Photo by Marcel Vander Wier
Top: HURRY HARD! 鈥� Mike Nugent, right, keeps a steady eye on the line of teammate Chris Meger鈥檚 stone while his sweepers attempt to coax it around a guard during bonspiel play Saturday afternoon at the Whitehorse Curling Club. Bottom left: WARM-UP GAMES 鈥� Northern Ontario masters skip Gord Williams and his team participated in the International. Bottom right: ENCOURAGING WORDS 鈥� Fairbanks skip Ethan Birkholz shouts instructions to his sweepers Saturday.
The Yukon鈥檚 female masters rink showed they are in fine form heading into this week鈥檚 Canadian championships in Whitehorse.
The Yukon鈥檚 female masters rink showed they are in fine form heading into this week鈥檚 Canadian championships in Whitehorse.
Ellen Johnson and company went undefeated en route to winning the women鈥檚 pool of the Whitehorse Curling Club鈥檚 season-ending International Bonspiel over the weekend.
The victory was Johnson鈥檚 first in the annual season-ending event.
The 64-year-old president of the Yukon Curling Association claimed a 7-6 victory over Leslie Grant that came down to her final shot in an extra end Sunday.
鈥淚t was a takeout,鈥� said Johnson. 鈥淚 was lucky enough that we had second shot so I knew I鈥坈ould roll out, which I did.
鈥淚t was just a matter of taking their shot rock out.鈥�
Johnson and her rinkmates Elaine Sumner (third), Ev Pasichnyk (second) and Nancy Kowalyshen (lead) played four games in the tournament, winning them all.
鈥淲e curled well this weekend,鈥濃�圝ohnson told the Star. 鈥淚鈥坔ope we can keep it up this week.鈥�
In the men鈥檚 A division, Doug Hamilton鈥檚 rink claimed victory over Fairbanks skipper Bill Gryder in Sunday鈥檚 final.
Other divisional winners included Yukon skip Pat Paslawski, who led his team to the B title, and Bob Smallwood, who took the C pool.
Meanwhile, Helen Strong took home the women鈥檚 B title and Jaime Hewitt was victorious in the C final.
Twenty-two men鈥檚 teams 鈥� including Gord Williams鈥� masters rink from Thunder Bay, Ont. 鈥� and 14 women鈥檚 teams participated in the four-day bonspiel. The 63rd annual event also featured five teams from Alaska, and one from Atlin,鈥圔.C.
Now, Johnson will turn her focus to the Canadian Masters Curling Championship, which begins today in Whitehorse with the first draw at 3 p.m.
Curlers from across the country gathered at the club last night for a meet-and-greet session.
An opening ceremony will take place at the club tonight at 6 p.m.
鈥淲e are proud to support the Whitehorse Curling Club in bringing such a high-calibre event to the city,鈥� Community Services Minister Currie Dixon said in a press release.
鈥淢any Canadian masters athletes have competed in the Brier and Scotties, so this is sure to be an exciting competition. I would like to welcome all the athletes to Whitehorse and wish them the best of luck.鈥�
The national championships is an event for athletes 60 and over, and is sanctioned by the Canadian Curling Association.
The Department of Community Services chipped in $25,000 to the championship as part of the government鈥檚 commitment to sport, recreation and active living.
For more information on the 2015 masters championships 鈥� including game times 鈥� visit www.masters2015.wordpress.com/.
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