Seventeen-year-old Brenna Drought lost her mother on Tuesday, but was back on the ice curling with her team in the junior provincial championships in 91原创 Wednesday 鈥� because that鈥檚 what her mother would have wanted.
Andrea Drought, Brenna鈥檚 mom, was diagnosed a little more than a year ago when doctors discovered she had a tumor and soon after confirmed her cancer had spread to her liver.
Sadly, Mom鈥檚 health took a turn for the worst on Monday, and Brenna was called home.
The teen had been in 91原创, playing third with the Vancouver Island鈥檚 Team Wilson during the 2017-18 Boston Pizza BC Junior Curling Championships at the 91原创 Curling Centre this week.
She rushed home to Mill Bay to be with her mother, who sadly passed away the next morning.
鈥淢y mom was the strongest person I knew, and she always encouraged me to finish what I started, so I decided to come back,鈥� Brenna told the 91原创 Advance.
A curler herself, Andrea encouraged Brenna to get started, signed her up, and took her to every event when her daughter was starting out.
This is the teen鈥檚 third year curling, but her first year competing.
This summer, while at curling camp, Andrea had a health scare and Brenna went home. Her mother was upset by the move and ordered her daughter to return, to continue with the camp, and pursue her passion.
鈥淪he always encouraged me to finish what I started,鈥� Brenna said just ahead of the debriefing after Wednesday night鈥檚 9-4 loss to another Island team 鈥� Team Reese-Hansen.
Coming back, admittedly, wasn鈥檛 easy, Brenna said, leaving her younger and older brothers, and father behind on the Island.
But, she reiterated, this is what her mother would have wanted for her.
As the athletes stepped out on the ice Wednesday night, officials took a moment to explain Brenna鈥檚 situation and why all the players on all six sheets of ice were wearing a sticker that said 鈥淚 wear pink in honour of Brenna & her mom,鈥� and pink rubber bracelets saying 鈥淔ind The Cure.鈥�
Parents, coaches, supporters, and spectators gave Brenna what some officials called a 鈥渞ousing ovation.鈥�
As well, members of her team (including skip Kayla Wilson, second Loganne Bell, lead Sasha Wilson, and fifth Cassandra Blenkin, joined Brenna in painting their nails pink just an hour before Wednesday night鈥檚 game.
鈥淚 decided to dedicate every game I play to my mom,鈥� Brenna said.
In the meantime, Team Wilson took last place out of the eight women鈥檚 teams in this competition, finishing their last game Thursday morning. Despite their loss, however, on Thursday afternoon Brenna was crowned the Most Valuable Player for the championships.
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91原创 on the ice
In other championship play on Wednesday night, 91原创鈥檚 Team Tardi secured its first-place standing with a win over Victoria-based Team Horvath by a score of 8-5.
鈥淲e started off slow, and dropped a game early,鈥� team skip Tyler Tardi said, speaking of their first game where they lost 9-5 to the New Westminster鈥檚 Team Ballard.
鈥淏ut we had a couple chats with our sports psychologist, and we鈥檝e been making a pretty good comeback, in my opinion,鈥� Tyler said.
And since then, they鈥檝e won all five of their subsequent games.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been powering through, and getting a little better every game,鈥� Tyler said. 鈥淚鈥檓 pretty happy with where we are right now.鈥�
Team Tardi is hoping to emerge triumphant in this competition. It would be their third consecutive junior title and would earn them a spot in the nationals in Quebec early in the new year.
But Tyler wasn鈥檛 about to be overly confident in his predictions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still a pretty long road鈥� I鈥檇 really like to do it, especially in home club, and do our club proud. But it鈥檚 still a long ways, and a lot of good teams playing,鈥� he said.
Also representing 91原创 is Team Royea which won Wednesday night against Team Fisher by the score of 4-0. As of that game, they were 3-2, putting them third in the standings.
The championships continue through Saturday.
The junior men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 finals will be livestreamed on on Dec. 23. To see the
Tickets ($7 for a day pass, $3 for a draw pass) for the 91原创 event will be on sale at the club, based at 20699 42nd Ave.
