Junior women
The Taitan Hagglund rink of the St. Albert Curling Club counted two wins at the Alberta junior women’s championship last week in Lethbridge.Hagglund, third Rebecca Bartz, second Quinn Prodaniuk and lead Brennin Turner of the inaugural St. Albert Junior Elite Development program qualified for the eight-team U21 provincials as the Northern Alberta Curling Association C event winners, 9-8 in an extra end Kelsie Leeder of the Derrick in the final.
In April, the Hagglund team is headed to Sweden with a junior men’s team from Calgary as the first Canadian representatives for the Over The Pond junior curling exchange as the top female team at the 2017 Marc Kennedy Junior Classic while curling out of the Avonair.
Over The Pond is a joint initiative by Kennedy – three-time Brier winner, two-time world champion and 2010 Olympic gold medallist who qualified for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games with the Kevin Koe rink – and the Nordic Junior Curling Tour.
The third annual Kennedy Classic, presented by Sarasota Homes & Realty, is March 23 to 25 at the St. Albert and Jasper Place curling clubs.
U18 provincials
The Nathan Molberg rink nailed down a juvenile provincial berth by winning the Crestwood U18 bonspiel last month.Molberg, third Jacob Rahn, second Braden Pelech and lead Morgan Bilassy defeated Desmond Young of Airdrie 7-3 in the final to finish 5-0 in the 16-team men’s draw.
The U18 provincials are March 1 to 4 in Okotoks.
The St. Albert Junior Elite Development team also won the A final at the 3 Son’s Tire & Auto Centre Men’s Bonspiel in November in St. Albert.
At the 2017 Marc Kennedy Junior Classic, Molberg was the winning skip in the competitive division curling with third Mitchell Clark, second Owen Tester and lead Noah Penner.
Alberta Scotties
Three members of the St. Albert Junior Elite Development program are competing at the Jiffy Lube Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts starting Thursday in Medicine Hat.Head coach Laura Cocker is the third for Kelsey Rocque of the Saville Centre (NACA A), assistant coach Holly Jamieson is the third for Jessie Hunkin of the Avonair (NACA B) and Brenna Bilassy, lead for the 2017 Canadian junior women’s championship rink skipped by Kristen Streifel of the Saville Centre, plays for Delia Dejong of Sexsmith (PCA B).
The Canadian Scotties starts Jan. 27 in Penticton.
Mixed bonspiel
The deadline to enter the annual St. Albert mixed bonspiel is Jan. 21.Visit www.stalbertcurling.com to register a rink in the Jan. 25 to 28 competition.
The bonspiel’s theme is Mixed (Up) Olympics.
Also on tap this year at the St. Albert Curling Club is Northern Alberta Curling Association men’s masters Jan. 31 to Feb. 4, the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association championships, co-hosted by the Paul Kane and St. Albert Catholic high schools March 1 to 3, and the Canadian Stick Curling Championship April 2 to 5.
