麻豆社区

Castle Rock skipper Herb Balsam and his newly-formed work team found magic at the Whitehorse Curling Club this weekend.

His rink scored a tournament-high 55 points in six games to win the EBA United Way Bonspiel, the first major curling event of the season in the Yukon capital.

"The team curled really good actually,鈥� Balsam told the Star Sunday afternoon.

"Sometimes that's just the way the weekend goes. You just kind of curl good all weekend. It's always a good feeling to win.鈥�

The 53-year-old Balsam, a superintendent with Castle Rock Enterprises, led his squad to a 55-point total at the EBA United Way Bonspiel over the weekend. The winning rink also consisted of lead Andrea Kenderova, second Sandra Grabowski and third Tyler Williams.

"It's the perfect bonspiel for everybody, because anybody can win,鈥� Balsam said.

"You don't have to have a really good team to win. It's a great setup. Everybody's in it until the end and it's a great atmosphere.鈥�

The mixed tournament saw teams seeded and placed in one of three Halloween-themed pools 鈥� Goblins, Vampires or Zombies.

All games consisted of six ends with the following scoring system in place for each end: two points for a win, one point for a loss, and one point to each team for a blank end.

Prior to the first game, each team threw a draw to the house, with distance from the pin being used as a tiebreaker at the end of the tournament.

The early rocks did come into play, as Bob Smallwood's rink, the Challengers, and Team Wallingham finished tied at 50 points each. Smallwood's rink was closer to the button, earning them a second-place finish.

Both the Challengers and Team Wallingham played in the Vampires division.

Smallwood said the bonspiel served as a test for his rink, which is preparing to represent the Yukon at the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship in Ottawa next month.

Smallwood, along with his wife Jody, and teammates Adam Pleasant and Tamar Vandenberghe are working hard to get ready for the tournament. The national championship will run Nov. 14 to 23 at the Rideau Curling Club.

"I'm seeing how they deliver the rocks 鈥� everybody's got a unique delivery 鈥� reading that properly and just communication between the hog line and the house,鈥� Smallwood explained of his team's first bonspiel together.

The 39-year-old admitted his team was a bit of a throw-together squad 鈥� the only one to register for the mixed territorial playdowns.

"We didn't have much time to curl together as a team actually,鈥� he said. "This is the first bonspiel that we've been in together as a team. We're in a Tuesday night and Thursday night league at the club, but of course we've only got a few games under our belts and time's running out. But it seems to be coming together.鈥�

Junior men's skip Joe Wallingham played an impressive tournament, with his rink finishing in third place.

The 17-year-old played with his coach Kevin Patterson, teammate Brayden Klassen and friend Kelsey Meger.

"It was good,鈥� Wallingham said. "We curled pretty well. The format was different. It's kind of a different setup, and there was some good competition out there. But it was fun.鈥�

Wallingham played second for Team Yukon at the junior nationals last season with longtime stalwarts Will Mahoney and Mitch Young, and said his goal for this year's team is simple.

"Our biggest goal is to first make nationals, and then we really want to make the championship round,鈥� Wallingham said. "We really want to get in the playoff round, get there as a team and get better.鈥�

The Grade 12 student at Vanier Catholic Secondary said that is a goal that is within reach for his rink.

"Spencer (Wallace) and I kind of went through last year, so we know kind of what to expect,鈥� he said. "We know what it takes, because we were really close at getting to the playoff pool last year.鈥�

However, Wallingham said he expects stiff competition at the territorial playdowns in December, but hopes to have a chance to face off against the nation's best teams again in February.

While the top teams may have secured some sweet door prizes, the true bonspiel winner was the United Way Society of the Yukon.

United Way's executive director Harold Sher said early totals of funds raised through the bonspiel are between $9,000 and $10,000.

Sher thanked all who donated funds, including gold sponsors Skookum Asphalt Ltd. and TSL Contracting, and silver sponsors Castle Rock Enterprises, Kilrich Industries, Pacific Northwest Moving, and Cardinal Contracting Ltd.