Wine – and glory – will be up for grabs at the 28th annual Winespiel, a curling competition hosted at the Springbank Park for All Seasons from March 4 to 6.
The bonspiel, organized by the Springbank Curling Club, was cancelled in 2021 as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, and organizer Trent Cherry said the club is excited to bring the event back to the pebbled ice.
“It’s a sport anyone can play, it’s relatively inexpensive, it’s great for your mind and body, and it’s an incredibly social sport,” Cherry said.
He said there are still spots to fill, and the Springbank Curling Club is hoping for more mixed teams (comprising women and men) to sign up before the bonspiel gets underway. The deadline to register is Feb. 21, according to the club's website.
Participating teams are guaranteed at least three games and the registration fee per team is $300.
Winners will receive wine packages, with the beverages sourced by a local vendor. According to Cherry, due to the alcoholic nature of the prizes at stake, the bonspiel is catered to adult teams.
“I think there are teams of all calibre that compete – some fun, some more competitive,” he said.
“The Springbank Curling Club does have a junior program and we do allow those teams to come into other bonspiels we have out in Springbank.”
Cherry said proceeds from the tournament go toward funding the prize packages. He added there’s a banquet on the Saturday evening of the bonspiel, and a few continental-style group breakfasts will be held for teams throughout the weekend.
“We’ll have some 50/50 raffle draws throughout the weekend and part of those proceeds will go to the Sandra Schmirler Organization,” he said. “She was a Saskatchewan curler who unfortunately passed away from cancer a number of years ago but represented Canada.”
For more information, visit springbankcurlingclub.com
For newcomers to the sport of curling, Cherry wanted to highlight the Springbank Curling Club does hold drop-in curling nights throughout the winter for people who want to try the sport, typically once per month.
