It was difficult for one not to watch the other but in the end both Craig and Karen Lepine kept their eyes focused on the task at hand.
Saturday afternoon at the Trail Curling Club the Lepine couple from Langley took home a pair of gold medals from the B.C. senior curling championship.
Karen Lepine kept the Brenda Ridgway rink from Nanaimo in check to score a 9-5 win in the senior women’s final.
Meanwhile, in the adjacent sheet, Craig Lepine broke up a tight defensive battle with three in the ninth en route to a 5-2 win over the Tom Shypitka rink from Cranbrook.
Now the couple will represent B.C. at the Canadian Senior Curling Championships March 16-24 in Summerside, P.E.I.
Once the medals were handed out, the winning couple admitted it was tough not glancing over at their partner’s match.
“I looked over in the ninth and he got three so I must have been lucky,” said Karen. “But I was really focused on my game because I knew the Ridgway rink would be tough.”
Craig said he often catches glimpse of the action on other sheets but admitted he took a little extra glance at his wife’s match.
It’s not the first time the Lepines have won gold medals around their neck. Craig Lepine was a men’s provincial champion in 1990 and the couple teamed up to win the B.C. mixed title in 1996, 2000 and 2002.
Their first trip to a national championship as B.C. mixed champions also took them to Prince Edward Island.
“It’s extra special when your wife wins, too. It will be a nice trip,” said Craig.
“We are both looking forward to returning to the Maritimes to curl at a Canadian championship,” added Karen.
Craig’s team is rounded out by third Stan Walker from Vancouver, second Barry Breton of Surrey and lead Craig McLeod from Richmond. The other members of Karen’s team are third Lorraine Jeffries (Port Alberni), second Carol Martel (Vernon), and lead Betsy Terpsma (Langley).
with files from Rick Kupchuk