The 33rd annual Canadian Deaf Curling Championships at the Jasper Place Curling Club features a St. Albert connection on Team Alberta.
Nyla Kurylowich throws second rocks and Diana Backer is the coach.
Also curling for Alberta is skip Judy Robertson and third Sally Korol of Edmonton, lead Lynda Taylor of Stony Plain and alternate Victoria Meusel of Olds.
Alberta’s first game is Sunday at 2 p.m. against British Columbia.
Manitoba and an interprovincial rink from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan round out the women’s four-team double round-robin draw.
Visit www.jasperplacecurling.ca for game times and results.
The winner will represent Canada at the 18th Winter Deaflympics in Bern, Switzerland in February of 2013.
The line-up of Robertson, Kurylowich at third, Taylor at second, lead Arista Haas of Edmonton and alternate Debbie Sutton of Airdrie qualified for last year’s Deaflympics by finishing first at 5-1 at the 2010 nationals in Richmond, B.C.
Unfortunately they were unable to compete at the International Silent Games when the organizing committee in Vysoke Tatry, Slovakia pulled the plug on the event while the curlers were en route to the competition.
Robertson, Korol, Taylor and Sutton also curled at the 2007 Deaflympics in Salt Lake City and won gold for Canada.
Deaf curlers play the game the same way as those who are not hearing impaired, but communicate differently.
Mason Libich’s bases-loaded triple highlighted an eight-run fourth inning for the St. Albert Cardinals in Wednesday’s 12-7 win over Sherwood Park Gold at Legion Memorial Park.
Libich also stroked a single and double for the undefeated bantam AAA team.
Erik Sabrowski fanned nine out of 16 batters to earn the victory. Sabrowski was pressed into service after starting pitcher Austin Watamaniuk left with an injury.
Riley Fisher finished the game with 1-1/3 innings of solid relief.
Last Saturday in St. Albert, Jackson Wark and Sabrowski struck-out nine batters apiece and Matt Quartel added another K in the 8-0 win against the Lloydminster Twins.
The Cardinals also defeated the Twins 13-6 in exhibition action. Quartel collected three hits and Cam Mazur banged out a double and a triple.
The Cardinals ended the weekend homestand by edging the Fort McMurray Oil Giants 12-11 Sunday. They spotted the Giants five runs in the first inning and trailed 11-3 after 2-1/2 innings.
Watamaniuk homered and tripled as the Cardinals picked away at the lead. Down by one going into the bottom of the seventh, Dylan Gates and Watamaniuk started the inning with back-to-back singles. After Watamaniuk stole second, Mitchell King pounded a double to left field to end the game.
Gates gave up two hits while striking out five during three innings of stellar relief for the win.
Today the Cardinals (5-0) are in Okotoks to play SEEBA and the Okotoks Black.
Last week the Cardinals beat SEEBA 5-3 in the season opener in St. Albert. Adam Foo had two hits and one RBI. Watamaniuk threw two innings of shutout ball and struck out two. SEEBA’s runs were unearned.
The next home game is Wednesday against Sherwood Park Green at 6:30 p.m.
The first tournament of the year is the May 18 to 21 St. Albert Early Bird.
The Sir George Simpson Voyageurs celebrated their fifth SAPEC badminton championship in six years at the recent junior high city finals.
Simpson finished first in the overall team category with 198 points. The Vincent J. Maloney Marauders placed second at 179, seven more than the third-place Lorne Akins Gators.
Simpson also won the team titles for Grade 8 boys and girls and shared the Grade 9 boys’ titles with the Elmer S. Gish Warriors.
Lorne Akins swept the Grade 7 boys’ and girls’ playoffs and was the top team in Grade 9 girls.
The winners are as follows:
• Grade 7 girls’ singles: Jolie Hamel, Ecole Secondaire Saint Marguerite d’Youville Leopards.
• Grade 8 girls’ singles: Elisha Easthope, William D. Cuts Crusaders.
• Grade 9 girls’ singles: Kim McLaughlin, Maloney.
• Grade 7 boys’ singles: Jonathan Martins, Maloney.
• Grade 8 boys’ singles: Sigi Peschke, Simpson.
• Grade 9 boys’ singles: Ty Lindeman, Lorne Akins.
• Grade 7 girls’ doubles: Cara Lang and Brooke Lang, Lorne Akins.
• Grade 8 girls’ doubles: Ayla Hermanutz and Jamie Bain, Simpson.
• Grade 9 girls’ doubles: Mackenzie Hodgson and Sydney Hurlburt, Lorne Akins.
• Grade 7 boys’ doubles: Martins and Connor Lotoski, Maloney.
• Grade 8 boys’ doubles: Peschke and Nick Sorensen, Simpson.
• Grade 9 boys’ doubles: Nolan Cozio and Logan McKay, Gish.
