BY IAN THORPE
The weather may be cold, but it’s the time of year when competition heats up in curling.
The recent snowfall unfortunately caused the cancellation of the annual Senior Ladies’ Bonspiel. However, a pair of other competitions have been held in recent weeks at the local club. First came the 10th annual WineWorks Intraclub Bonspiel. Organizer Gord Borbandy reports that 16 teams of Nanaimo senior men and women curlers took part, with teams seeded into four competitive divisions. Eventual A event winners were skip Larry Oleskiw and his team of Cliff King, Vic Brice and Pat Meehan. Runners-up were Marg Obee and her teammates George Acheson, Wes Betz and Muir Meredith. Third place went to Merv Osler, Noreen Martin, Ralph Webster and Marlene Mounce.
Tops in B event was skip Don Boudot along with Jill McGlenen, Ed Stonehouse and Doc Lowry. In second place came the team of Craig Turnbull, Karen Hungar, Gilles Parenteau and Fred Carter. Third went to skip Gord Borbandy together with Jim Boutillier, Bill Millward and Don Mounce.
The bonspiel’s C event title went to the foursome of Darryl Graham, Shirley Learmonth, Roy Richmond and Bob Wong and George Duffell teamed with Joan Hall, Nick Rvachew and Dan Hooper, teamed to win D event.
Also held recently at the Nanaimo Curling Centre was the Nanaimo Ladies’ Bonspiel, this year with a theme of ‘Prohibition Party.’ The championship A event was sponsored by Bastion Trophies and was won by the team of skip Leslie Shearer, third Susan Chepil, second Susanne Grundison and lead Carol Dorman, who downed the Amber Dufour entry from Courtenay in the final. The bonspiel win was a good tune-up for the Shearer team, who are in Trail this week at the B.C. Senior Provincials.
In B event, sponsored by Comfort Group Heating, the final featured a pair of local teams. Skip Marg Obee and her squad of Noreen Martin, Jill McGlenen and Moyra Graham prevailed, getting past Andrea Trepanier and her teammates Margie Blackley, Cheryl Toole and Janice Stromar.
Lynn Fedoruk and her Esquimalt team claimed C event, sponsored by Damsels. Nanaimo’s Sandy Ostle and her team of Kelly Meikle, Barb Dysart and Margie Carter were the runners-up. In D event, sponsored by Harbour Chandler, first place went to the Nanaimo team that was also the bonspiel organizing committee: skip Marla Guldbransen, third Jessica Pyette, second Moira Ryan, lead Shannon Frith and alternate and committee chairperson Kelsey Price.
Whatever your sport, a reminder in closing to play your hardest, play fair, and show good sportsmanship.