UPEI congratulates curler Veronica Smith
UPEI Athletics and Recreation congratulates Panther student-athlete and curler Veronica Smith on being selected as the Curl PEI Junior Female Athlete of the Year. Smith, a second-year business student at UPEI, received the award last week at the annual Curl PEI/ADL/Sport PEI Awards which were presented prior to Curl PEI's Annual General Meeting hosted at the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside.
The following is the award citation from the Curl PEI website: 'Smith, from Breadalbane, curls out of the Cornwall club, is a business student at UPEI, and had a very busy season. For the second year in a row, skipped teams at two national championships, played in a major international cashspiel, and also helped organize a major curling recruitment event on PEI.'
Smith's junior team won the provincial Pepsi Junior Women's Championship for the second year in a row, going through round robin play undefeated, and making a clutch last-rock draw in the final end to win the match against the Amanda MacLean team, who they also faced in last season's final. The team advanced to the Canadian Juniors, where they finished round robin play with a 2-4 win-loss record. Although they did not advance to the championship round, they finished at the top of the seeding division with a 5-4 record.
At Nationals, Smith was selected to give a gratitude speech at the banquet on behalf of the players. She is an excellent speaker, and her 'thank-you' was very well received. She was also given a special award from guest speaker and curling great Colleen Jones for being the ‘Loudest Yeller.' This award was voted by a show of hands by all who attended the National Banquet.
Teaming up as she did the previous year with three members of the MacLean team, Smith came from behind with a deuce in the ninth and a single steal in the 10th end to win the B final of the Atlantic University Curling Championships, and repeat as a representative at the CIS/CCA Canadian University Curling Championships, where her team finished with a 2-5 record.
The Smith team was one of 16 women's rinks participating in the 20th annual edition of the JSI-OVCA international Junior SuperSpiel, at a number of clubs in the Ottawa area. They finished with a 3-3 record.
Smith also put her business skills to good use as she organized the RBC Sports Day in Canada 'Try Curling' sessions, with all seven PEI curling clubs taking part, and a number of new curlers taking up the sport as club members. In addition, she volunteered at the 2014 Players Championship Grand Slam of Curling event in Summerside, and participated as a rower at the 2013 Canada Summer Games.
For more information on Panther Sport visit www.gopanthersgo.ca
Go Panthers Go!
For information:
Ron Annear
UPEI Athletics and Recreation
(902) 566-0991, annear@upei.ca
