Fowler, Robertson Open Sr. Nats Saturday

  It’s a full Westman contingent for our Provincial reps at the Canadian Senior Curling Championship.
 
  Neepawa’s Kelly Robertson and Brandon’s Lois Fowler will both be making their third appearance in the championship, which begins Saturday in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
 
  Robertson and his team of Doug Armour, Peter Prokopowich and Bob Scales have performed very well at nationals in their previous two appearances, winning the title in 2011 and just barely missing the playoffs in 2012.
 
  Getting off to a good start will be one of the keys to their success.
 
  "The advantage that some of the Manitoba players have is we’ve had the opportunity to play on arena ice, so I think we have an advantage on some of the teams there," said Robertson, "As you said, get off to a good start.  We play New Brunswick, they won it last year so we’re going to be in tough right off the start.  We’re looking forward to the challenge."
 
  Games will be shared between the Yellowknife Arena and Yellowknife Curling Club, which could present a unique challenge for the teams.
 
  "We’ve never experienced that before. Kelly Robertson’s team told us that when they went to Digby, they had to do that and they said the ice was very comparable," said Fowler, "I find that hard to believe though because arena ice is typically quite a bit different than curling club ice.  But, it’s the same for both teams so we just have to go out and deal with it."
 
  This is the eighth Canadian championship for Fowler, but her first with her current team of Maureen Bonar, Cathy Gauthier and Allyson Stewart.
 
  "I’ve been on a lot of great teams and, this team, we just sort of put it together because we are four good friends that have had a lot of fun together in the past and a lot of success," said Fowler, "We thought why not give it a whirl and see what happens.  So far, so good."
 
  This year’s Canadian Senior Championship is the first ever national championship to be held in the Northwest Territories.
 
  The winners of the 2014 Canadian Seniors will represent Canada at the 2015 World Senior Curling Championships, at a site and date to be announced by the World Curling Federation.