The YRHS curling mixed curling team competed in the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletics Association provincial championships of curling in Regina and they came home with bronze medals around their necks.
The accomplishment is now the third medal which YRHS students of any age group have won while competing on the provincial stage going back three seasons.
The boys' team had won the gold at provincials two years ago and now the mixed team, consisting of Matricia Shwaga, Kelly Somogyi, Darren Tillman, Amber Stachura and Tara Lazurko, have added a bronze medallion to the YRHS trophy case.
"We were reasonably consistent," offers solo coach Grant Bjornerud following the tournament.
For the past several years, he was assisted by co-coach Larry Folk. Folk left the school last year, leaving Bjornerud at the helm.
"We had a very good Friday," the coach added, following three straight victories in which they knocked off Maidstone, 10-2, Regina, 7-2 and Debden, 7-5.
Things were looking really good after the win over Regina, Bjornerud said. YRHS had been outscoring their opponents by a margin of 17-4, then the scoring went south for the next few ends.
In their game against Norquay, YRHS dropped a 5-2 decision, but Bjornerud said he wasn't taking the loss too personally, suggesting it was more a case of the better team getting it together long enough to win it.
"We weren't quite as sharp," he admitted during a small press conference within the YRHS main office. "They (Norquay) deserved to win it." The loss to Norquay was the 'A' final, so the loss dropped them into the 'B' final where they put Debden away, 7-5.
The win proved that none of the YRHS took the loss too seriously; for the three members of the team who are eligible to return to the team next year, that skill should serve them quite well.
"They bounced back really well...right down to the last rock."
He said everything went well in the early going, including Shwaga's ability to call the shots, says Bjornerud."We kind of played it more consistent. Strategy-wise we called a pretty good game."
Bjornerud did suggest that ice conditions in Regina were not quite ideal for them, but they were able to stick to it well enough to win third place.
"Their mental game really helped them," he closed.
