Photo L-R: Tricia Affleck, Geri-Lynn Ramsay. Barrie MacWilliams representing sponsor ADL, Erin Carmody, Kathy O’Rourke
The Kathy O’Rourke rink were the winners of the Team of the Year honours at the PEI Curling Association’s annual ADL/Sport PEI Curling Awards tonight at the Charlottetown Curling Club. The team, which includes skip Kathy O’Rourke, who throws second stone, Erin Carmody, who throws fourth, third stone Geri-Lynn Ramsay, and lead Tricia Affleck, were the first PEI team ever to play in a final game at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian women’s curling championships. Other nominees in the category were last year’s winners, the Brett Gallant foursome, and the Sarah Fullerton team, provincial junior women’s champions. Carmody and O’Rourke were also co-winners in the Female Adult category. Gallant, who set a record this season for the most wins at the junior nationals, won the Junior Male category, while Fullerton won the Junior Female honours. The O’Rourke and Gallant teams are from the Charlottetown Curling Club, while Fullerton is from Cornwall.
Other winners were Rod MacDonald, skip of both the Provincial Men’s and Senior Men’s championship teams, who won the Adult Male honours, Matthew MacLean from the Maple Leaf Curling Club in O’Leary, who won the age 15 and under Junior Male category, and Veronica Smith of Cornwall, who took the 15 and Under Junior Female award. Glen MacLean from the Maple Leaf, who coached several winning teams in the junior age categories, won the coach of the year honours, while Cliff Poirier of Summerside won the Official of the Year category. Audrey Callaghan, a volunteer for many years at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton, and on the PEI Curling Association Board of Directors, won for Volunteer of the Year, while a special recognition award was given to Marilyn Sutherland, long-time curling coach and Master Course Conductor for the PEICA.
Certificates were also given out to the sponsors of the provincial curling championships, in recognition for their continued support for PEI curling. The PEICA’s Annual General Meeting was held in advance of the awards ceremony, with the current slate of officers returning for another curling season. There will be a new Executive Director next year, with Stephen Marchbank leaving to concentrate solely on basketball, and Amy Duncan taking over the PEICA Executive Director reins.