BC Under 18 Curling Championships & BC Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2024 saw triumphs for Team Fitzgibbon, Team Beck, and Reese-Hansen/Chester.

The U18 Girls’ round-robin stage proved unprecedented, with five teams finishing with 3 wins and 2 losses each. An extra tiebreaker was required to determine the four teams advancing to the playoffs. In the Final, Team Fitzgibbon took an early lead, reaching 4-0 by the 4th end. Team Rempel responded with a strong 6th end, narrowing the gap to 4-5. Team Fitzgibbon, however, regained composure and finished with a 9-4 victory.

Skip Erin Fitzgibbon shared her thoughts, stating, “It was pretty tense. We left a lot of rocks sitting, which made me a little nervous but in the end, I’m really proud of my team for pulling through. The early lead in the game was similar to what we felt during our semi-final. We reminded ourselves to keep our heads down, stay focused and don’t let the lead get ahead of us. I know one of my goals is to represent B.C. and even Canada. I’m really looking forward to the sense of pride and also being on that bigger stage will be so much fun.

Team Bartlett and Team Arndt took home the Bronze medals by making the semi-finals in the previous day.

Both Team Fitzgibbon and Team Rempel have qualified for the 2024 Canadian Under-18 Curling Championships, to be held from February 4-10 in Ottawa.

In the U18 Boys’ Final, Team Beck seized an early advantage with a 5-point first end. Despite a comeback effort by Team Farmer, scoring consecutively from the 4th to 6th end, Team Beck held strong. Kaiden Beck’s incredible final shot in the 7th end secured a 12-7 win, clinching the Championship with an unbeaten record.

Skip Kaiden Beck expressed his joy, saying, “It feels amazing. Victoria has treated us phenomenally. The ice maker did a wonderful job and all the volunteers really treated us well. We are a fresh team this year and we had our ups and downs through the season. This is a strong team and I believe we’re gonna do really well representing B.C.” Team Beck have also qualified for the 2024 Canadian Under-18 Curling Championships

The Mixed Doubles Final showcased Reese-Hansen/Chester scoring 3 in the 2nd end to set the tone. A dominant 4 points in the 6th end secured a 9-2 lead over Brissette/Middleton, ultimately leading to a 10-2 Championship victory.

Corey Chester reflected on the phenomenal week, stating, “We’re lost for words. It was a phenomenal week. I am so proud of my teammate Taylor and congratulations to Sterling and Gaby for a great week themselves. We’re on home soil and and it’s just a perfect ending. We’re gonna be preparing hard for the Nationals. This is a big year to qualify for the Olympic trials. And our goal is to be playing in the Olympic trials next December. We have two and a bit months to prepare and be ready for that Championship.” The pair will travel to Sudbury, Ontario to compete in the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship from March 17-22.

Congratulations to all of the following medalists:

Safetek Profire BC Under 18 Curling Championships 2024

Boys’ – Gold: Team Beck
(Skip – Kaiden Beck, Third – Ethan Chiu, Second – Nolan Beck, Lead – Harrison Hrynew, Coach – Dale Hofer)

Boys’ – Silver: Team Farmer
(Skip – Quinn Farmer, Third – Blake Willich, Second – Ryan Farmer, Lead – Ethan Frost, Coach – Travis Jones)

Girls’ – Gold: Team Fitzgibbon
(Skip – Erin Fitzgibbon, Third – Morgan Bowles, Second – Ashley Fenton, Lead – Ella Wang, Fifth – Bryelle Wong, Coach – Len Chong)

Girls’ – Silver: Team Rempel
(Skip – Megan Rempel, Third – Parker Rempel, Second – Gwyneth Jones, Lead – Ella Walker, Coach – Wendy Cseke)

Girls’ – Bronze: Team Arndt
(Skip – Ava Arndt, Third – Bethany Evans, Second – Ivy Jensen, Lead – Jillian Evans, Fifth – Alicia Evans, Coach – David Arndt)

Girls’ – Bronze: Team Bartlett
(Skip – Hannah Bartlett, Third – Grace Feduniak, Second – Cloe Hidber, Lead – Ally Feduniak, Coach – Dave Bartlett)

BC Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2024

Gold: Taylor Reese-Hansen & Corey Chester

Silver: Sterling Middleton & Gabby Brissette

Congratulations to the following award winners:

U18 Boys’ Sportsmanship Award: Keiran Stephan (Team Reynolds)
U18 Girls’ Sportsmanship Award: Ivy Jensen (Team Arndt)
Mixed Doubles Sportsmanship Award: Emily Bowles (Bowles/Deane)

U18 Boys’ Provincial Coaching Award: Tyler Jaeger (Team Jaeger)
U18 Girls’ Provincial Coaching Award: David Arndt (Team Arndt)

Curl BC would like to thank the Organizing Committee, Victoria Curling Club, Province of BC, Safetek Profire, Mariah Coulombe Photography, Roll Focus, volunteers, coaches and athletes for the support and effort that made this Championships a success.