The dream of a Canadian championship has ended at the Everest Curling Club Championships for the Manitoba a skipped by Derrick Anderson and Kara Balshaw.
Entering the day, both could qualify for the medal round by winning one of two games.
Both lost both games on the day. Team Anderson lost 7-3 to Alberta while Balshaw was beaten 6-2 by New Brunswick in the A-Qualifier games. Both lost to Nova Scotia in the B-Qualifiers: Anderson 5-4, Bashaw 6-4.
Photo: Curling Canada/Connie Laliberte
The first medal round games, at 10AM Saturday, on the Women’s side are New Brunswick vs Nova Scotia and Ontario vs BC. On the Men’s side, Alberta plays Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan plays Quebec.
The winners play for the gold medal at 2:30pm. The losers play for the bronze medal.
(Thursday) BALSHAW & ANDERSON’S MANITOBA TEAMS A WIN AWAY FROM THE MEDAL ROUND: Important first game wins as both of Manitoba’s teams advance at the Everest Canadian Curling Club Championships. The first playoff round wins are significant as Kara Balshaw & Derrick Anderson and their teams now have two chances to qualify for the medal round.
Both teams had to win their final round robin games against Nunavut in order to reach the double knock-out round. Balshaw’s 11-3 win gave the Thistle/Fort Rouge team a 3W-3L record while Andersons’ 10-3 win gave the Gimli team a 4W-2L record.
The Manitoba Women handed the previously undefeated BC team their first losses of the event, blasting them 9-1 in six ends. The Manitoba Men were 7-3 winners over Ontario.
At 10AM Manitoba’s men will play previously unbeaten Alberta with the winner advancing to the medal round. The other A-qualifier has BC playing Saskatchewan.
At 1:30PM Manitoba’s women will play New Brunswick in their A-side qualifying game. The other A-qualifying game has Ontario playing Quebec.
The losers will drop into B-side qualifying games.
Derrick Anderson and his team Manitoba have qualified for the double knockout playoff round at the Everest Curling Championships at Assiniboine Memorial. A 10-3 Thursday morning win over Nunavut gave the Manitobans a 4W-2L record, tied for first in their pool with Saskatchewan and BC.
Team Manitoba Photo: Curling Canada/Connie Laliberte
Three teams in the other pool (Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) also finished 4W-2L. Alberta was the only team to finish with a perfect 6W-0L record.
Manitoba will face Ontario in their first playoff game at 4PM Thursday. With a win they will play the winner of Alberta and Quebec. A loss will move them to play the loser on the B-side of the draw.
Four teams will advance to a single knockout medal round.
Kara Balshaw’s Manitoba team has a 2W-3L record after five games and plays Nunavut at 12:30PM. A win and a 3W-3L record may be good enough to advance.
Manitoba’s two teams both split a pair of games on Wednesday at the Everest Curling Club Championships at Assiniboine Memorial.
Derrick Anderson’s Men’s team from Gimli had a strong start to the day, scoring an opening five and then stealing three to lead Quebec 8-0 on their way to an 11-5 victory. That win was followed by an afternoon 7-3 loss to British Columbia.
Kara Balshaw’s Thistle/Fort Rouge team (Heather Carson, Sandra Carson, Cathy Gingera, Alternate Kim Merasty) Photo: Curling Canada/Connie Laliberte
Kara Balshaw’s Women’s team from Thistle/Fort Rouge had the opposite patter – an early 6-3 loss to Ontario before beating Saskatchewan 8-5.
The women’s record is 3W-2L. Ontario has finished their round robin with a 5W-1L record. Alberta is at 4W-1L and Saskatchewan at 3W-2L. In the other pool BC is at 5W-0L while Northern Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick are all at 3W-2L.
The men have a 3W-2L record, tied with three others (Nunavut, Saskatchewan, BC) on top of their pool. In the other men’s pool Alberta leads with a 5W-0L record with Ontario (4W-1L) and New Brunswick (4W-2L) close behind.
The Manitoba teams finish their preliminary rounds Thursday when both play Nunavut.
Four teams from each pool advance to the double knock out round (to qualify into the championship round). The Manitoba teams, with wins, should advance and even with a loss, the men could advance (a best guess based on the win-loss records head-to-head with teams they would probably be tied with!).
(TUESDAY) MANITOBA’S ANDERSON 2-1, BALSHAW 1-2 AFTER DAY 3 AT AMCC: It took an extra end but Derrick Anderson’s Team Manitoba defeated Saskatchewan 7-6 Tuesday afternoon to improve their record to 2W-1L at the Everest Curling Club Men’s Championship at Assiniboine Memorial. At 2W-1L, Manitoba is tied with BC, a win behind Quebec.
Manitoba will play Quebec at 9AM on Wednesday.
IN the other men’s pool, Alberta leads the way (3W-0L) trailed by New Brunswick (3W-1L) and Ontario & Nova Scotia (both 2w-1L).
In the women’s competition, Kara Balshaw’s Team Manitoba lost an early Tuesday 6-4 game to Alberta to fall to 1W-2L. Alberta and Saskatchewan are on top of that pool with perfect 3W-0L records trailed by Ontario at 3W-1L. In the other pool BC leads the way with a 3W-0L record trailed by Nova Scotia, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick who are all at 2W-1L.
Manitoba plays Ontario at 12:30 Wednesday.
Throwing red in game one, Team Manitoba’s last shot call was to try to prevent the angle raise on the yellow Yukon stone outside the rings on the “in-turn” side of centre.
(MONDAY) MANITOBA’S ANDERSON, BALSHAW TEAMS BOTH 1-1 AFTER DAY 2 AT AMCC: Manitoba’s Derrick Anderson and his Gimli team (Justin Hoplock, Mitch Einarson, Chris Sigurdson) have opened the Everest Curling Club Championship at Assiniboine Memorial with a split of their first two games.
In their first game, on the Monday afternoon draw, the Gimli foursome jumped out to a 7-2 lead after five ends and stole three on end six to win it. (Teams are required to play a full seven ends before conceding, with the exception that they can conceded after six if down by seven or more.)
On the evening draw, playing Prince Edward Island, Anderson and his team were tied at 3-3 after four ends but gave up a pair of twos in the second half of the game (5th & 7th ends) to lose 7-3.
Up 7-2 playing end #6, Derrick Anderson’s last rock guard crossed centre and cut off that raise. The stolen three ended the game with Yukon
Manitoba’s Women’s team, Kara Balshaw’s Thistle/Fort Rouge foursome (Heather Carson, Sandra Carson, Cathy Gingera, alternate Kim Merasty) also won their opening game Sunday; a 7-2 victory over Newfoundland/Labrador. Game two saw the Manitobans give up a five on the fifth end to trail 7-2. They fought back with two on the 6th, and steals of two on end seven and one on end eight. The tie forced an extra end but the comeback attempt ended with Prince Edward island scoring a deuce for a 9-7 win.
Derrick Anderson’s Gimli team and Kara Balshaw’s Thistle/Fort Rouge team get their national championship opportunity beginning Sunday at Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club.
Livestreaming will happen from sheet 1 at AMCC
The Manitoba champion teams will find a ‘spruced-up’ AMCC when they begin play. The six-sheet competition configuration has bleachers on sheet one and a hospitality area on sheet 8.
Balshaw (Heather, Carson, Sandra Carson, Cathy Gingera) will test the ice on the event’s first draw as they play their opening game at 6pm Sunday against Newfoundland-Labrador. Manitoba has won four previous championships: Megan Armit-2011, Stacey Fordyce – 2013 & 2017, and Tracy Andries – 2016.
Anderson (Justin Hoplock, Mitch Einarson, Chris Sigurdson) are attempting to become the first Manitoba team to win the men’s club champions event. They open play on Monday on the noon draw against Yukon.
Twenty-four eager curlers responded to the invitation as the Manitoba Stick Curling Association’s first “Advanced Clinic” took place Saturday, November 18 at East St. Paul Curling Club. They were looking for ways to improve their competitive skills for improved results in their club league and/or in bonspiels,
Six of Manitoba’s most experienced stick curlers and instructors provided instruction on the range of skills focused on by elite curlers in their quest for improved results. Key skills discussed and demonstrated included:
* Pre-shot routine and set-up – recognition that starting the delivery in exactly the same way and body position each time is a key to a successful shot * Pace of walkout or slide (weight) – use of speed-traps to demonstrate consistency (and inconsistency) and to provide a specific target number as a focus * Release and Line of delivery – recognition that success at the far end of the ice derives from a consistent release on the straight line to the target broom * Rotation – attention to striving for three rotations between the hoglines
Gail Cabana-Coldwell (left)
The instructor group included Warren Johnson (current and many times Manitoba Stick Champion), Lynne Rehbein (2023 Canadian Stick Women’s Bronze medallist), Gail Cabana-Coldwell (an experienced 4’s instructor-coach bringing her skills to the clinic for the first time), Fred Spiring (Manitoba Stick Tour organizer and experienced 2-person stick competitor-instructor), and Melanie Shura ( experienced 2-person stick competitor-instructor).
They were led by 2022 Canadian Stick Champion Norm Magnusson who is the MSCA’s new Chief Clinician.
Magnusson’s clinic approach underlines his belief that the game is played for fun but that there is more fun in being able to make the shots successfully. The well structured clinic featured three duplicate ‘skill-stations’ (East St. Paul is a six-sheet club). The participants rotated every half hour in order to experience the discussion & demonstration relating to rotation, weight/timing, line of delivery with one of the two specialist instructors for each skill. The skill sessions were followed by a half-hour game to allow for practice with continuing input from the instructors.
Fred Spiring (left)
Past MSCA instructional sessions have acknowledged the significance of these skills. However, those past sessions were designed to focus more on the basics of using a delivery stick as non-curlers join the growing 2-person version of the sport or experienced curlers transition from traditional deliveries to using the stick in both 2-person and 4’s curling.
The final regional Masters berths were identified Wednesday – bringing to thirteen the number of competing teams identified for the provincial Manitoba’s Credit Unions Masters Championship in Portage.
In Beausejour, former Canadian Senior Men’s champion Carl German (East St. Paul) was a shut-out winner over Doug May (Beausejour) to win the second East region berth.
In the West region, Lawrence Daniel (Hamiota) won the second berth in Minnedosa, needing an extra end to beat clubmate Brian Tolton 7-6 and in Melita, Barry Lowes (Virden) was a 7-4 winner over Al Fitzmaurice (Brandon). As there were a total of five available berths in the West, Fitzmaurice and Tolton will playoff for the extra spot.
TEAMS QUALIFIED for Manitoba Masters Men’s Championship: Defending Champion: Randy Neufeld (La Salle) Bob Picken Bonspiel Berth: Lionel Walz (Pembina) Winnipeg Berth: Mark Franklin (Granite) Winnipeg Berth: Robin Nelson (Granite) Winnipeg Berth: Mike Mahon (Granite) Winnipeg Berth: Stan Struthers (Pembina) West-Melita Berth: Murray Warren (Brandon) West-Melita Berth: Barry Lowes (Virden) West-Minnedosa Berth: Murray Jorgenson (Hamiota) West-Minnedosa Berth: Lawrence Daniel (Hamiota) West-Playoff Berth: WINNER Tolton-Fitzmaurice East-Beausejour Berth: Lawrie Hogg (Stonewall) East-Beausejour Berth: TBD South-Winkler Berth: Allan Gitzel (Miami) North Berth: TBD in December Brandon Bonspiel Berth: TBD in January
(Nov 14) (UPDATED) WARREN AMONG SEVEN MASTERS BERTH WINNERS TUESDAY: Murray Warren’s Brandon team, bronze medalists at last fall’s Canadian Masters at Pembina, defeated Jim Renwick (Brandon) 3-2 Tuesday to earn a berth in the Manitoba’s Credit Unions Masters championship later this season at Portage la Prairie.
Brandon’s Murray Warren calls the line in a Canadian Masters Championship game, November 2022 at Pembina CC
Renwick dropped to the B-Side of the draw in Melita and was beaten by Al Fitzmaurice (Brandon), who will play Barry Lowes (Virden) Wednesday for the second berth.
In Minnedosa, Murray Jorgenson (Hamiota) was a 5-4 winner over Morley Walker (Arden) to earn the first available berth. Walker, Lawrence Daniel & Brian Tolton (both Hamiota), and Butch Mouck (Minnedosa) will play Wednesday for the second berth.
In Beausejour, Lawrie Hogg (Stonewall) was an 8-2 winner over Carl German (East St. Paul) to win a provincial berth. German will play Doug May (Beausejour) for the second berth.
In Winkler, Allan Gitzel (Miami) defeated Louis Tanquay (Winkler) 7-5 to win the B-side of the playoff ands earn the provincials berth.
The three berth winners at Winnipeg’s Fort Rouge club were Robin Nelson- Granite (7-6 over Mike Mahon-Granite; Mahon (6-3 over Skuli Johnson-Granite); and Stan Struthers-Pembina (6-5 over Neil Okumura-Pembina.
(Nov 13) FORMER CHAMP FRANKLIN EARNS MASTERS BERTH: Former champion Mark Franklin and his Granite team are the first of thirty-two teams competing this week across Manitoba to earn a berth into this season’s Manitoba’s Credit Unions Masters championship.
Franklin (Jamie Hay, Barrie Campbell, Greg Ziemanski) defeated another former champion skip, Gord McTavish, Monday afternoon to join the two teams already qualified for the Portage championship. Defending champion Randy Neufeld and Bob Picken Masters Berth Bonspiel winner Lionel Walz and their teams have previously qualified.
Across Manitoba, there are seven teams competing for two berths in each of Melita and Minnedosa; six teams are playing off in Beausejour for two spots; and there are three teams competing for one berth in Winkler. Nine teams started the Winnipeg regional playoff with four berths available.
Former Manitoba champion, and 2022 Canadian bronze medalist, Murray Warren and his Brandon team are in the Melita playoff. Warren will play perennial; contender Jim Renwick (Brandon) for the first Melita berth. Morley Walker (Arden) will play Murray Jorgenson (Hamiota) for the first Minnedosa berth. In Beausejour, former Canadian Senior champion Carl German (East St. Paul) will play Lawrie Hogg (Stonewall) for the first berth.
In WInkler, Joe Fouasse (Lorette) will play Allen Gitzel (Miami) in the A-side final.
At Fort Rouge, Mike Mahon (Granite) will play Robin Nelson (Granite) for the second Winnipeg berth to be awarded.
(R-L) Kyle Kurz, Beth Peterson, Ian McMillan, Melissa Kurz Photo: Curling Canada/Jenny Hagan.
The run for Manitoba’s Team Kurz ended a win short at the Canadian Mixed in Swift Current. A semi-final victory over Team Ontario gave the Fort Rouge team a shot at the championship but for the second time in two games, they lost that gold medal game to Shaun Meachem’s Saskatchewan team. The Manitobans trailed by two twice in the final game but fought twice cam back to tie. A two on the seventh end gave Saskatchewan the hammer, tied, coming home. Saskatchewan won the gold medal while Manitoba earned the silver medal with their 10 wins in 12 games.
(Nov 10) TEAM KURZ 9W-1L & ON TO THE PLAYOFFS: The unbeaten string for Kyle Kurz and his Manitoba team ended at ten at the Canadian Mixed in Swift Current, SK. The only undefeated team through the preliminary round round, the Manitobans won their opening game of the championship qualifying round – a 4-3 win over Ontario’s Scott McDonald.
When the unbeaten run ended, it ended with a thud. The young team from Fort Rouge gave up an opening end four enroute to a blow-out loss to Saskatchewan’s Shaun Meachem.
To win the title, the Manitoba champions will have to win two today. They play McDonald at 10AM and the winner between Meachem and Nova Scotia’s Paul Flemming at 2:30PM.
(Nov.8) TEAM KURZ UNBEATEN INTO MIXED CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND: Six wins, the only undefeated team in the competition, have moved Kyle Kurz and his Manitoba champions into the Championship round at the Canadian Mixed championship in Swift Current.
Kyle Kurz, Beth Peterson, Ian McMillan, and Melissa Kurz are trying to become the first Manitoba team to win the Canadian Mixed since Kyle’s brother Colin Kurz skipped his team to Canadian and World Mixed titles in 2019.
Kyle Kurz, Beth Peterson, Ian McMillan, Melissa Kurz Photo: Curling Canada/Jenny Hagan.
In Swift Current, from the Kurz pool, Jamie Koe’s NWT team advanced with a 5W-1L record along with 4W-2L Alberta (Evan Van Amsterdam) and 3W-3L New Brunswick (Charlie Sullivan).
From the other pool, Saskatchewan (Shaun Meachem), Ontario (Scott McDonald) and Nova Scotia (Paul Flemming) all advanced with 5W-1L records while Prince Edward Island (Tyler Smith) advanced with a 2W-4L record.
The first round records carry forward and accumulate with the 4-game championship round record to determine the final four teams for the Saturday morning semi-finals. The gold & bronze medal games take place Saturday afternoon.
The championship round features two games Thursday and two Friday (12:30pm & 7:30pm Manitoba time).
CurlManitoba held a berth bonspiel for both the 2024 Scotties presented by RME and the 2024 Viterra Championship this past weekend. The event was hosted by the Gimli Curling Club and had 7 teams participate in each event.
In the Women’s event, Rhonda Varnes (Manitou) and Kristy Watling (East St. Paul) qualified out of the A event. Emma Jensen (Heather) and Rachel Kaatz (AMCC) qualified through the B event. In the page playoff, Varnes and her team beat Kristy Watling to move directly to the final. In the 3vs4 game, Emma Jensen and her team took control of the game against Kaatz to move onto the semi-final against Watling. It was Watling who came out on top of this match to set up a rematch of the 1vs2 game earlier in the day. This time it was Kristy, along with Laura Burtnyk, Emily Deschenes and Sarah Pyke that outlasted Rhonda Varnes and came away with a 7-5 win. The Watling team will participate in the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by RME January 23-28, 2024 in Morden, MB.
In the Men’s event, Brett Walter and Devon Wiebe qualified out of the A event to meet in the 1vs2 page playoff game. Walter’s team won the game to move directly to the final, while Wiebe had to then play in the semi-final against Justin Reynolds and his team from Winnipeg Beach. Reynolds had beaten Emerson Klimpke (Stonewall) earlier in the day in the 3vs4 game to move onto the semi-final. As in the women’s event, a rematch between Brett Walter (AMCC) and Devon Wiebe (Fort Rouge) was set after Wiebe beat Reynolds. In the final, it was Brett Walter and his team of JT Ryan, Graham McFarlane and Hugh McFarlane that earned the berth to the 2024 Viterra Championship that will be held in Stonewall, MB from February 6-11, 2024.
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