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Braden Calvert won the provincial high school title Saturday. (FILE PHOTO)
There will be plenty to celebrate in Carberry next week.
The community’s curling club — which was one of the seven founding members of the Manitoba Curling Association, now known as CurlManitoba — is celebrating its 125th anniversary and putting on a major men’s and women’s bonspiel, which starts on Monday and wraps up on Feb. 24. The event will feature 72 men’s teams and 28 women’s squads, and will award trips to Las Vegas as door prizes as well as the grand prize in the men’s side of the draw.
The organizing committee, which will have one day to transform the skating rink into curling ice before the bonspiel starts, is also planning a draw to the button contest and fancy silverware to hand out to winners as well.
Carberry’s bonspiel is something that Ian Scott, the president of the Carberry Men’s Curling Club, believes will benefit the whole community and will be remembered for quite some time.
"It has morphed into a true-blue community event," said Scott, who pointed out the event has annually drawn more than 50 men’s teams for the last 25 years. "What it’s done for dollar value is hard to say, but I guarantee you it will be six figures for money spinoff and what it does for the community and stuff like that. … For the community, you’ll see if you come out that weekend that it will be a jammed full rink of curlers and spectators."
The event will also be a celebration of sorts for Carberry’s Braden Calvert and his high school boys’ curling team of Max Van Kommer, Braden Orchard and Nathan Malfait. The foursome won the high school provincial championship last weekend in Gladstone and Plumas, and Calvert hopes to get a little recognition for his first-ever provincial title during his hometown bonspiel — although he’ll be playing in it with Shayne MacGranachan, Jefferey Steen and Donovan Hickson.
"I think it will raise a lot of attention toward me, which is a good thing, and let everyone know I’m a champion," said Calvert, who also skipped a team at the provincial junior championships in Brandon in January.
Calvert should be well-prepared for the Carberry bonspiel as he’s competing for the one Westman berth in the U18 boys’ provincial championship — with a team comprised of MacGranachan, Jefferey Steen and Cody Cherepuschak — this weekend at the regional playdowns in Souris. Rivers’ Cory Gill and Virden’s Marc Vachon are also taking part.
Samantha Rimke and Cassidy Kalniak, both from Virden, as well as Strathclair’s Lisa Rystephanuk and Hamiota’s Katlyn Payette will compete for the two Westman berths at the U18 girls’ regional playdowns, which are also in Souris on Saturday and Sunday.
HOF:Terry Braunstein’s 1965 and Jimmy Congalton’s 1932 Brier championship teams will be inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame this year, as will Barry Fry’s 1973 Canadian mixed championship squad. Brothers Ness and Cliff Wise will enter in the players’ category, while Paul Pelletier will go in as a builder.
EXTRA ENDS: Virden is hosting a senior/masters men’s bonspiel on Feb. 18 and 19. Contact Jim Lyons at 204-748-6634 … Hamiota’s senior mixed bonspiel will run from Feb. 25-27. Cost is $80 per team. Contact Sharon Hebert at 204-764-0430 or Linda Wilson at 204-764-2642 … Rivers will host a junior bonspiel on Feb. 24 with a Grade 9 and under division and a Grade 10-12 division. $40 per team. Contact Brian English at 204-328-4488.
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition February 14, 2013
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