(CJNU RELEASE) Station Manager Adam Glynn of Winnipeg’s non-profit community radio station, CJNU 93.7FM, has announced the successful launch of the Station’s newest regular feature program – The Curler.

The second show in the series, hosted by Manitoba’s most recognized curling voice Resby Coutts, will air live Wednesday, November 18 at noon with former CurlManitoba President Keith Johnston as the in-studio guest host. The first of the monthly shows focussing on the roarin’ game aired at noon Wednesday, October 21 with TSN Curling Analyst Cathy Gauthier as in-studio guest.

“Before TV, curling lived on radio for generations of curling fans. We are delighted to bring curling back to radio – but unlike the old days, if you miss it when it goes out live, you can also listen on-demand, at your own convenience, with all of the episodes being available to stream at cjnu.ca/thecurler shortly after their first broadcast,” says Glynn.

The program will air at noon on the third Wednesday of each month through the curling season. “I always say radio is the perfect medium for joining a conversation – and I know you’ll be both entertained and informed by Resby and his special guests included in the shows,” the Station Manager suggests.

The first program in the series included guest interviews with Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame member Arnold Asham. Listeners will be intrigued by his comments in response to the question – who is the best you ever curled against? It also includes Manitoba-born, now Toronto-based, Ryan Wiebe as he talks about helping former Ontario champion John Epping try to win a Manitoba title this year. Plus, among many other topics, you’ll hear opinions on the recent discussions by World Curling to hold this season’s Women’s Worlds in United Arab Emirates.

The November edition includes guest interviews with wheelchair champion Carolyn Lindner and with current Canadian champion Matt Dunstone. Matt’s comments on his recent Grand Slam win are especially informative on the way today’s elite curlers think as they decide their last shot choices.

Each month, the program will pair great conversation with musical selections made by the guests – and as much as you’ll enjoy Cathy Gauthier and Keith Johnston’s curling commentary, you’ll also enjoy a window into their taste in music!

The program will also showcase the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame & Museum with a feature item each month focussed on one of the unique artifacts in the museum’s extensive collection.

“If we were playing a curling game, I feel like we stole 3 or 4 on the first end,” says host Resby Coutts. “I’ve been a radio guy since I worked for CKLQ in Brandon quite a few years ago and I know the first one doesn’t always work as well as this launch did.”

“Our objective will be to inform and entertain and to showcase Manitoba curling and curlers. When the next show airs November 18, the first Canadian Championship will already have been played. For sure, you will always have lots to talk about when you’re talking curling in Manitoba.”

CJNU’s mission is ‘to serve a discerning audience with non-profit radio -playing nostalgic music and celebrating our community’, and Glynn says he believes both the curling community and particularly the curling fan community are a perfect match – and is delighted to add The Curler to the variety of programming heard on the Station.

You can hear The Curler: Radio Edition at noon, third Wednesday of each month OR online, anywhere, anytime, on any device at cjnu.ca/thecurler

(ASHAM/MORRIS CC Release): The Morris Curling Club will celebrate the grand opening of the Asham International Curling Development Centre on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at 12:30 p.m. at the Morris Curling Club, located on the Stampede Grounds in Morris.

Asham Curling Supplies will be the title sponsor of the Asham International Curling Development Centre beginning July 1, 2026 and continuing for 10 years. This is a significant commitment to curlers in Manitoba, Canada and around the world as this centre continues to provide high level year round ice conditions and training equipment.

The Asham International Curling Development Centre is a state-of-the-art training facility located within the Morris Curling Club. Designed to support athletes from beginner to elite levels, the centre offers year-round ice, coaching resources and development opportunitiessupported by modern training technology, including video analysis using cameras and a large-screen TV, lasers, iPads, speed traps and the Canadian Rock Thrower. Together, these tools help athletes and coaches assess delivery, release, line of delivery, sweeping performance, stone speed and overall technical development.

“This grand opening is an exciting milestone for the Morris Curling Club, our partners and the curling community,” said Brian Recksiedler, president of the Morris Curling Club. “The Asham International Curling Development Centre represents a commitment to growing the sport, supporting athletes and welcoming people of all ages and abilities to improve their curling skills.”

The occasion will be marked as part of a special golf and curl event hosted by the Morris Curling Club and the Morris Riverview Golf Club. Teams will participate in some friendly games of golf and curling on July 10 and 11. A pause in play will occur at 12:30 pm on Saturday July 11 to share in the of the launch of the Asham International Curling Development Centre.

About the Asham International Curling Development Centre:
The Asham International Curling Development Centre is dedicated to advancing curling through training, education, research and community engagement. Located at the Morris Curling Club in Morris, Manitoba, the centre provides athletes, coaches, clubs and community groups with access to quality ice, innovative programming and specialized training equipment, including video analysis cameras, a large-screen TV, lasers, iPads, speed traps and the Canadian Rock Thrower.

(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.

Manitoba’s 55+ Games got an early start in Morden and Winkler this week when the Game’s curling events took place at the two curling clubs.

“The Manitoba 55+ Games are a mainly summer sports and activities event but when the host communities are able to provide curling, we like to get the early start,” explains Linda Brown, Executive Director of Active Aging on Manitoba, the organization which stages the Games.

“The curling was exactly what we expect from the whole Games experience in June,” Ms. Brown said. “We had good-friendly competitions in excellent facilities in two very welcoming communities. It is exactly what the Games are about.”

The curling events featured 2-person stick competition in Mixed and Men’s (U70 and 70+ age groups) divisions as well as traditional four-person curling in Men’s, Women’s (55+ and 65+ age groups) and Mixed divisions.

The largest single group of teams was seven in the Men 70+ group. In total about 80 curlers took part with participants from as far afield as Steinbach and Stonewall. Across the entire event, there were Winnipeg teams, several local teams, and Red River/Pembina Valley region teams Morris to Emerson, Manitou and Miami rounded out the field.

While it was mostly for fun and recreation, there was some competition-preparation motivation for some of the curlers. 

On the Stick curling side, Darlene Maywood, recent winner of the Manitoba Stick Curling Women’s Championship, was playing in the Mixed 2-person division in preparation for the national championship in April. In the 5-team group, Maywood and her partner for this event, Arlene Deprez (replacing Jim Webster), had to settle for the silver medal after a final game loss to Evelyn & Andre Sanders, Manitou.

In the other 2-person Stick divisions, the Men 70+ group was won by Blair Coggans & Lino Santos (Warren & Winnipeg) with an extra end win over the Fort Rouge Magnusson/Coutts duo and the Men U70 was won by the Steinbach team of Al Meyers & Curt Brandt with a win over Jim Partaker & Denis Leduc (St. Claude), also in an extra end.

A highlight was the awarding of a special gold medal in the 85+ category to Charlie McCullough and Wayne Johnston, who continue to be very active on the Carman curling ice.

The 4-person team events were won by Andrew Swan – WInnipeg (Men 55+), Ken Hildebrand – Morden (Men 65+), Kathleen Messner – Lorette (Women 55+), Judy Colwell – East St. Paul (Women 65+), and Clare Reimer – Morden (Mixed).

The Manitoba 55+ Games presented by PLAYNOW are the largest 55+ annual multi-sport event in Manitoba. Their stated aim is to combine active games with a social and entertaining experience.

Entries are already being received for the over 20 events including sports such as bowling, golf, bocce ball, pickleball, slo-pitch and swimming as well as activities such as cribbage, bridge and arts & crafts. There are also several of those events which some call sports and some call activities – games like snooker & 8-ball and horseshoes.

No matter how you define the event activity which you love to play, there is most likely one or two on the list for the Morden-Stanley-Winkler 55+ Games, June 9-11, 2026.

For the complete list of events and other details are available at the website (activeagingmb.ca) OR you can send a query email to info@activeagingmb.ca

A 4 wins – 1 loss round robin record and three consecutive playoff wins over Canadian Open Stick champions has earned Bill & Judy Kitching (Stonewall) the championship in the Manitoba Stick Curling Association’s inaugural Sun Life Mixed Championship presented by Jim Anton.

The Kitchings finished second in their six team pool and advanced to play 2025 Canadian Open champion Ralph Nespor and his mixed partner Norma Purdy (Stonewall/Assiniboine Memorial). The win over Nespor/Purdy put them into the semi-final, where they defeated 2023 Canadian Open champion Norm Magnusson and his mixed team partner Melanie Shura (Fort Rouge).

That set up the final game against 2019 Canadian Open champion Ross MacMillan and his partner (and sister) 2024 Manitoba Women’s champion Bev Schick (Warren/St. Vital). McMillan/Schick had beaten them in the round robin to earn first place in the pool. Down one coming home, MacMillan/Schick could score only one to tie. With the hammer on the extra end, the Kitchings were able to score a point for a 4-3 victory.

To reach the final, MacMillan/Schick had beaten David Green/Arlene Deprez (Stonewall) who had won their pool with an unbeaten 5W-0L record.

In the Bronze Medal game, between Magnusson/Shura and Green/Deprez, two deuces and a stolen single point gave Magnusson/Shura an insurmountable 5-2 lead coming home.

The fourth pool winners, Jim Webster/Darlene Maywood (Stonewall/St. Vital) were also unbeaten before losing their first playoff game to Magnusson/Shura.

Nespor/Purdy had a 5W-0L record in winning their pool while MacMillan/Schick had a 4W-1L record to finish first in their group.

The other two playoff qualifiers were Blair Coggan & Brenda Woods/Stonewall and Harold Peterson/Donna Borkowsky/Beaiusejour.

(CurlManitoba Release: Saturday, February 7) Manitoba will have a new Men’s curling champion when the Bunge Championship final game ends on Sunday in Selkirk.

Defending champion, and #1 seed, Reid Carruthers and his Granite team were eliminated from the competition Saturday afternoon by Kelly Marnoch and his Carberry foursome. Although there are members of the three remaining teams who have won Manitoba championships at the Mixed, U-18 and Junior Men’s levels, to date none of the remaining competitors have earned a trip to the Canadian Men’s Championship Brier.

Those three remaining teams include Braden Calvert-Heather (Corey Chambers, Kyle Kurz, Brendan Bilawka, Alternate Rob Gordon), Jordon McDonald-Assiniboine Memorial (Jacques Gauthier, Elias Huminicki, Cam Olafson,  Coach Bryan Miki), and Brett Walter-Assiniboine Memorial  (Julien Leduc, Graham McFarlane, Hugh McFarlane). 

Calvert won the Page 1-2 playoff game 8-7 Saturday evening over McDonald. The previously undefeated McDonald foursome led 5-3 at the mid-game break but gave up five points over the next four ends to trail 8-6 coming home. Facing a McDonald stone on the button, Calvert made a near perfect freeze with his final stone on the home end. McDonald was unable to do anything with it and scored just a single point.

Team Calvert advances to Sunday’s 3PM Bunge Championship final.

Team McDonald drops into the 9:30AM semi-final against Team Walter who ousted Kelly Marnoch-Carberry in the Page 3-4 game when the Winnipeg team ran them out of stones in the tenth end for a final 8-6 score.

The Marnoch foursome earned their spot in the Saturday evening game with their win over Carruthers. Team Walter’s Page 3-4 game berth came from a Saturday afternoon victory over Steve Irwin-Brandon.

(Friday, February 6) MCDONALD VS CALVERT IN BUNGE CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE 1-2 GAME: The first playoff games were played in the 2026 Bunge Championship Friday evening in Selkirk with the winners, Jordon McDonald-Assiniboine Memorial and Braden Calvert-Heather, advancing to meet Saturday evening at 7:00PM in the Page 1-2 Playoff game.

The second-seeded Team McDonald (Jacques Gauthier, Elias Huminicki, Cam Olafson, Coach Bryan Miki) handed the defending champion Reid Carruthers-Granite team their second loss of the day, a 6-2 McDonald win. Team Carruthers  (BJ Neufeld, Catlin Schneider, Connor Njegovan, Alternate Kyle Doering, Coach Rob Meakin) had earlier lost their A-qualifier game to Brett Walter-Assiniboine Memorial before winning a B-qualifier over Steve Irwin (Brandon).

The third-seeded Team Calvert (Corey Chambers, Kyle Kurz, Brendan Bilawka, Alternate Rob Gordon), playing their third game of the day, were 10-4 winners over fourth-seed Walter (Julien Leduc, Graham McFarlane, Hugh McFarlane). Earlier, Team Calvert had lost an A-qualifier game to McDonald before winning a B-qualifier over Jace Freeman (Virden).

The winner of the Saturday evening McDonald vs Calvert match-up will go direct to the Sunday afternoon final game. The loser will have a second chance in the Sunday morning semi-final.

Meanwhile, the final two playoff qualifiers will be identified Saturday morning at 9:00AM in Selkirk. The C-Side Qualifying games will feature #5 seed Tanner Lott (Fort Rouge) playing Steve Irwin (Brandon) and Freeman against Kelly Marnoch (Carberry).

On the late draw Friday, Irwin advanced with a win over Daniel Birchard (Pembina), Freeman eliminated Cale Dunbar (Brandon) and Marnoch handed a third loss to the Deer Lodge Sean Grassie team (skipped by Justin Richter).

(Thursday, February 5) TOP FOUR SEEDS ADVANCE TO A-SIDE QUALIFYING GAMES: The top four seeds have advanced to play the first two playoff qualifier games in the triple knock-out CurlManitoba Bunge Provincial Men’s Championship underway in Selkirk. The four have won their first two games in the competition. A Reid Carruthers (Granite) vs Brett Walter (Assiniboine Memorial) game and a Jordon McDonald (Assiniboine Memorial) vs Braden Calvert (Heather) match-up will be the feature attractions on the Friday 8:30AM draw. The winners will be the first qualifiers into the six-team playoff round.

Top-seeded Reid Carruthers (BJ Neufeld, Catlin Schneider, Connor Njegovan, Alternate Kyle Doering, Coach Rob Meakin) advanced with an extra end win over Andrew Wickman (Fort Rouge) and a last stone four-foot draw win over Jace Freeman (Virden).

Second-seed Jordon McDonald – Assiniboine Memorial (Jacques Gauthier, Elias Huminicki, Cam Olafson, Coach Bryan Miki) posted preliminary wins over Derrick Anderson (Gimli) and  Kelly Marnoch (Carberry).

The first two wins for third-seed Braden Calvert (Corey Chambers, Kyle Kurz, Brendan Bilawka, Alternate Rob Gordon) came over Stefan Gudmundson (Steinbach) and Steve Irwin (Brandon).

Fourth-seed Brett Walter (Julien Leduc, Graham McFarlane, Hugh McFarlane) had their two victories over Marcus Titchkosky (Morden) and #5 seed Tanner Lott (Fort Rouge).

The losers of the Carruthers-Walter and McDonald-Calvert games will drop into B-Side qualifying games at 4PM Friday. The four other teams still alive on that B-Side are Irwin, Marnoch, Freeman, and Lott.

Eight teams will also play Friday in C-Side elimination games.  The first four teams eliminated from the new triple knock-out event on Thursday were Gudmundson, Ryan Hyde and Brett Moxham (Portage), and Cory Naharnie (Granite).

(January 28: MCHoF&M Release) The Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame has announced its 2026 slate of inductees. The announcement was made today at the new Manitoba Curling Museum location at 4000 Grant Avenue (upstairs – Charleswood Curling Club).

Joining the elite group of curlers, builders and teams who are already enshrined in Manitoba’s Curling Hall of Fame are five teams plus two multi-time Manitoba champions in the individual Curler category.

The formal induction will take place at the annual Induction and Fund-Raising Dinner on Saturday May 2, 2026 at Winnipeg’s Victoria Inn.

The announcement event at the museum included the formal dedication of the museum space to the memory of Heather Helston, the organization’s long-time volunteer curator who passed away suddenly in early January.

The 2026 team inductees include the 2009 Canadian Mixed champion team of Sean Grassie, the 2013 & 2016 Canadian Junior Men’s champion teams of Matt Dunstone, the 2008 & 2009 Canadian Junior Women’s champion teams of Kaitlyn Lawes; and long-time teammates Reid Carruthers and Derek Samagalski.

<><> 2008 & 2009 Team Lawes <><>

2008: Kaitlyn Lawes, Jenna Loder, Liz Peters, Sarah Wazney, Coach Alex Mowat

• 2008 Manitoba & Canadian Junior Women’s Champion, World Bronze Medallist
• Win-loss record of 27W-7L in the three championships including an undefeated 9W-0L Manitoba championship

2009: Kaitlyn Lawes, Jenna Loder, Laryssa Grenkow, Breanne Meakin, Coach Rob Meakin

• 2009 Manitoba & Canadian Junior Women’s Champion, World Silver Medallist
• Win-loss record of 27W-9L in the three championships

<><> 2013 & 2016 Team Dunstone <><>

2013: Matt Dunstone, Colton Lott, Daniel Grant, Brendan MacCuish, Coach Scott Grant

• 2013 Manitoba & Canadian Junior Men’s Champion, World Bronze Medallist
• 2014 Manitoba Junior Finalist
• Win-loss record of 35W-9L in the four championships

2016: Matt Dunstone, Colton Lott, Kyle Doering, Rob Gordon, Coach Calvin Edie

• 2015 Manitoba Junior Finalist
• 2016 Manitoba & Canadian Junior Men’s Champion, World Bronze Medallist
• 2016 Manitoba Men’s Finalist
• Win-loss record of 42W-9L in the five championships including an undefeated 9W-0L Manitoba 2016 Junior championship

<><> 2009 Team Grassie <><>

2009: Sean Grassie, Allison Nimik, Ross Derksen, Kendra Green, Coach Jack Grassie

• 2008 Manitoba Mixed Finalist
• 2009 Manitoba and Canadian Mixed Champion
• Win-loss record of 29W-5L in the three championships
• Grassie-Nimik went on to represent Canada at the World Mixed Doubles where they won a Bronze Medal

<><> Derek Samagalski <><>

• 2012 Manitoba Men’s champion, Canadian Bronze Medal (lead)
• 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024 Manitoba Men’s champion (second)
• 2016 Manitoba Mixed champion (skip)
• 2020 Manitoba Mixed Doubles champion

<><> Reid Carruthers <><>

• 2003 Manitoba Junior Men’s Champion (skip)
• 2008 Manitoba Mixed Champion (skip)
• 2011 Manitoba, Canadian, World Men’s champion (second)
• 2013 Manitoba Men’s champion, Canadian Silver Medal (second)
• 2014 Manitoba Men’s champion, Canadian Bronze Medal (second)
• 2015, 2018, 2019, 2025 Manitoba Men’s champion (skip)
• 2023, 2024 Manitoba Men’s champion (third)
• 2017 Canadian Mixed Doubles champion, World Silver Medallist
• Coach Team Einarson – Canadian Women’s champion & World Bronze Medal 2022, 2023

Lawes (2015 & 2019), Carruthers (2020), Derksen (2006), Mowat (2017) and Rob Meakin (2019) have previously been inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame.

• Lawes with the 2014 Jones Gold Medal Olympic team and in recognition of the 2018 Mixed Double Gold Medal
• Carruthers with the 2011 Stoughton World champion team
• Derksen with the 2002 Hamblin World Junior champion team
• Mowat as a Builder
• Meakin as a Curler-Builder

Plans for the May 2, 2026 Induction Dinner are currently being finalized. Interested persons can send an email to mbcurlmuseum@gmail.com .

A Heather Helston Memorial Fund has been established for those who wish to pay tribute to her legacy of service to the sport of curling in Manitoba. For information, send an email to mbcurlmuseum@gmail.com .