LCI girls and mixed curling teams claim South Zone gold medals

By Lethbridge Herald on February 15, 2023.

Herald photo by JUSTIN SEWARD LCI’s mixed curling team players Siyeon Ryu and Rhett Whittmire put in the extra effort to curl the rock into the house during one of the gold medal games at the South Zone curling championship on Wednesday at the Lethbridge Curling Club.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

The 2023 South Zone high school curling champions were crowned on Wednesday at the Lethbridge Curling Club.

LCI won the girls and mixed team zone titles, while the LCI boys team took home silver.

The girls team beat Vulcan’s County Central 10-7 to win the gold medal.

“It feels good,” said Raquel Snideman, LCI girls skip.

“The competition, it was pretty good actually. We were expecting maybe some weaker teams just because it’s kind of a small zone, but it’s actually really good competition and it was good games for us.”

LCI’s focus was to just stick to their game heading into the gold medal game.

“(And) try and get big points towards the beginning of the game and get a big lead,” said Snideman.

“Usually we do well with that, and at that point, once you’re up a lot, you can kind of just keep it that way.”

WR Myers women’s team beat Chinook 9-2 in the bronze medal game.

The mixed LCI team beat County Central 10-8, but both teams will go to provincials due to having two berths this year.

LCI’s mixed skip Rhett Whittmire didn’t play until later in the gold medal match due to feeling under the weather, but was able to manage to come in and help the team to a victory.

“It felt great,” said Whittmire.

“I don’t know. I didn’t play most of that game; I wasn’t feeling too well. But I came in halfway through the game and we ended being able to get it done.”

Whittmire saw that his team was good at persevering.

“They persevered through me playing and they had an alternate come in, and they played really well without me,” he said.

“I have no doubt we’ll do good at Provincials.”

Chinook won bronze after beating St. Mary’s Taber 7-5.

The LCI boys team won the silver medal after bowing to Warner 7-6 in the final.

WR Myers beat County Central by an 8-4 score to claim bronze.

Provincials are from March 1-4 in St. Paul.