A pair of wins Tuesday by four different teams has them leading their respective divisions of the Manitoba 55+ Games Curling underway at the Brandon Curling Club, under the auspices of Active Aging in Manitoba.

Manitoba Curling Hall of Famer Joyce McDougall and her Prairie Mountain Region team leads the way in the Women’s 65+ Division. Team McDougall posted wins over Bev Atkins and a South Region team and Brenda Linski, also a Prairie Mountain team.

In the Women’s 55+ event, Patti Ulrich and her Winnipeg team have also won a pair of games. The Ulrich wins came over Leanne Haight (Prairie Mountain) and Norma Purdy (Winnipeg).

Both McDougall and Ulrich are a win away from being the gold medalists in their respective divisions.

In the men’s competitions, Prairie Mountain teams skipped by Brian Lowdon (Men 65+) and Ric Morrison (Men 75+) won their opening games on the first day of the event.

The Manitoba 55+ Games Curling also includes 2-person stick curling in an open format (men & women competing against each other). A pair of teams won two games on opening day to lead the gold medal chase. In the Under 70 division, recently crowned Manitoba Women’s champions Schick & Kachkowski (Winnipeg) lead the way with two wins on the first day. The 70+ division is led by Swan River curlers Kalynuk & Kalynuk, also part of the Prairie Mountain regional team.

The Manitoba 55+ Games will take place in Brandon, June 18-20, 2024. The curling events underway this week at the Brandon Curling Club are a “satellite” event of that larger summer celebration of sport for active Manitoba seniors.