SUNDRE – The annual ladies’ bonspiel drew out not only seven visiting teams from out of town but also curlers of just about all ages.
“To me, the best part of the curling is that every age – young and the old – are out there playing. I love that,” said Jean Jones, Sundre Curling Club ladies league rep.
“That’s a great sport if you can do that,” Jones told the Albertan.
“We had mother-daughter teams. We got beat by people more senior than me,” Jones said with a laugh.
The annual spiel was held Feb. 8-11 at the local rink with a total of 18 teams playing.
“It’s always easier with curling if you have the 20, it makes for better draws. But every team had fun, so it was excellent,” said Jones.
The visitors from out of town included teams from Cochrane, Cremona, Olds and Rocky Mountain House.
“I started getting calls actually early- to mid-December to make sure they were signed up for it,” she said.
“We got lots of really good comments, and already some of the out-of-towners are asking to be on the list for next year. That’s always flattering,” she said.
While it’s hard to say whether the newly installed monitors in the lounge area had perhaps drawn out more fans, the upgrade has certainly made the experience for those who come out that much better, she said.
“It’s just more enjoyable,” she added.
Jones also expressed appreciation on behalf of the club and league for the community’s support.
“It’s a good draw, there’s just so many prizes and support from local people, venues, business,” she said.
And for the first time this year, organizers decided to introduce a silent auction that ended up raising $2,150, she said.
“It all goes back to the curling rink,” she said
“The club does focus a lot on trying to get equipment and supplies for the juniors that are coming,” she said when asked if the funds might have been earmarked for anything specific.
“But the electricity is always a big bill every month,” she added.
“We didn’t set (the funds) aside for any particular project. We weren’t sure how well it would do – this has been a tough year for a lot of people,” she said.
“But it was very well received” and “seemed to do well,” she said, adding the silent auction will more than likely become a new feature of the bonspiel.
The club’s next scheduled event is the Sturling Spiel, which takes place Feb. 24.
Sundre Curling Club 2024 Ladies’ Bonspiel winners
• A Event Sundre team: skip Julie Smith, third Britni Smith, second Kari McElhinney, lead Mackenzie McElhinney.
• B event Sundre team: skip - Sue Comfort, third Chris Wild, second Wanda Humphrey, lead Kristyn Power
• C event Cremona team: skip Deanna Jensen, third Marg Bergsma, second Julene Morris, lead Sasha Pike
• D event Sundre team: skip Bev Konschuh, third Leona Bennett, second Kim Walton, lead Dorothea Rydholm/Lacey White
