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Local curlers going to U18 champs

Dawson Ballard’s Royal City/Coquitlam Curling Club team will represent British Columbia at the Canadian U18 boys and girls championships in Saint Andrews, N.B., April 9 to 14.
Bryan Miki and curlers
Former world champion curler Bryan Miki leads a debrief of the U18 team he coaches at the Royal City Curling Club that includes his son, Joshua, who's the team's second, skip Dawson Ballard, Troy Chong and Hayato Sato. The team will represent BC at the U18 national championships in Saint Andrew, N.B. after they won the provincial title last weekend in Salmon Arm.

Dawson Ballard’s Royal City/Coquitlam Curling Club team will represent British Columbia at the Canadian U18 boys and girls championships in Saint Andrews, N.B., April 9 to 14.

Coached by Port Coquitlam’s Bryan Miki and consisting of third Hayato Sato, second Joshua Miki, and lead Troy Chong, Ballard’s squad defeated Michael McCrady, of the Royal City Curling Club, 4-3, at last Sunday’s Optimist BC U18 boys curling championship in Salmon Arm.

Ballard’s team won all seven draws they played in the event, including a 5-4 nail-biter over McCrady in the second round and another by the same score in Saturday’s playoff. 

In both games, Team Ballard was able to score their winning shot in the ninth end.

In Sunday’s final, McCrady held a 3-1 advantage going into the sixth end but then conceded a single in each of the game’s last three ends.

Sean Habkirk’s team out of the Coquitlam Curling Club, which includes third Caleb Simpson, second Noah Shukyn, and lead Jarrett Dixon, finished the event with one win and six losses.

Vernon’s Jaelyn Cotter won the girls’ championship.