It was a busy scene at the curling rink in the Gallagher Center on Mar. 24. Rocks slid towards their targets, passing their stone-faced brethren heading in the opposite direction. Brooms slapped and swept the ice with rhythmic efficiency. Skips鈥� shouts and commands joined in unison, filling the room with loud orders.
It was the final day of the Yorkton 2018 Ladies and Men鈥檚 Bonspiel.
鈥淚t went well,鈥� said Neil Weinmaster, office manager for the Yorkton curling club. 鈥淭he numbers were good.鈥�
The bonspiel kicked off on Mar. 22. 12 male teams competed in three divisions while eight female teams duked it out in two divisions.
Originally, the women were to have their own bonspiel in early March, but it was canceled due to low participation numbers. The curling club still wanted the female teams to compete, so they were added to the men鈥檚 tournament for an extra-large bonspiel.
鈥淸It was the] first time we had men and ladies together,鈥� Weinmaster said.
Weinmaster said the combination worked well, as the bonspiel attracted a sizable crowd. While the club is uncertain if they鈥檒l put on another combined bonspiel again, they鈥檙e happy with this year鈥檚 results.
鈥淭he ladies make it more interesting,鈥� Weinmaster said.
The bonspiel signaled the end of the regular curling season, which officially wraps up this week. It will return in October.
In the men鈥檚 鈥淎鈥� event, Rob Inglis鈥� team captured first place. Reese Kinaschuk鈥檚 group seized the top spot in the 鈥淏鈥� event while Lorne Fruin鈥檚 team went all the way in the 鈥淐鈥� event.
On the ladies鈥� side, Mavis Lutz鈥檚 team scored the number one position in the 鈥淎鈥� event while Patrice Kuspira鈥檚 squad launched themselves to victory in the 鈥淏鈥� event.
A full bracket of the bonspiel can be found at the curling rink in the Gallagher Center.
