Although the Sundre Junior Curling Club’s bonspiel is more about the chance to further develop skills rather than to win titles, the opportunity to play in a more competitive setting really helps the players improve, said the head coach.
“In practice, we might get in three ends,” said Bev Konschuh, who for years has been involved with the junior curling club.
“But they had to play six ends three times. That’s where kids do their greatest growth, is actually playing the game and learning on the ice,” said Konschuh.
There were 18 teams — made up of 72 players — that participated in the junior program’s bonspiel held Jan. 12-13 at the Sundre curling rink. Among them were 13 U-15 teams as well as five U-18 teams. Rinks came to Sundre from Caroline, Olds, Didsbury, Innisfail and Calgary. Five were from Sundre, said Jill Fee, the Sundre Junior Curling Club’s president.
Everything went well, said Fee, adding that in speaking with coaches, the players all seemed to have a lot of fun.
The junior bonspiel is more about providing the teams with an opportunity to play rather than being focused on championships, she said.
“We don’t really run a spiel like the adults do,” she said, adding the junior event only lasts the weekend while other league spiels usually run throughout most of the week.
The goal, she said, is to ensure each team gets a chance to play three games. The U-18 rinks played round robin, while the U-15 teams had draws lined up.
Every game has some cash prizes, which include for example, paying back registration fees. There is also a 50-50 draw to help the junior bonspiel break even. Any additional funds are re-allocated back into the club to offset costs for expenses such as the year-end season wind up event, she said.
Konschuh said she really enjoys the junior club’s bonspiel since the event gives the local rinks a chance to play against other teams with different styles and strategies.
“They focus a bit more,” the coach said.
The Sundre junior curling program’s oldest team is in the 13- to 14-year-old range, while the youngest player, who is starting her first season, is seven, she said.
“The older teams, I was really impressed with — they’ve had a bit more bonspiel experience,” she said, adding the older players have really been coming together.
That progress was made clear during the bonspiel when the older players demonstrated a greater understanding for strategy, making many successful shots, the coach said.
“I was just really proud of them.”
For some of the younger Sundre rinks, the bonspiel was their first. Going from playing a few ends during practice to finishing three complete matches of six ends was a new experience for them, she said.
“They were pretty tired when we were all said and done. But they did really well,” she said.
Even if they don’t win, the coach said she’s always glad to see when they successfully throw a called shot.
“They get so excited. That’s the starting point for them,” she said.
“They’re all very athletic and they have a little bit of a desire.”
While the players have progressed, the coach said efforts to further develop their skills are always ongoing. One of the primary focal points during recent practices has been working on sweeping, and more specifically teaching the players to recognize when to sweep rather than waiting for the verbal cue from their teammate who threw the rock to do so, she said.
Building better foundations for communication, sweeping, execution and lastly striving for consistency are key. The older players have largely conquered their slide, or delivery, but doing so consistently can sometimes be challenging, she said.
“Even as adults, we continue to have to work on that,” she said.
“The more rocks they throw, the better they’ll be able to judge them.”
Visit www.sundrecurlingclub.com for more information on the organization as well as to stay up to date on the latest upcoming events and bonspiels.
