Computer does not compute

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This article was published 02/02/2009 (6317 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You wouldn’t think that something which is 121 years old could have growing pains.

But the MCA Bonspiel had them Sunday. And they were painful alright.

A new, abbreviated format introduced for this year’s bonspiel created massive scheduling headaches yesterday when the automated computer system that organizes draws and allocates ice times did not behave in the manner in which organizers had expected.

The result was something short of chaos but far from the well-oiled machine people had come to expect from the bonspiel.

Draws were delayed all day by as much as three hours, curlers were sent to the wrong rinks and some missed games simply because they never knew they were happening.

By the time the smoke settled last night, the phone lines at bonspiel headquarters at Canad-Inns Polo Park were flooded with frustrated curlers and MCA drawmaster Mel Marsh was taking responsibility for the problems.

“There were some things that happened today that we never anticipated,” said Marsh. “There were some things the computer was doing that I should have foreseen. It was my fault.”

Defending Manitoba men’s champion Kerry Burtnyk was among the teams caught up in the confusion. Burtnyk went to bed Saturday night having been advised his next game would not be until noon on Sunday. But when fifth man Don Harvey called to double check at 8 a.m. Sunday, he was told the team was playing at 9 a.m. and had just an hour to assemble at St. Vital Curling Club for a game against Thompson’s Sam Antila.

“We had no idea we were playing,” said Burtnyk. “We were still sleeping.

“Obviously, they’re having some problems.”

Burtnyk rushed over to the club and arrived just a few minutes late.

It didn’t affect his game as he went on to win that one 7-0 and then the next one, 8-3 over former Manitoba men’s champion Dave Elias.

Burtnyk already has his berth into this month’s men’s provincials in Selkirk and does not need one of the five berths available in the Bonspiel. But he says he’ll play until he’s eliminated, an exercise in team-building and something else.

“This is a long tradition — a good tradition — that I think I should support,” Burtnyk said.

With the loss to Burtnyk, Elias — who was playing with former Manitoba men’s champion Chris Suchy in a patched-together team — was eliminated from berth contention.

“That’s it for us,” Elias said, “unless you know of some way I don’t to get back in it.”

Elias’s former skip, Randy Dutiaume, met the same fate yesterday and will also now only see the Safeway Championship as a spectator.

Heading into the twice-delayed late draw Sunday night, just four undefeated teams remained in the premier Labatt’s event — LaSalle’s Randy Neufeld, Rorketon’s Murray Woodward, Assiniboine’s David Bohn and Dave Boehmer, who is entered under teammate Kyle Einarson’s name.

Because all four of those teams already have provincials berths, all five berths this year will come out of the two major events, the Free Press and the Lucerne.

Just 11 teams who still need a berth remained in those events heading into the late draw last night — Fort Rouge’s Lindsey Dahl, Riverton’s Shawn Magnusson, St. Vital’s Dave Smith, Merv Satterthwaite and Darryl Friesen, Fort Garry’s Tim Friesen, Pembina’s Lionel Walz and Daniel Birchard, Springfield’s Braden Zawada, West St. Paul’s Rob Cosens and Heather’s Bernie Wenden.

There were several scenarios in last night’s late draw which could have resulted in all five berths being determined last night before a single rock is thrown today, the final day of the bonspiel.