It’s a bronze for the Vankleek Hill Collegiate Institute (VCI) girls curling team. The Rebels captured the medal at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) Curling Championships, which were held from March 20 to 23 in North Bay.
The team, composed of skip Caitlin Allen, vice Emilie Lovitt, second Natasha Fortin, and lead Evy Cooley went to the provincial championship after winning the Eastern Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association (EOSSAA) championship on February 27.
In the quarter final game in North Bay, VCI defeated Central Huron of Exeter but was defeated by W.C. Eaket of Blind River in the semi-finals who went on to win the gold medal. VCI defeated Paris in the bronze medal game.
The OFSAA website did not list scores for each game.
Coach Dan Tremblay, who also teaches at VCI, called the bronze medal win “Quite an accomplishment for a small school competing in an open-division tournament.”
Allen, Lovitt, and Fortin are all experienced curlers who also curl at the Vankleek Hill Curling Club, and competitively in Navan and Ottawa. Cooley was new to curling this season and was previously a figure skater. The team established a good chemistry early on which led to a successful season that ended with the championships in North Bay.
“The four girls were quite excited about their accomplishment,” said Tremblay.
