Family ties fuel Northern Ontario’s playoff win at 2024 Everest Canadian Curling Club Championships

The mother-daughter combination of Kim and Victoria Beaudry from Northern Ontario is one step closer to the semifinals.

Skip Kim Beaudry and her daughter Victoria, playing second, have spent a lifetime in the sport. This week, at the 2024 Everest Canadian Curling Club Championships, marks the first time the two have competed together at a national championship.

Their team from the Curl Fort Frances Community Centre—rounded out by vice-skip Barb Roy and lead Taylor Sopotiuck—secured a 5-3 win against Saskatchewan’s Team Samantha Yachiw-Omelian of Saskatoon’s Sutherland Curling Club in Friday night’s double-knockout playoff opener at the Barrie Curling Club.

It’s the culmination of years of dedication to the sport. Kim and Victoria have competed at national championships before—Kim at the 2019 Canadian Seniors and Victoria at the 2020 U SPORTS Championships—but this is the first time they’ve competed on the same team.

“I think it’s great. We’re not going to curl in seniors together at any point, so this is a great opportunity,” Kim joked.

For the Beaudrys, curling has always been a family affair. Kim got her start in the sport with her parents, so it was only natural for Victoria to follow suit. Friday nights were spent at the Curl Fort Frances Community Centre. Kim’s mixed league games followed Victoria’s little rocks league, making the club their second home during the winters. This continued as Victoria got older.

“We’ve been curling together for a while. She always needed a spare in high school, so I didn’t get a chance to say no,” Victoria said. “I had to play; she knew what I was doing, I wasn’t working, and I didn’t have homework. I had to come curl.”

Counting two and tied 3-3, Northern Ontario did not need to throw its last stone in the eighth end after Saskatchewan missed its last rock.

In the double-knockout playoffs, each team must win two games before losing two to qualify for Sunday’s semifinals. With a win on Friday night, the Northern Ontario women are one step closer to that result, but Saskatchewan is still alive with one more life.

In remaining women’s action, Ontario’s Team Patricia Bandurka (Dixie Curling Club, Mississauga) defeated Manitoba’s Team Deb McCreanor (La Salle Curling Club) with a 6-5 win, and Nova Scotia’s Team Michelle Armstrong (Lakeshore Curling Club, Lower Sackville) picked up a 6-4 victory against Quebec’s Team Gabrielle Lavoie (Victoria Curling Club, Quebec City).

On the men’s side of the bracket, Manitoba’s Team Zachary Wasylik (Pembina Curling Club, Winnipeg) defeated Northern Ontario’s Team Dylan Johnston (Fort William Curling Club, Thunder Bay) with a 5-1 win; Alberta’s Team Robert Johnson (Irricana Curling Club) came back to beat Quebec’s Team Stéphane Brabant (Boucherville Curling Club) by a score of 6-4; and Ontario’s Team Jordan Keon (Richmond Hill Curling Club) got the better of British Columbia’s Team Jeff Guignard (Richmond Curling Club) with a 7-5 win.

There are two more opening-round playoff games scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. (all times ET) between Nova Scotia’s Team Travis Stone (Sydney Curling Club) and New Brunswick’s Team Jeff Lacey (Thistle Curling Club, Saint John) on the men’s side and Prince Edward Island’s Team Amanda Power (Cornwall Curling Club) and Newfoundland & Labrador’s Team Susan Curtis (Corner Brook Curling Club) in the women’s division.

Action resumes at the 2024 Everest Canadian Curling Club Championships on Saturday with double-knockout playoff draws at 10 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 7 p.m.

Fourteen men’s teams and 14 women’s teams are competing this week. The fields are divided into two pools of seven teams. After the round robin, the top four teams in each pool will qualify for double-knockout playoffs, beginning Friday, Nov. 22, and concluding with the gold- and bronze-medal games on Sunday, Nov. 24.

Fans can follow the action live with selected games available on Curling Canada’s YouTube channel and TSN+. 

For live scores and standings, visit the scoreboard page.

For team lineups, draw times, and other event details, visit the event website.

This story will be available in French as soon as possible at: https://www.curling.ca/?lang=fr