ST. PAUL - It was a surprise upset worthy of celebration on Saturday at the St. Paul Curling Rink, as the St. Paul Regional High School boys’ curling team battled through a full day of play – ultimately claiming a provincial high school curling championship, the first ever for the St. Paul high school.
St. Paul Regional High School has come close to winning in the past, claiming both silver and bronze medals at curling provincials, but 2023 marks the first ever curling provincial championship banner for the school's athletics program.
The Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association (ASAA) curling championship bonspiel brought teams from across the province to St. Paul for three full days of competition, with games starting on Thursday and wrapping up Saturday evening. The host school – St. Paul Regional – had teams competing in each of the three events – men’s, ladies’ and mixed.
Battling through round robin play, the boys’ team ended up with a 2-2 record. This put them in a position to rally in a tie-breaker game, continue on in the tournament, and ultimately earn themselves a spot in the finals – which they did.
After defeating the top team in Pool B, Paul Rowe Jr./Sr. High School from Manning, the St. Paul boys would come up against Holy Rosary from Lloydminster. Holy Rosary beat McTavish Public High School from Fort McMurray to earn their spot in the finals. The team from McTavish had previously beat the St. Paul boys in round robin play, making for some tight competition.
The final game between St. Paul and Holy Rosary ended with a score of 7-5 in favour of the host team.
Making up the St. Paul boys’ curling team is Caleb Gratton, Tyson Kotowich, Ethan Noel and Porter Dallaire.
On the girls’ side, the St. Paul Regional High School team made it through round robin play with an impressive 3-1 record, losing only to Lethbridge L.C.I.
After losing in a crossover match against Sexsmith, the St. Paul team would be relegated to the bronze medal match where they would meet up against Lethbridge once again, losing 8-6, and placing fourth overall in the province.
Winning the girls’ provincial title was Sexsmith, defeating Holy Rosary in the finals 8-3.
The St. Paul mixed team would finish with a 2-2 record in round robin play, but since there were no tie-breaker games required, the team would not advance to play on Saturday. Winning the mixed provincial title was Lacombe, defeating Kitscoty in the final 8-7.
Looking back about four years, St. Paul curling coach Andrea Austin says when she coached the current Grade 10 students when they were in Grade 6, "I referred to them as my 'dream team' and told them that I hoped to be able to coach them all the way through to Grade 12."
The results shown over the past weekend was a direct reflection of the potential these young curlers have, she explained.
"I am very proud of all of the teams as they did not go unnoticed. They are young and I predict that they will be back competing at the provincial level again next year," added Austin.
Speaking about the gold medal winning boys' team specifically, Austin describes them as a group of boys who "love to laugh, joke around and have fun."
"When they went out to play the final game, I told them to do what they had to do to enjoy the moment and play the best they could. Though they were probably considered an underdog going into the provincial weekend, they continually improved throughout the course of the championship and deserved to win," said Austin.
ASAA provincials and support
The provincial curling championship brought a long list of teams to St. Paul from March 1-4. The St. Paul Curling Rink was bustling with activity from the early morning hours and late into the night throughout the event.
A gala took place Saturday evening, allowing athletes, coaches and volunteers the opportunity to mingle and enjoy some time off the ice.
Opening ceremonies also took place on Thursday morning, welcoming everyone to the community.
After dignitaries greeted and acknowledged all those in attendance, from the curlers themselves to the many volunteers who were involved in hosting the event, Val Sweeting - fresh off her recent win at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts - took to the ice in her Team Canada jacket, and threw the first stone, with St. Paul Regional High School curlers Kaitlyn Foote and Jayden Blain sweeping.
Sweeting is a third on Team Kerri Einarson and also happens to live in the St. Paul area. Team Einarson will once again be representing Canada on the world stage in March after winning at the Tournament of Hearts, beating Team Jones on Feb. 26.
During the opening ceremonies, local dignitaries and representatives from the ASAA spoke about how curling is a unique sport, focused on teamwork and respect among teams.
According Austin, "The future of the sport of curling and the livelihood of curling rinks in Canada depends on junior curling. This is why a few of us dedicate a lot of time coaching various junior curling programs in St. Paul."
The St. Paul Curling Club has also done a lot to support its junior members, "such as making it affordable to curl and allowing them to curl in various leagues," says Austin.
