(CurlManitoba release) The local favourites were the winners as CurlManitoba’s Curling Club Championships wrapped up in Beausejour. Justin Richter’s host club team and Kristy Mackie’s St. Vital foursome, with Beausejour-raised Michelle Wadelius throwing second stones, won the close final games. Both games had 5-4 scores coming home.

The wins represent the continuation of a pattern of equity in the championships since they first began in 2009. With one 2026 champion representing a Winnipeg club and one representing a rural club, there have been exactly 17 rural champions and 17 Winnipeg champions across the 34 total men’s and women’s events.

Of the 24 men’s and women’s teams who started the event, Mackie and her St. Vital team (Ainslee Holowec, Michelle Wadelius, Janelle Kent, Leigh Adams, Coach Lance Wadelius) were the only team to run undefeated through the championship. They did not have last stone coming home but left their opponent, Kara Balshaw – Fort Rouge (Heather Carson, Sandra Carson, Kimberley Merasty, Tracy Howatt), an out-turn hit, a change from the turn played for the complete final end. The strategy worked as they watched the final hit roll too far, leaving the final score 5-4.

The Mackie team is the third Women’s winner from St. Vital, joining Marlene Lang’s 2015 and 2020 teams. There has never been a Men’s winner from St. Vital.

The final game in the women’s championship matched up the first and second place teams in the same round-robin pool. Mackie was unbeaten with a 5W-0L record while Balshaw advanced with a 3W-2L record. In the semi-finals, Mackie defeated Kristin McLellan – Brandon and Balshaw was the winner over Alyssa Calvert – Carberry.

In the Sunday morning playoff qualifying games, Balshaw beat Terry Ursel – Portage and McLellan defeated Joelle Brown – Fort Rouge.

In the Men’s event, Justin Richter – Beausejour (Doug Hamblin, Matt Kaminski, Brendan Honkey) stole singles on the first two ends and led Kelly Marnoch – Carberry (Bart Witherspoon-4th, Derek Samagalski, Trevor Calvert, Evan Reynolds) 4-1 at the mid-game break. They scored a single on the sixth end to go up 5-2 but a Marnoch deuce on the seventh made the score 5-4 coming home.

Richter was facing two with his final stone on the home end but made the hit and rolled just far enough for the 6-4 victory.

The Richter victory gives the Beausejour Curling Club its first Club Championship (men or women).

The final game in the men’s championship also featured the first and second place teams in the same round-robin pool. Richter and Marnoch both finished with 4W-1L records and Richter was awarded first place thanks to a round-robin win over Marnoch. Richter was an 8-5 winner over Wayne Ewasko – Beausejour in the semi-final while Marnoch beat Daniel Birchard – Pembina 6-2.

In the Sunday morning playoff qualifying games between the # 2 and #3 teams in each pool, Marnoch eliminated Kyle Forsyth – Dauphin and Ewasko beat Randy Neufeld – LaSalle.

The champions will represent Manitoba at the national championships in the fall of 2026.

No venue has yet been announced for next year’s CurlManitoba Curling Club Championships which will, as announced at the start of this year’s event, be the first of a three-year Manitoba Blue Cross – CurlManitoba partnership.