LAC LA BICHE - The past season went well for the Lac La Biche and District Curling Club, says president Dylan Maskalyk.
According to Maskalyk, throughout the season, which got underway in October, the club had curlers of all ages out on the Bold Centre home ice, there were two leagues all year, as well as drop-in curling that had a steady turnout. Furthermore, the club hosted Fun Friday events designed to garner more community interest in the sport, along with four bonspiels.
“We hosted the most events through the season than we did since before we moved to the Bold Centre 12 years ago,” Maskalyk told Lakeland This Week.
The bonspiels held by the club during the 2023-2024 season ran from December to April, with the most recent competition, the Mixed Bonspiel, wrapping up the season during the April 5 weekend.
The first, the annual Funspiel, took place in December, which featured 16 teams and used, according to Maskalyk, “fun rules” as well as off-ice fun for all competitors to have a great time.
The Men’s Bonspiel, whereby curlers traditionally don the jerseys of their favourite hockey teams before hitting the ice, took place on Jan. 20. Later in the evening, the competitors gathered to watch the Battle of Alberta Hockey game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames. Prizes were given out at the end of the day.
This was followed by the Ladies Bonspiel, which the Lac La Biche and District Curling Club hosted in March and a Great Outdoors theme.
“Teams dressed up and enjoyed a fun weekend with lots of curling and prizes,” Maskalyk said.
A total of 24 teams converged on Lac La Biche for the final competition of the year, the Mixed Bonspiel, which took place from April 4-7. The season wrap-up also included a party on the night of Saturday, April 6 with live musical entertainment.
The bonspiels, along with a yearly casino held in Fort McMurray, help raise funds to support the club from year to year.
“Through donations of local businesses at our bonspiels, these help us bring these events together and keep the bills paid,” he said.
The local curling club also gained a few more members as well as teams this past season and saw the resurrection of the junior curling program, which had been on hiatus for a few years. Maskalyk thanked Ashley Twigge for taking over and hosting a successful season, adding that the club looks forward to continuing with the program to grow the exposure of the sport of curling to youth in the community.
“We are hoping for the program to grow next year,” he said.
The ice is now out, and the rink shut down as the club begins planning for the upcoming season starting in October.
As to what the upcoming curling will look like, Maskalyk said the club plans to kick off again in late October, with the Oilmen’s hosting their long-running bonspiel early in the season followed by the first club bonspiel of the year, the Funspiel, in December.
