Curling is a sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is also a family sport. It is not uncommon to find second, third and fourth generation curlers. In Kimberley, two successful teams are heading to two different provincial championships this week and it is very much a family affair.
The Buchy rink, featuring skip Tom Buchy, third Lori Buchy, second Dave Toffolo and lead Robyn Toffolo is headed to Qualicum Beach for the Provincial Mixed championship — an event the team has won three times before.
The other Buchy rink, skipped by Alysha Buchy and featuring third Kaila Buchy, second Haylie Farquhar and lead Arissa Toffolo, is headed to Delta for the Provincial High School championships. And just to add a little more family, because the team is co-coached by Tom, Dave and Haylie’s dad Grant, Grant Farquahar will take on coaching duties of the girls by himself — seeing as all the other parents will be occupied.
“We all fly out Wednesday,” Buchy said. “The games start Thursday (today). Grant will take the girls team and we’ll try to follow what’s going on, but still focus on the task at hand for us.”
That could be difficult but the older Buchy rink certainly has the experience to do it.
“We’ve won it three times before. If we’re there, we’ve got a chance,” he said. “We were runner up last year, so we just need to be one game better. Our goal is to make the playoffs and see what happens.”
As for the girl’s team, Buchy says they’ve put in the hours and have a legitimate chance.
“The girls have worked extremely hard this year. They are excited to go and hoping for a good week. They’ve been playing really well this year. It’s just a matter of making the shots and maybe getting a little lucky here and there.”
All three families spend a lot of time at the curling rink together. The three dads all play with their daughters in league curling and then practice together as well.
“It’s quite unique,” Buchy said. “All the parents are heavily involved in the girl’s curling.”
“It’s our belief that the girls are as prepared as they could be and curling at the highest level,” said Farquhar. “There will be some new faces and unfamiliar names in Delta, but a couple of teams we recognize from junior provincials as well. The competition will be good.”
Farquahar believes that as a parent it will be far more difficult to watch than to play and he says he’ll do his best to be coach, not dad.
“Parents don’t ever want to see their child fail. And traditionally parents can be harder on their own kids. You have to be cautious how you approach those conversations. Tom is so experienced we usually leave that to him, but now I’m forced into it. Hopefully I can separate the dad from the coach.”
You can follow the senior Buchy team at the mixed on playdowns.com and the junior team at the high school provincials at curlinggeek.com.
It would be impossible for either of these teams to pursue their passion for curling without help from sponsors.
Team Buchy wished to extend its thanks and gratitude to its generous community sponsors and supporters, including Stephen Rota Management Inc., Coal Valley Motor Products, Assante Wealth Management, Caliper Hydraulics, Canadian Tire Cranbrook, Maple Leaf Forest Products, ABC Country Restaurant, Prestige Hotels and Resorts, B and B Glass, Coors Light, Sun Life Financial - Frank Vanden Broek, Kootenay Insurance Services, Remax Caldwell Agencies, Tyee Homes and the Kimberley Curling Club.
The Kimberley Jr Girls Curling Team would like to Thank The Kimberley Curling Club, Walmart Cranbrook, USW 1-405, Ivar Larson, Selkirk Secondary School and all those who supported their fund raiser.