The Tim Hortons Brier wasn’t the only source of curling excitement over the weekend.
Sixteen rinks entered the 83rd Annual Flin Flon Ladies’ Bonspiel, but by the time the final ends were played Sunday, only three slid away with a trophy in hand.
“There were a few spectators that were watching and they said, ‘Hey, there’s some pretty good shots going on here,’” said Teresa Grindle, who helped organize the bonspiel. “We had some first-timers out there and we had some seasoned veterans, and everybody in between.”
The Sue Chrisp rink of third Marlene Anderson, second Katie Anderson and lead Doreen Gabler captured the A Event. They defeated the Patty Evans rink of third Barb Groff, second Cindy Rainville and lead Lorraine Poirier.
Taking the B Event was the Dianne Burwash rink of third Donna Hurst, second Pat Meyer and lead Bernice Galay. They downed the Robbie Limoges rink of third Teresa Grindle, second Camille Limoges and lead Sarah Wasylciw.
Winning the C Event was the Kyla Reierson rink of third Denise Davis, second Deb McCombie and lead Lora Abele. They bested the Terry Kennedy rink of third Stephanie Collins, second Sherry Playford and lead Joy Capyk.
The three-day bonspiel kicked off last Friday, Feb. 27 at the Uptown Curling Rink, with the finals on Sunday afternoon.
Friendly
The competition was friendly as curlers as young as 20 and as mature as 80-plus took to the ice, the clack of rocks and swish of brooms echoing beneath the bright lights.
An air of celebration surrounded the event, particularly since its future was in doubt just a few weeks ago when no teams had registered.
Eager to keep the winter tradition alive, Grindle, along with teammates Wasylciw and Robbie and Camille Limoges, stepped up to organize the
bonspiel.
Through advertising and word-of-mouth, the bonspiel garnered 16 rinks, down one from last year.
“There was a lot of afternoon [curling league] older ladies who didn’t want to see this die, so they rallied together some teams, too,” said Grindle. “So we ended up having a good event this year.”
