For the first time in 30 years, Kingston will send a rink to the Canadian junior men’s curling championship tournament.
Owen Purdy’s foursome, representing the Cataraqui Curling Club, won the Ontario title last December in Guelph.
They defeated Jordan McNamara from Ottawa in the final game, 7-6.
The boys will now head to Langley, B.C., for the Canadian championship, Jan. 18-26.
Purdy, a Queen’s University engineering student, is joined by vice-skip Joshua Leung, second Nathan Steele and lead Colin Schnurr.
On Wednesday night, the club gave the boys a royal send-off in an effort to raise a few dollars to help defray the costs of competing in the national event.
“What Cataraqui is doing is absolutely amazing,” Leung said.
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The Ajax native says the club has made them feel right at home.
“We may not be Kingstonians but were extremely honoured to represent this club, this city and the province of Ontario,” Leung said. “The support we’ve received is extraordinary. They opened their club to outsiders and allowed us to continue our curling while going to school.”
Steele, native of Port Perry, agreed. “I can’t believe what Cataraqui is doing.”
“Tonight’s sendoff is absolutely tremendous,” he said Wednesday. “Club members are giving up their time and money to help us with our trip to British Columbia. In return, we hope to bring them back a championship banner.”
The last time a Kingston team made it to the nationals was in 1990, when Noel Herron skipped his Kingston Curling Club team of Robert Brewer, Steve Small and Richard Polk to the Canadian championship. They proceeded to win a silver medal at the world junior championships in Scotland.
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