Staff
The 51st-annual church bonspiel has been cancelled due to a lack of interest.
The event originally was set to run this Saturday at the Fort Frances Curling Club but event co-organizer Bill Gushulak noted only three teams had signed up to participate.
“Unfortunately, due to a slow response from the list of possible participants, perhaps due in part to a conflict of activities happening on the Family Day weekend, we have had to cancel this year’s event,” he said.
Over the years, the bonspiel had been a fun event that attracted curling enthusiasts from churches on both sides of the border, with anyone welcome to join in the fun–the key being to curl and enjoy good fellowship.
The general aim each year is to have a full event of 12 teams, with churches or groups welcome to enter as many teams as they would like and the organizers would try to accommodate everyone.
Teams could be any four people of any age.
At the end of the day, the first-place team was deemed the champion while the second-place team was responsible for looking after the following year’s competition.
The top two teams would receive awards courtesy of Green Funeral Home in Fort Frances.
The large annual awards engraving updates were donated by Fort Frances General Supply.
Gushulak, however, is hopeful the bonspiel can be resurrected–even as soon as next year.
“With the large number of years that the bonspiel has taken place, it is hoped that perhaps it can be rescheduled again next year,” he remarked.
