Lucas Punkari
With another curling season about to wrap up, the annual men’s bonspiel goes this weekend at the local club.
The field was sitting at 16 teams as of last Friday morning but club manager Rick Grenda is hoping to draw more than two dozen for the weekend.
That way, they can have three draws on the first day of competition this Friday, with action getting underway at 5 p.m.
“We do have a couple of teams in the Muskies [at OFSAA in Thunder Bay] and Don DeBenedet [at the Dominion Curling Club Championship regional playdowns in Kenora] that would normally be in the event but are unable to do so,” Grenda explained.
“We had 24 teams at last year’s ’spiel, so we didn’t need the late third draw on the first night [at 9 p.m.].
“So we’re hoping to have more than 24 this year for us to have those three draws to kick things off,” he added.
While everyone who takes to the ice Friday will be looking to reach the ‘A’ final Sunday afternoon, the first four rinks that are eliminated also will have something to play for as they’ll be taking part in a skins competitions.
“The first two games will be played for a bit of cash, and then the finals will see the two teams putting their money on the line with some steaks,” Grenda noted.
Following the playoffs in each of the leagues during the first week of April, the club will round out the season with its annual wind-up event on Friday, April 15.
“We usually have it on a Saturday, but we’ve changed that this year to see if we can maybe get a better turnout than we’ve had in the past,” Grenda said.
“We’ll be having the curlers cooking up steaks outside, and then we’ll have our awards banquet along with our penny table before rounding out the night with a dance,” he added.
Tickets for the wind-up cost $25 per person, which can purchased at the curling club in person or by calling Grenda at 274-6667.
