WMCI curlers sweep to Provincials Organizers pleased with response from Curl Manitoba, fans

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Neepawa Banner & Press

After enjoying a relatively mild January we all knew that the end would come. A true Manitoba winter would eventually show up and it did just that on Jan. 26.

With so many events planned for WMCI students before exam week in Gladstone a divisional closure was not what we needed. Zone 7 boys and girls curling zones were scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Minnedosa. As a result of the closure, the convener was able to make several changes to the draw and a new plan was put in place for the beginning of the week. Monday arrived, but unfortunately Mother Nature’s frigid hold had another plan in place for the boys and girls teams. The hosting division was now the one dealing with the cancellations which meant they could no longer host. Again, things seemed to be put on hold but the joys of living in small rural communities prevailed. In the wee hours of the morning, phone calls were made to see if some of the other small town curling rinks could host the girl’s bonspiel since it had the smallest number of teams. Plumas Curling rink was able to be opened and prepared for a mid morning start. Carberry made the venture to Plumas and the games began. Thank you to Keith Koncz, Cynthia Toews, and Jason Schmidt for coming to the rescue. The ice was maintained and a canteen was created. Only in a small town could an event like this occur where people come together for the betterment of the community and kids and ask for nothing in return.

The curling adventure didn’t end with the girls’ bonspiel. The mixed double teams were scheduled for Tuesday in Rivers. After several versions and changes to the draw, the event was able to occur. Again, small town people came to the rescue. The canteen organizer fell sick, but she was able to find last minute help whom were able to serve up some excellent food and keep everyone fed. Wednesday arrived and the last group to play off for zones was the boys. The very early morning calls and texts still continued to determine if the event was still on, since we all know that the temperature had not changed much.

Fortunately, the boys were able to travel to Minnedosa to play over the course of the two days to determine a zone champion. WMCI was privileged to be able to have so many students participate in the curling zones. Several discussions and laughs were had about the craziness and nightmare of the rescheduling and last minute planning, but one common thread came through. Only in rural areas can you count on people being flexible and willing to work together for the betterment of kids, the community as a whole and rural canteens serve the best food. Thank you to Rob Melnyk, Sylvia Hayward, Barrie Troop and Keith Koncz for coaching, all of the organizers for hosting, businesses who allowed coaches and parents to switch their days off to attend and to the schools for rearranging exam schedules for the players.