Eighteen years ago, nobody would have thought a group of unassuming teenage girls from the small town of Spruce Grove, Alberta, would rise to the national, and then international spotlight, in the sport of curling. But that is exactly what the Funk Foursome, better known as the Funky Four, did.

The team consisted of sisters LaDawn and Laurelle Funk, Cindy Larsen and Sandy Symyrozum. Under the careful tutelage of Carole Larsen, the girls were transformed from regular high school students to international curling champs in the course of two years.

In 1987, the team first tasted success. They won local and provincial qualifiers and earned the right to be Team Alberta at nationals. That year, the team gained valuable experience on the national stage, but failed to make playoffs.

Pushed forward by the momentum of that experience, the Funky Four trained hard the next year, and went on to represent Alberta at the national level once again. At the 1988 Pepsi Canadian Junior Curling Championship, Team Alberta was the underdog, up against top-seeded Team Manitoba in the finals. The Funk rink dominated, with LaDawn curling at 90% and the other three girls at 85%. They won the nationals in a 6-3 victory, and with it, the right to move on to the 1989 World Junior Championship.

With one year to prepare for the World Championships, the athletes travelled extensively, competing in bonspiels and games across Canada and Europe. The magic continued to prevail, and the young women continued to improve and bring their level of play even higher.

In 1989, the Funk Rink played before a packed house at the World Junior Championship. The women had home ice advantage, playing in Markham, Ontario, and once again, showed the world what they were made of. Spruce Grove’s Funk Rink came out the Gold Medal Champions and returned home as champions!

Fast forward to today. Coach Carole Larsen and Third Sandy Symyrozum still live in the Spruce Grove area, while Second Cindy Larsen resides in Androssan. Lead Laurelle Funk and Skip LaDawn Funk now live in Calgary. All of the women continue to curl in their respective communities.

Though the women have spread across the province to find their livelihoods, the City of Spruce Grove will always associate their names with the excitement of their World Championship. The Funky Foursome is, and will ever be, a piece of Spruce Grove’s athletic history.