If you are a curling enthusiast then February and March are made just for you. There is normally plenty of curling action this time of year, and even a little extra this season with the Olympics to fill the time between the Scotties Tournament and the Brier. Locally, it is the height of the bonspiel season, and one of Vermilion’s curling highlights is the Jim Smith Memorial Bonspiel.
This past weekend saw teens from all around the area come to Vermilion to have fun and showcase their skills.
On Saturday, which was Curling Day in Canada, the Vermilion Curling Rink saw some fabulous curling with two divisions of curlers hitting the ice. In the Junior High division, the Kamdyn Bauldic team dominated with 36 points overall, with the two teams from Provost tying for second place. In the Senior High division, the Morgan Ward team from Irma took first place with 32 points narrowly outscoring Vermilion’s Peyton DeRoo team.
The Kamdyn Bauldic team consisting of 3rd Aila Quiring, 2nd Libby Sherbinin, Lead Marisa Lilienskold and Skip Kamdyn were the overall winners this year.
This year the bonspiel had two prize draws. One for curlers and one for anyone who wanted to participate. The Loonie Broom winner was Shelley Larson, she took home a new broom and half the proceeds from the draw. This year the Camrose Rose City Curling Club, which will be hosting the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling - Meridian Open January 2023, provided two tickets to any draw of next year’s event. Aiden Mark of the Lloyd team won those tickets.
Also, the Rose City Club is going to sponsor the Vermilion Jr. Curling Club next year to attend the Grand Slam, any draw the club would like to attend.
The bonspiel also gained new sponsors this year, with Boston Pizza stepping in to help support this fantastic opportunity for the youth in the area.
Organizers Joanne and Doug McRae once again set up a great weekend of curling, and are very thankful to all the curlers who came out to play and all the volunteers and sponsors who are vital in the success of the bonspiel.