Coldstream curler relishes 17th provincial title

Published 8:00 am Friday, February 20, 2026

While they are indeed masters curlers because of their ages (all in their 60s), there is plenty of history between Coldstream’s Penny Shantz and her current B.C. Master Women’s champion teammates.

Shantz, 65, throws third rocks for Donna Mychaluk of Langley. The pair are joined on the championship quartet by the front end of Janet Suter of Parksville at lead, and second Victoria Murphy from the Royal City Club in New Westminster.

The foursome won the recent B.C. Master Women’s title in Parksville to advance to the Canadian championships April 6 to 11 in Grande Prairie, Alta. Team Mychaluk claimed the provincial title after a strong performance throughout the event. Their only loss came in round-robin play against Team Shaughnessy, setting up a rematch in the final. Team Mychaluk responded with a win in the championship game to secure gold.

For Shantz, it was her 17th provincial curling title in B.C. and her native Alberta.

“We have curled together and against each other in various variations of teams so we know each other really well,” said Shantz, who won the 2024 B.C. and Canadian Masters titles curling with Mychaluk. Shantz threw skip stones, Mychaluk threw third rocks.

The pair have switched things up in 2026. Mychaluk is throwing final stones and Shantz is throwing third rocks. Suter and Shantz teamed up to win the B.C. and Canadian Masters in 2022 and 2023, with Shantz playing skip and Suter at lead.

“We have lots of history,” said Shantz, a Vernon Curling Club member, of her foursome who played one pre-provincial tournament together in Parksville in January prior to provincials.

Competitive curling is something that has driven Shantz since 1982.

Then known by her married name, Penny Ryan, she threw lead stones for the North Shore Winter Club (North Vancouver) rink skipped by Vancouver’s Linda Moore, with Debbie Ryan at second and Lindsay Sparkes at third, that went on to win Olympic gold in 1988 in Calgary as curling was a demonstration sport that year.

“I’ve been competing for a very long time time, and still enjoy the game a lot,” she said. “I also enjoy sharing, promoting, teaching, and watching other curlers improving their game.”

Shantz expects the competition at the Canadian Master Women’s bonspiel to be “really great.”

“B.C. has done well on the podium for many years,” she said. “We play the same competitors we used to play in Ladies Curling. We are lucky to meet up with our curling buds from across Canada once again, and enjoy a friendly competitive game, followed up with a fun, social time.”

Shantz – who curls in the Tuesday and Thursday afternoon ladies leagues, and the Friday afternoon senior mixed league, at the Vernon Curling Club – will seek an 18th provincial title in Penticton as the Peach City hosts the B.C. Senior Curling Championships (curlers must be 50 and over) Feb. 24 to March 1.

Shantz, Mychaluk, Suter, and Tracey LaTosky of Salmon Arm will be a quartet in the women’s field. They lost the provincial final a year ago to Shiella Cowan of New Westminster, who is back to defend her title. Murphy throws second rocks for Cowan.

There are 23 men’s and women’s teams competing in Penticton.

Vernon’s Cindy Blackmore will throw second stones for Diane Gushulak of Royal City.

On the men’s side, 10-time B.C. Men’s champion Jim Cotter of Vernon will guide a rink that includes Vernon Curling Club manager Kevin Geistlinger at second, Penticton’s Brad Wood at third, and lead Trevor Miyahara of Kamloops.

The Dave Belway rink of Salmon Arm includes Vernon’s Greg Hamilton at second, former Vernon members Dave Stephenson and Brendan Willis, and Dean Mackney, all of Kelowna.

The defending men’s champ is Wes Craig of Duncan, back to defend his title in Penticton. Craig was the 2023 B.C. Senior Men’s champ. He and his rink competed that year at the Everest Canadian championships at the Vernon Curling Club, as did Gushulak.

The winning rinks will represent B.C. at the Canadian Senior Curling Championships Dec. 6 to 13 in Saskatoon.