CANORA - As has become a popular tradition in Canora, the 2024 Two-Person Stick Bonspiel was held at the Sylvia Fedoruk Centre on Family Day, Feb. 19. And family seemed to be a major focus of the event. Out of the 14 local teams taking part, seven involved pairings of family members/relatives. Organizers were pleased to note that approximately 10 new curlers played in the bonspiel who were not involved a year ago, when 12 teams were entered.
The team of Ron Hoehn and Maxine Stinka were crowned the 2024 champions, defeating Vern and Judy Schick in the final game. To get to that point, teams were initially split into three groups for the round robin portion of the event, where everyone played three games:
Blue Pool: Bob Kolodziejski and Sheldon Paul, Joey and Jackson Palagian, Terry and Sam Palagian, and Kelly and Drea Beblow
White Pool: Vickie Stevenson and Don Probe, Natalie Trebick and Koren Baillie, Terry and Carson Dennis, and Darryl Stevenson and Ernie Gazdewich
Orange Pool: Peter Wiwchar and Curtis Baillie, Vern and Judy Schick, Bill Foreman and Walter Ostoforoff, Nick Woloschuk and Robert Waselenko, Dana and Lorelei Antonovich, and Ron Hoehn and Maxine Stinka
It appeared there was a definite advantage for curlers who always use the stick delivery throughout the curling season. As one of the players who is used to the conventional way to deliver shots observed, “It’s amazing how different the stick delivery is. I’m so used to being way down low, close to the ice.”
During the round robin portion teams received two points for each end won, four points for winning a game, and two points for a tie. Each team was allowed one timeout per game, with teammates meeting a centre ice.
After the round robin was completed, four teams qualified for the semifinal round; the high score from blue pool plus the three highest scores from orange and white pools.
In the semifinal round, both games were close and went right down to the sixth and final end before they were decided. Vern and Judy Schick edged out the team of Bob Kolodziejski and Sheldon Paul, while Ron Hoehn and Maxine Stinka snuck past Ernie Gazdewich and Darryl Stevenson.
In the final game, Hoehn and Stinka raced out to a 4-0 lead after three ends, including three stolen points. Vern Schick drew for a single point in the fourth end and in the fifth, it looked like the Schick duo might be on the way to a comeback. Judy Schick made a precise raise takeout, but Maxine Stinka barely got past the guard by a sliver to take out the Schick stone to end the threat, resulting in a final score of 6-1 for Hoehn and Stinka and the championship.
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