Chess on Ice: MGCI Curling 2018
Curling—called “chess on ice” by some—has gained popularity at Marc Garneau in the last couple of years under the coaching of Ms. Wiltenburg. This year, the Girls B, Boys A, and Co-ed B teams performed particularly well, progressing to the final stages in their respective tournaments.
The Boys A team won all four of their regular season games, including one by default due to a lack of players on the opposing team. The team won both of their playoff games. Garneau’s Boys Tier 1 team has never lost a regional championship, so “making the city championship was almost expected this year,” said team member Jacky Yao. However, the TDSB could only afford to send one team to OFSAA, the provincial championship, which was held in Fort Frances this year. As a result, the regional competition was more competitive, as only two teams could be sent to cities.
Jacky Yao said, “I credit our success to the rest of my team, who carried me.” He also felt the amount of experience they had on the ice helped: “Compared to the rest of the league, we have by far the highest number of out of school curlers.”
The team played their City Championship match on 28 February against Silverthorne, losing 12-3, thus missing their chance to progress to OFSAA.
When asked why curling was important to him, Will Randall, the skip of the boys’ team said, “As someone who enjoys a lot of sport, curling is unique in that it provides a combination of strategy and precision.” Ms. Wiltenburg enjoys coaching curling for similar reasons: “I love the strategy of curling and the social nature of the game. Although it is very difficult, I enjoy the challenge of it.”
Up until the finals, the Tier 2 girls’ team had two wins, one tie, and one loss. On 22 February, the team faced Albert Campbell CI in a nail-biting semi-final game. They were tied 6-6, which meant the skip from each team would have to throw one rock as a tiebreaker. Whichever team’s rock was closer to the button, also known as the centre of the house, would win. Mei Yi Niu threw the winning rock, taking the team to finals.
The girls’ gold medal game was played on 27 February against York Mills CI, and the team won 10–0. Sylvia Chong, another member of the winning team, said, “I feel like our team has improved so much this past season and our last game has definitely been a highlight.” The team didn’t do very well last year, but they “gained valuable experience” that helped them succeed this year. When asked what she believed made the team so successful, Mei Yi said, “I think it was our perseverance and our collective eagerness and drive, even in times when the situation didn’t look so good for us.”
The Co-ed B team finished an undefeated season with seven wins, securing their title as TDSB regional champions of the North East Region. During their semi-final game, the opposing team resigned after the score reached 12-0 and the Garneau curlers went on to play their final game against Albert Campbell CI on 20 March. The team won the gold medal match with a score of 7-0 after going into overtime. The Co-ed A team had a winless season.
When asked about what led to the success of the Team B, Charmaine Chang said, “It was definitely teamwork, we were all very supportive of each other, and we worked well together, but most importantly at the end of the day, we were there to have fun.”
Considering the minimal amount of practice time on ice, the three teams had an excellent season. Ms. Wiltenburg was pleased with their performance, saying, “I knew that the Co-ed B team had talent, but I was very proud of how they yelled together and played like a great team. Their communication, shot making, and strategy were all quite amazing to me. I was especially impressed with the girls’ team and how successful they were as they all started playing within the past two or three years. I am very proud of what all the teams accomplished.”
