Walk onto a sheet of curling ice that you have never played on – or maybe played on last year once – and throw a draw which covers the pinhole. No practice – no sweeping! Impossible – right?
Not anymore.
Assiniboine Memorial past-President Ken Onagi did it last night at Charleswood, before the opening draw of the Manitoba Bonspiel. His success earned him the use of a Tesla vehicle for a month complements of Nott Autocorp.
Nott Autocorp and CurlManitoba have partnered in the contest for the last nearly ten years. Each year, three bonspiel competitors are drawn randomly and they take part in the shootout during the bonspiel’s opening ceremony.
The rules are that simple – one shot, no practice, so sweeping and stop your stone fully within the button’s outside line.
The closest anyone has come in the past is a draw which stopped fully in the four foot.
Ken Onagi will admit he probably isn’t going to win the bonspiel championship but for all time, he has bragging rights to being the first to make what used to be considered an impossible curling shot!
(l-r) Art Oakes, Jane Howe, Jaelyn Perche, Ron Margolis (CurlManitoba Photo: Connie Laliberte)
The Manitoba Open bonspiel kicked off Thursday with opening ceremonies at the Charleswood Curling Club.
Over a thousand curlers, 192 teams in the Open and 64 teams in the weekend half ‘spiel, will populate the Winnipeg curling clubs for the next four days.
The bonspiel continues to attract curlers young and not so young; rural and city teams; men and women; high skill players and some maybe not so much. In what is still the world’s largest bonspiel, all 192 teams were equal at the first rock, equal in their love of the game and all with a chance to win the bonspiel championship.
That equal chance will change rapidly in the first two days as teams drop to the lower level events – leaving the more skilled teams to compete for the bonspiel championship and for eligible teams, a chance to win one of three available Viterra Championship berths.
The ceremonial opening rock was handled by junior Jaelyn Perche and dedicated Charleswood club volunteer Jane Howe (as the sweepers), club past-president Ron Margolis (holding the broom), and 86 year old Art Oakes, the oldest active curler at Charleswood (throwing). The ceremonial rock came up a little short of the rings but found an even better stopping point in a Charleswood club logo just in front of the rings.
The Manitoba Historical Society has recognized CurlManitoba (and its predecessors Manitoba Curling Association, Manitoba Ladies Curling Association, & Manitoba Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club) with the presentation of the Society’s Centennial Organization Award.
Gary Moir-MHS Council Member, Keith Johnston – CurlManitoba President, Dan Furlan – MHS President, Craig Baker - CurlManitoba Executive Director
The award is presented to non-profit and not-for-profit organizations that have operated continuously in Manitoba for 100 years or more. This program parallels MHS’s Centennial Farm and Centennial Business Awards.
The award was presented at the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Manitoba Open Bonspiel at Charleswood Curling Club, Thursday, January 19 by MHS President Dan Furlan and Council Member Gary Moir.
In making the presentation, Furlan & Moir explained that the award honours organizations which have enhanced Manitoba’s social, cultural and economic life for over 100 years.
To date, the award has been presented to about 35 organizations by the Manitoba Historical Society which was formed in 1879, predating the Manitoba Curling Associations by about a decade.
CurlManitoba President Keith Johnston, who accepted the presentation on behalf of the 135 years of Association Presidents who have preceded him, expressed sincere appreciation for the recognition as acknowledgement of the important role the sport of curling has played in clubs and communities right across the province.
The original curling association, the Manitoba Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club of Scotland, was formed following a meeting at Winnipeg’s Granite Curling Club on December 6, 1888. The seven originating member clubs were the Granite and Thistle Clubs from Winnipeg plus the clubs from Carberry, Portage, Morden, Stony Mountain, and Stonewall.
In 1908, most likely because of costs relating to the formal membership in the Scottish Association, the organizational structure and the name were changed to Manitoba Curling Association – in affiliation with the Royal Caledonian Curling Club of Scotland.
By 1921, a revised Constitution simply stated “the organization shall be called the Manitoba Curling Association and shall be affiliated with the Royal Caledonian Curling Club of Scotland.”
In 1925, the Manitoba Ladies Curling Association was established. The men’s (MCA) and women’s (MLCA) curling associations operated independently for the next 75 years, with one important junction point. In the early 1980’s a ‘joint council’ was established with representation of five persons (usually the executive committees) from each organization meeting together to manage projects of mutual interest. Mainly this related to the technical development aspects of the sport, including the hiring of the first technical sport staff.
In 2000, the Manitoba Curling Association and the Manitoba Ladies Curling Association amalgamated to form one provincial curling association. It was known as the Manitoba Curling Association.
In approximately 2010, the organization adopted the name now utilized – CurlManitoba. While the legal name of the organization remains Manitoba Curling Association, this name is rarely used except in formal situations such as legal contracts.
The Deneen Cup dates back to the early days of organized women’s curling in Manitoba. Its intent was, and continues to be, to create an opportunity for creation of relationships between clubs and curlers in a friendly inter-club competition.
The first renewal saw two teams of women from Lorette Curling Club travel to Pembina for two games of curling and hospitality, hosted by Pembina.
During the 8-end games, the host four on each sheet of ice changes sheets at the mid-game break – creating the opportunity for all eight competitors from each club to play against the eight from the other club. Total score of the two games decides the winner.
Tara Kolisnyk, vice-president of the Lorette Curling Club, is chair of the coordinating committee which has put time and effort into renewal of the Deneen Cup Competition over the past year. She was one of the Lorette curlers who visited Pembina.
While it is inevitable that score will be kept, Ms. Kolisynk emphasised the importance of the hospitality received at Pembina. “Pembina CC were fantastic hosts,” she says.
During the mid-game break, and again over supper hosted by Pembina, she noted that “we spent the time visiting, asking about different leagues, bonspiels and sharing information about our respective clubs. And the food and atmosphere were top notch.”
She says the event “really solidified the social aspect of curling. Yes, everyone wanted to play their best and compete to the best of their abilities but it was awesome to see 16 ladies come together, get along and enjoy the sport we all love to play.”
For the historical record, the winner of the renewal match was Pembina CC, whose teams won by a total score of 22-9. As winner, Pembina will send two teams to Portage la Prairie in the next match in the series.
The 2023/2024 Deneen Cup has 5 clubs competing, with four clubs hosting games for the season. These games are spread through January and February.
Future challengers include Portage la Prairie (to host January 28), St. Vital (to host February 11), and Charleswood (to host February 28).
Lessons learned from the matches this season will be taken into consideration in for the planning and organizing for next season. Registration information for the 2024/2025 season will be available on the Curl Manitoba website in March 2024. The rules and information about the Deneen Cup are also available on the website.
On behalf of the O’Grady Cup Trustees, Ron Margolis extended his congratulations to the volunteers who have taken on the task of renewing the Deneen Cup inter-club competition. “We have seen the value of the O’Grady in creating friendly competition between clubs and in maintaining the traditional emphasis on comradeship and friendly rivalry ahead of competition. We know the Deneen Cup will bring those same attributes to women curlers in Manitoba as the O’Grady Cup has for the men,” he said.
Participants in the Deneen Cup renewal’s first match included:
Pembina Curling Club: Staci Price, Laura Brinkman, Colbie Sierhuis, Danielle Wutske, Lisa Birchard, Samantha Gevers, Quinn Allan, and Hannah Thiessen
Manitoba sports fans have a special opportunity to win an opportunity to cheer for Team Manitoba at the Regina Montana’s Brier OR MAYBE the Winnipeg Jets in the drive (hopefully) to the Stanley Cup OR MAYBE the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as they start the season with a Grey Cup re-match with the Montreal Alouettes.
These are the featured prizes in the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame & Museum’s 2024 Manitoba Sports Ticket Raffle (License: LGCA 4051-43040). The window of opportunity is a small one – ticket sales launched today and will close February 10. The winners will be announced at the Viterra Championship in Stonewall.
The first three prizes, in order, are:
Two event passes for the Regina Montana’s Brier (March 1-10) PLUS $500
Two tickets for the Winnipeg Jets VS Seattle Kraken (March 5)
Two tickets on the 50-yeard line, lower bowl, for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers VS Montreal Alouettes (June 6)
Additional prizes will include two pairs of CurlManitoba all-season championship passes for the 2024-25 curling season. The recipients will receive a pair of passes which includes the U-18 & U-21 championships along with the Viterra Men’s, Scotties, Seniors, Masters, Mixed and Club Championship events. There will also be an early-bird prize draw (February 6) for a pair of passes compliments of the 2024 Stonewall Viterra Championship Committee (February 6-11).
Proceeds of the fund-raiser will support the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame & Museum’s virtual museum project (helping to make the museum’s collection of some 40,000 items available online) and CurlManitoba Junior Development projects rough the Curling for Life Endowment Fund.
Ticket sales are $5.00 each and will also be available in blocks of three for $10. They can be purchased online at www.fundingchange.ca/mbcurlmuseum .
(CurlManitoba Release) Five of the top twenty teams on the Women’s Canadian Team Rankings (CTRS) will compete in the Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by RME in Morden in late January. The five have been named the top five seeds in the championship.
The top seed status has been assigned, by the other competitors in the event, to Kaitlyn Lawes (Selena Njegovan, Jocelyn Peterman, Kristin MacCuish). Currently ranked CTRS #4, Lawes and her Fort Rouge team finished second in the preliminary rounds a year ago with a 7W-1L record but lost the semi-final to Abby Ackland. Team Lawes has a finalist finish and four semi-final appearances in eight events this season.
The second seed is CTRS #8, Kate Cameron (Meghan Walter, Taylor McDonald, Mackenzie Elias). Walter and Elias were half of the Ackland Scotties playoff team a year ago. The new team has played 11 events this season with two semi-finalist and a finalist finish along with qualifying once and losing a pair of qualifying games. The East St. Paul team also won the season-opening icebreaker event in Morris.
The third seed is CTRS #9 Jolene Campbell who returns to the Manitoba Scotties after a disappointing first appearance a year ago with Chelsea Carey. She and teammate Rachel Erickson have joined forces with Abby Ackland and Sara Oliver, the other half of last year’s finalist team. The Assiniboine Memorial team won the early season MCT Shootout in Selkirk and lost two finals, a semi-final, and two quarterfinals in seven total events.
The #4 & #5 seed positions go respectively to CTRS #14 Beth Peterson (Jenna Loder, Katherine Doerksen, Melissa Kurz, Kelsey Rocque) and CTRS #20 Kristy Watling (Laura Burtnyk, Emily Deschenes, Sarah Pyke). Peterson’s Assiniboine Memorial team had a 5W-3L record a year ago. Results in seven events this season include victory in the September MCT Challenge at St. Vital. Watling and her East St. Paul team won the Scotties berth bonspiel and a strong local bonspiel showing placed them at the top of the MCT rankings.
Two other Manitoba teams, also ranked in the top three of the Canadian Team Rankings, have already qualified for the national Scotties in Calgary in February. Kerri Einarson’s defending champions currently occupy the CTRS #3 spot while wild-card entry Jennifer Jones is currently CTRS #2.
Note that the CTRS rankings detailed above are current as of January 1, 2024 and are subject to change.
Depending upon results across the country, Manitoba could also be in line to pick up an additional wild-card entry at the national Scotties. The Nunavut berth was recently declared vacant and as a result one more team will be declared from the CTRS rankings, with provincial results taken into the calculation.
A complete team list for the 12-team championship, and the preliminary round draw, are attached.
(Curling Canada Release) The Nunavut Curling Association has informed Curling Canada that it will not be sending a team to Calgary for the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
The 18-team event, set for Feb. 16-25 at the WinSport Event Centre in Calgary, will be filled out instead by a fourth Canadian Team Ranking System-qualified team.
Two teams — skipped by Jennifer Jones (Winnipeg) and Rachel Homan (Ottawa) — have already been declared based on CTRS standings, alongside defending champions Team Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man.
One more was to be declared at the conclusion of provincial and territorial championships — the highest team in the standings that didn’t qualify through its provincial or territorial championship.
Now, the highest two teams in the standings that didn’t qualify will earn trips to Calgary for the Canadian women’s curling championship.
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(Editor note) If the decision was made based on standings as of January 8 – that extra spot would be awarded to Kaitlyn Lawes; who sits at CTRS #4 behind Rachel Homan (#1), Jennifer Jones (#2) and Kerri Einarson (#3) – all pre-qualified for the Scotties.
It is important to note, however, that results of the provincial/territorial championships will also be taken into account.
Objective #1 for Team Lawes must be, of course, to win the Manitoba entry and avoid the discussion. Objective #2 must be to finish well enough that teams immediately behind don’t overtake them. Those teams are Selena Sturmay-AB (#5), Corryn Brown-BC (#6), and Danielle Inglis-ON (#7).
Immediately behind are Manitoba teams skipped by Kate Cameron (#8) and Jolene Campbell (#9). Those two teams could win the Manitoba championship berth but they could also earn that newly-available wildcard entry if Lawes, Sturmay, Brown and Inglis all won their respective provincials.
Teams from Altona, Carman, and Morden, the heart of Manitoba’s Pembina Valley region, will represent Manitoba at the national U-18 championships in February.
Carman’s Shaela Hayward team won the Asham U-18 Women’s provincial curling championship Sunday afternoon in Selkirk to win a trip to the nationals. The U-18 Men’s final was won by Altona’s Rylan Campbell team over Morden’s Nash Sugden – both will be going to the national championship in Ottawa.
Hayward (Keira Krahn, India Young, Rylie Cox, Coach Diane Hayward) was the only unbeaten team through the weekend competition in Selkirk. They posted a 5W-0L round-robin record and defeated Cassidy Dundas – Heather (Lauren Evason, Eryn Czirfusz, Tessa Terrick, Coach Craig Terrick) in the Page 1 vs 1 Playoff game Saturday evening.
Carman’s Team Hayward (Keira Krahn, India Young, Rylie Cox, Coach Diane Hayward) with Asham rep Terry Gibb
The Dundas foursome defeated clubmate Bethany Allan (Emily Ostrowsky, Amelie Le Heiget, Taylor Letham, Coach Deb Popovic) in the Sunday morning semi-final to set up a rematch. The result was the same, however, as the Hayward foursome won 6-3 to complete a perfect 7W-0L weekend.
The Asham U-18 Men’s final game also featured a re-match of the Page 1-1 Playoff game but with a different result.
Nash Sugden – Morden (Tyler Fehr, Tanner Treichel, Ryan Thiessen, Coach Gord Titchkosky) were extra end winners over Rylan Campbell – Altona (Logan Zacharias, Nick Senff, Rylan Graham, Coach Sheldon Zacharias) Saturday evening.
The Campbell team fought back to the final with a semi-final win over the Colin Desaulniers-skipped Kieran Callewaert team – AMCC (Luc Cormier, Desaulniers, Quinn Legace, Justin Arbez, Coach Rej Lagace). That semi-final win created the momentum needed for a dominant final game performance which saw them put three three’s and a five on the scoreboard.
Altona’s Team Campbell (Logan Zacharias, Nick Senff, Rylan Graham, Coach Sheldon Zacharias) with Asham rep Terry Gibb
Over the weekend, the Team Campbell record was 6W-1L while Team Sugden had a 5W-1L record.
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As provincial champions, the Hayward and Campbell team records at the national championship in Ottawa will be the records which count in the tally to determine whether Manitoba will have one or two entries at the nationals a year from now. As the formula includes the provincial champion’s record across two years, this year’s record and the record from a year ago will be taken into account.
Morden’s Nash Sugden team (Tyler Fehr, Tanner Treichel, Ryan Thiessen, Coach Gord Titchkosky) will also attend the nationals as Manitoba’s second team
Shaela Hayward’s Carman team & Nash Sugden’s Morden team have advanced to the Sunday 1:30PM final games of CurlManitoba’s Asham U-18 Women’s & Men’s provincial championships in Selkirk.
Saturday evening, Shaela Hayward – Carman (Keira Krahn, India Young, Rylie Cox) defeated Cassidy Dundas – Heather (Lauren Evason, Eryn Czirfusz, Tessa Terrick) 5-4 in the Page 1 vs 1 playoff game. Dundas will play in the 9:30AM semi-final against Bethany Allan – Heather (Emily Ostrowsky, Amelie Le Heiget, Taylor Letham).
Carman’s Shaela Hayward and her team will play in the Asham U-18 final Sunday at 1:30pm in Selkirk
Allan advanced by defeating Liv Leadbeater – Swan River (Kate Patterson, Calli Goethe, Lexie Leadbeater) 8-3 in the Page 2-2 Playoff game.
Hayward and Dundas had advanced to the Page Playoff 1-1 game with perfect 5W-0L records while Leadbeater and Allan were the second place teams in the pools with 4W-1L records.
Meanwhile, in the U-18 Men’s competition, Nash Sugden – Morden (Tyler Fehr, Tanner Treichel, Ryan Thiessen) and Rylan Campbell – Altona (Logan Zacharias, Nick Senff, Rylan Graham) needed an extra end to decide their Page 1-1 game. Campbell needed one to tie coming home and Sugden posted a three on the extra end for an 8-5 win.
The Sugden team advances to the Sunday 1:30PM final. Campbell will play Kieran Callewaert – AMCC (Luc Cormier, Colin Desaulniers, Quinn Legace) in the morning semi-final. Callewaert advanced with a 7-6 win over Evan Boutet – Ft Garry (Cooper Steele, Liam Burton, Hayden Pich).
The Callewaert team win over Boutet came on the strength of a five on the second end. Credit the Boutet team, they fought back to be tied coming home but the AMCC foursome had hammer for a 7-6 win.
Sugden and Campbell had advanced to the Page Playoff 1-1 game with perfect 4W-0L records while Boutet and Callewaert were the second place teams in the pools with 2W-2L records.
Picken Legacy Fund committee member Bob Minaker with Elmwood’s Junior organizer Julia Vincent
I had the privilege today, with Bob Minaker, to visit the Elmwood Curling Club’s junior program where we saw a beehive of activity with four full sheets of little rockers on the ice with half a dozen volunteer coach-instructors. There were almost as many older kids waiting eagerly for their turn on the ice.
During the change-over, we had the opportunity to present one of this year’s Bob Picken Junior Development grants – a $500 contribution from the Bob Picken Legacy Fund, the proceeds of this year’s Bob Picken Masters Open Bonspiel.
Three grants were presented this year. Along with Elmwood, $500 grants to Winkler and Portage Curling Clubs brought the total of grants paid out since the project began to $6,000.
Julia Vincent with Bob Minaker & Resby Coutts (centre back) surrounded by the Elmwood Junior program’s young curlers and their volunteer instructors.The expression “herding cats” comes to mind as you watch the Elmwood’s little rockers on the ice with the volunteer instructors – smiles all around tell you they’re having fund!Instructor Destiny Hondz leads the stretching session as the older juniors prepare to go on the ice.(Borrowed from Facebook) Winkler’s Ross Derksen with Trepp Fehr, one of the curlers in the Winkler Junior-Teen program. Winkler & Portage also received Picken Legacy Fund grants this season.
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