Manitoba Open is ‘about meeting people and reconnecting’

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/01/2016 (3791 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In many ways, the Manitoba Open looks a whole lot different now than it did in 1889 when the bonspiel’s first edition swept across Winnipeg curling clubs.

These days, entries are capped at 256 teams. Scheduling draws is less chaotic, since computers can do most of the work. There’s more order to the six-day bonspiel now and less waiting to find out when and where you’ll play your next game. That was a common feature in past years.

Still, in its 128th edition, the heart of the world’s largest curling frenzy remains perfectly unchanged. When it kicked off at Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club Thursday night, it was to the familiar tune of rumbling rocks and bagpipes, the clink of glasses in the lounge and the chatter of old pals reunited for one more round.

Oh, it’s on, all right. From now until Monday night, the former MCA Bonspiel and its weekend-only halfspiel spinoff will whirl across the city. It will draw together curlers from across the province and from points beyond — including many who are making their pilgrimage home to soak up the moment.

After all, there’s nothing quite like it. That’s what keeps pulling Jarrett Jivan back. Years ago, Jivan was a top junior curler in Winnipeg and even played alongside a young David Nedohin. Though he moved to Toronto a decade ago, Jivan rarely passes up a chance to come back for the Manitoba Open.

“It’s still a grassroots game,” Jivan said during a chat at Assiniboine Memorial. “That’s what makes it special, as well as seeing friends you haven’t run into for a long time. Even if you live in the city, you don’t see everyone all the time. At this ’spiel, you do. It’s about meeting people and reconnecting.”

Naturally, there is also the curling, and the event whips up a classic mix of veterans, perennial hobbyists and rising talent. For instance, the first draw at Assiniboine Memorial Thursday saw a foursome of seasoned Wisconsin curlers square off against reigning world junior champion Braden Calvert.

In any other setting, that might be an unlikely matchup; at the Open, it’s par for the course. Then there are the many reunions: at the opening ceremonies, MC Resby Coutts introduced a foursome sponsored by Nott Autocorp. It was the “25th anniversary reunion” of their successful junior team, he joked.

Well, close enough. In fact, teammates Barry Swain, Blaine Clapham, Jason Dickinson and Cory Wolchuk did grow up playing at Thistle Curling Club together, in various combinations; Clapham and Dickinson even made it to a couple of provincial junior finals in the ’80s, while Wolchuk went on to play with Randy Dutiaume. Through the years, they always kept in touch. But the last time Clapham played in a Manitoba Open was 1999, when he won the whole shebang. After that, he took a break from regular competition. “That was the top of the mountain for me,” he laughed.

But when Swain decided to get the old Thistle crew together for this year’s edition, Clapham jumped at the chance. Because whatever happens on the ice, the one thing that’s always guaranteed at the Manitoba Open is a gathering of old friends.

“I’m looking forward to meeting people I haven’t seen in a long time,” he said. “I don’t curl as much anymore, and I know I’m going to run into a ton of people I haven’t seen in years, and I’m really looking forward to it. There’s lots of good people in curling.”

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca

Melissa Martin
Reporter-at-large

Melissa Martin reports and opines for the Winnipeg Free Press.

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