Ah, the roaring days of the MCA bonspiel

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This article was published 27/01/2020 (2321 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The first Manitoba Curling Association (MCA) bonspiel was held in 1889, with 62 teams entered. By 1947, entries had reached the 400-mark, and for the 100th anniversary spiel in 1988, the number was 1,280.  

The MCA bonspiel yearbook, which was published annually until a few years ago, was a treasure trove of information about the association’s history, as well as the results of the previous year. Photos with the names of the team members who had won trophies as well the names of the skips who had led their teams into the semifinals of each event were featured.

In many cases those games were the highlights of many players’ curling careers. The free yearbook was available to both curlers and fans in clubs across the city. To learn who had success during a particular bonspiel, this columnist went into his archives and pulled out the bonspiel yearbook from 1981.

In 1980 when the bonspiel ran from Jan. 24 to 30, 728 teams competed, the same number as the previous four winters. Rural Manitoba did well, with Brian White and his team of Gerald Gourley, Bill Schneider and Murray Mullin from Swan River winning the bonspiel grand aggregate and one main event, the Sir. John C. Eaton. White beat Kerry Burtnyk of Assiniboine Memorial in the final. In 1984, White became the MP for Dauphin-Swan River.

The Free Press main event went to Bill Paterson’s Portage team of Bob Warburton, Arnold Bachalo and Jim Pallister, who beat Harold Hamilton of Rossmere in the final. The Free Press became a main event after the Henry Birks Trophy was retired following the 1979 bonspiel.

Other events winners were Errol Klinck from Assiniboine Memorial, Arnold Asham of Strathcona, Alex Mowat and Ed Tipping from Elmwood, Bob Jones of the Grain Exchange, Jed Mendella of Rossmere, and Ken Peters from Heather, who was better known as a fastball pitcher with Black Knights and the Winnipeg Colonels. Greg Fines from Balmoral, Orest Meleschuk curling out of Lac du Bonnet, and Stony Mountain’s John Kroeker were other trophy winners from outside the city.

Also featured in the yearbook were the previous year’s provincial champions. Earle Morris and his team of Clare and Garry DeBlonde and Winston Warren from CFB Winnipeg won the Labatt Tankard Trophy, emblematic of the provincial men’s title, for the first time. The brewery took over sponsorship after the British Consols Trophy was withdrawn from competition. White was the runner-up. Garth Strachan from Hamiota won the senior final over Bruce Hudson of Strathcona and Greg Blanchard from Emerson skipped the junior champs. Jim Dunstone from Heather led the mixed championship team of his wife Carol, Del Stitt and Elaine Jones, which later went on to win the Canadian title that winter. 

Unlike today, when the men and women curl under the unified Curl Manitoba umbrella, women had their own association titled the Manitoba Ladies’ Curling Association (MLCA), which was formed in 1924. They had their own yearbook and the 1980-81 book pictured the best from 1980. Donna Brownridge and her team of Patti Vande, Carolyn Hall and Connie Laliberte from East St. Paul Business Girls won the provincial championship.  They also won the Lady Eaton Trophy in the annual MLCA bonspiel. The grand aggregate was captured by Chris Pidzarko’s Granite Business Girls team of Joan McCartney, Sharon Ostermann and Shannon Burns. They also won The Bay Trophy, beating prominent golfer Marg Homeniuk from Selkirk in the final.

Also winning trophies were teams skipped by Bev Behnke of the Fort Garry Business Girls, Pat Brunsdon of the Grain Ex Business Girls, Dorothy McKenzie of Heather, Sharon Litzenberger of Bison Business Girls, Carol Rey of Pembina Business Girls and a junior team from St. Vital skipped by Wanda Kirby. Listed as second on the junior team was Cathi Tardi, known today as TSN curling broadcaster Cathy Gauthier.

Memories of Sport appears every second week in the Canstar Community News weeklies. Kent Morgan can be contacted at 204-489-6641 or email: sportsmemories@canstarnews.com

T. Kent Morgan
Memories of Sport

Memories of Sport appears every second week in the Canstar Community News weeklies. Kent Morgan can be contacted at 204-489-6641 or email: sportsmemories@canstarnews.com

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