(UPDATED) The winners of the Viterra berths in regional playdowns across Manitoba provide an interesting combination of first time excitement and veteran experience – and that is just on the Mark Franklin entry from Granite.

Franklin played his first Manitoba men’s championship in 1974 when it was still called the British Consols. The team lead, Gary Gumprich, is the same age as Franklin but never qualified for the Consols. He never qualified for the Labatt Tankard either – or the Safeway Select – or the Safeway Championship. Correct! Past his 70th birthday, Gumprich will play in his first ever Manitoba Men’s as a Viterra Championship rookie in Portage in February. Robin Nelson skipped the team with Franklin throwing third and Denis Lavallee is the second.

The team willingly acknowledges they “may not be” contenders for the championship!

One Winnipeg berth winner which has the credentials to be a contender (and they played like it in the regional playoff) is the Jacques Gauthier (West St. Paul) team. A last minute regional entry, with Derek Samagalski and Tanner Lott, the Gauthier threesome played like a team wanting to prove something. Having now won the berth, the team will be recruiting a fourth to replace Ron Gauthier at lead. The elder Gauthier was an enthusiastic front row supporter with no intention of throwing a stone – but his experience might have him on the final roster as coach or alternate!

The other four Winnipeg berth winners were Thomas McGillivary (St. Vital), Devon Wiebe (Charleswood), Hayden Forrester (Ft Rouge), and Daniel Birchard (Pembina).

Across Manitoba, the regional berth winners were:
<> Justin Richter (Beausejour)
<> Cale Dunbar (Brandon)
<> Steve Irwin (Brandon)
<> Kelly Marnoch (Carberry)
<> Greg Todoruk (Dauphin)
<> Jeff Stewart  (Gladstone)
<> Travis Gregory (Hamiota)
<> Jeremy Sundell (Holland)
<> Ryan Thomson (Morden)
<> Marcus Titchkosky (Morden)
<> Sean Boyle (Neepawa)
<> Stefan Gudmundson (Steinbach)

Pre-qualified for the Viterra Championship in Portage, and therefore not needing to play in regionals were:
<> Jordon McDonald (Assiniboine Memorial)
<> Brett Walter (Assiniboine Memorial)
<> Riley Smith (Charleswood)
<> Brayden Calvert (Ft Rouge)
<> Jordan Peters (Ft Rouge)
<> Reid Carruthers (Granite)
<> Ryan Ostrowsky (Granite)
<> Sean Grassie (Deer Lodge)

The Northern Regional Berth was awarded to Grant Brown’s Biurntwood team. Yet to be determined are berth winners in the Virden MCT Spiel (1 berth), Brandon Men’s (1 berth), Manitoba Open (3 berths)

ONLY ONE RME WOMEN’S BERTH YET TO BE DETERMINED

Regional Playoffs added 5 teams to the list of teams qualified to play in the RME Women of the Rings Championship presented by Case IH. One regional berth winner is still to be determined. There will be no north region rep this year as there were no entries by deadline.

Winnipeg regional berths were won by:
<> Kristy Watling (East. St Paul)
<> Cassidy Dundas (Heather)
<> Rachel Kaatz (Assiniboine Memorial)

Rural regional berths were won by
<> Cheyenne Ehnes (Manitou)
<> Hailey McFarlane (Neepawa)

Pre-qualified teams for the championship in Pilot Mound include:
<> Kate Cameron
<> Darcy Robertson (Assiniboine Memorial)
<> Beth Peterson (Assiniboine Memorial)
<> Lane Prokopowich (Granite)
<> Sarah-Jane Sass (Granite)
<> Lisa McLeod (Pembina)

The Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame & Museum’s major annual fund-raiser, a repeat of last year’s Manitoba Sports Tickets Raffle but with enhanced prizes, has been launched. Tickets can be purchased online at raffle.link/mbcurlmuseum

Main prizes in the draw include tickets for this season’s World Curling Championship in Moose Jaw, SK along with Winnipeg Jets, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Winnipeg Goldeyes tickets as well as four dinners and an evening of racing at Assiniboia Downs .

The raffle’s early bird draw date is December 17, 2024 with tickets for the 2025 RME Women of the Rings presented by Case IH (in Pilot Mound) and the 2025 Viterra Championship (in Portage la Prairie) available. Winner’s names will go back in the draw for the main prizes which will be drawn on March 2, 2025.

Early bird prize details:

• Two event passes Viterra Championship – Portage (four draws)
• Two event passes RME Women of the Rings – Pilot Mound (one draw)

Main draw prize details:

• Two full event passes World Curling Championship – Moose Jaw plus $500 (one draw)
• Two tickets Winnipeg Jets vs Vancouver Canucks – March 30, Canada Life Centre (one draw)
• Two tickets 2025 Winnipeg Blue Bombers first regular season home game (one draw)
• Four tickets 2025 Winnipeg Goldeyes any regular season home game (one draw)
• Race Day Dinner for Four Assiniboia Downs any 2025 race day (one draw)
• Two Manitoba Curling Championships 2025-26 All-events passes (two draws)

Tickets Sales are online only with tickets priced at 1 for $5.00, 3 for $10.00, 10 for $25.00, 40 for $50.00  (License #LGCA4051-RF-45738).

Purchase at  raffle.link/mbcurlmuseum – and THANK YOU! for your support.

(Curling Canada – CurlManitoba News Release) CurlManitoba, in partnership with Curling Canada and key stakeholders, has unveiled the Regional Performance Hub & Development Centre at the Heather Curling Club in Winnipeg.

This new initiative provides Manitoba’s high-performance and emerging curlers with access to championship-quality training resources, marking a significant investment in the future of curling in the region. This project is the result of a partnership between Curling Canada, CurlManitoba, the Government of Manitoba, Sport Manitoba, and the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba.

“This facility is transforming how Manitoba curlers train and prepare for competition,” said Craig Baker, Executive Director of CurlManitoba. “With dedicated championship-quality ice and all-day access to the facility, our athletes are better equipped to compete and win on the national and world stages.”

The Winnipeg hub features two dedicated sheets of world-class ice equipped with advanced tools, including video analysis, speed traps, smart brooms that provide performance data, and championship-calibre rocks. These resources are tailored to meet the training needs of Manitoba’s National Team Program (NTP) athletes, NextGen curlers, and other elite competitors from the area.

“We know Manitoba hosts some of the best curlers in the world, and we’re excited to be able to support this transformative project to continue to support our world-class athletes,” said Nellie Kennedy, Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism. “Curling isn’t just a sport in Manitoba, but a point of provincial pride. We look forward to how this new centre will help Manitobans celebrate their skills and allow them to reach new heights, and new records, in curling.” 

Designed for maximum accessibility, the two training sheets are available to high-performance curlers, while the club’s six additional sheets host recreational leagues. High-performance teams, including Team Chelsea Carey, Team Matt Dunstone,  Team Kerri Einarson, Team Kaitlyn Lawes, Mike McEwen of Team McEwen, Dennis Thiessen of the National Wheelchair Curling Program, and NextGen teams such as Team Arbuckle/Macdonell, Team Kate Cameron and Team Jordon McDonald are already benefitting from the facility.

The ice is maintained by a team led by chief ice technician Greg Ewasko.

“Having dedicated practice ice at the Heather is essential in improving all aspects of our game. The amazing ice conditions Greg and his team have created allow us to focus on consistent throws, which helps build the confidence needed to compete at the highest level. We’ve needed a facility like this in Manitoba for a long time, and I am so excited that we finally have it,” said Team Lawes vice-skip, Selena Njegovan.

Launching this centre is the first step in accomplishing one of the first major initiatives of Curling Canada’s Director of High Performance, David Murdoch, who joined the National Sports Organization at the end of the 2022-23 season.

With the trend of international curlers becoming full-time athletes noticeably increasing, so, too, does the need for Canadian high-performance and NextGen curlers to have access to high-quality ice conditions, stones, equipment, and coaching.

The development of high-performance Canadian curling teams is hindered by Canada’s vast geography, making centralized training challenging. This new regional training model serves as what Curling Canada expects to be a blueprint for similar facilities in other Member Association regions across Canada. With access to a dedicated sheet of ice, training to maintain it and some additional equipment, this blueprint can be implemented in facilities across the country.

“The demands of international competition now require athletes to train daily with high-quality ice, coaching and advanced technology. Canadian curlers are disadvantaged simply because of geography and access to training because they often require significant travel,” said Murdoch. “As these demands increase, we must find new and innovative ways to provide them with consistent access to the best training environments possible. I’m thankful for the collaboration of our partners to make this new training centre a reality and I’m optimistic about what it means for the development of our sport.”

The centres align with Curling Canada’s strategic vision to establish a nationwide network that maximizes the use of existing facilities while enhancing them to meet the daily training environment standards essential for success. Curling Canada also aims to support the development of curlers by fostering coaching expertise and creating clear pathways for young athletes to progress to the elite level.

Curling Canada plans to expand the Regional Performance Hub network to establish similar centres nationwide in the coming years. This initiative is part of Curling Canada’s commitment to ensuring that Canada remains a leader in the sport while fostering the next generation of champions.