Young Ponoka curlers got their sweep on during a fun bonspiel that had them play against other rinks their age.
The bonspiel was held Saturday, Feb. 6 at the Ponoka Curling Rink with eight teams, including two from Ponoka, taking part, explained junior program co-ordinator Bill Crawford.
Curlers tackled six ends at each game with 32 kids from 10 to 14 years old. This was the first bonspiel of the year for this group, added beginners coach Andrew Jones. “It’s just a good opportunity for them,” said Jones. “It’s good to get a handle of how it runs and flows.”
This is Jones’ first year coaching and he enjoys going back to the fundamentals of the game with the younger players. He added that he has some great help from coaches with more experience. Crawford said the junior program has been growing over the years with 31 signed up this year. He wants to see more beginners sign up to ensure the program continues in the future.
“To grow, I think we need more than that,” suggested Crawford.
One of the benefits of the junior program is the low cost with supplied equipment that the curling club has in stock. Anyone interested in checking out the junior program, or any other age, can stop by the curling club on Wednesday nights.
As for the winners of the fun bonspiel, Lacombe took the first and second spot in the A event. Bentley won the B event with Rimbey as runner up and Ponoka took the C event with a Bentley rink as the runner up.
Ponoka will host the high school zones and provincials set for the end of February for the former and the beginning week of March for the latter. Three Ponoka teams are set to compete.