The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Marc Jackson Snow Lake Writer Joseph H. Kerr School's Annual Cordwood Bonspiel took place over two days on the weekend of March 16 at the good old Wilfred T. Lipton. It was great to once again see the arena full and bustling with kids and their parents. This of course used to be a nightly spectacle, but of late it is just occasions such as these that bring back the loud laughter and joyful jostling that goes hand in hand with kids having fun! If folks think back to their own childhood, preparations for the cordwood began long before the event itself took place. At one time you had to make your own rock and that sometimes took weeks of peeling, carving, and preening till that old piece of spruce or poplar would look at home on any sheet at the Brier. Then ya banged a big spike into it and bent it over to make a handle; took it up to the rink and rifled it down the ice for all you were worth. Back then, they also had the name tag contest! Where you got poster paper and some of Mom's unused fabric, coloured pencils and Mark-a-lots, then combined them with a catchy slogan or name and left the rest to the judges. Well the rocks are all made for you now days, but the name tag contest is still a big part of the event. The winners of that affair this year were: Christian Fisher, Brenden Smith, Griffon Neufeld, Kyla Spruyt, Magenta Fourier, and Taelor Kowalchuk. Usually there are three or four events in the annual spiel, but with the current lack of youngsters in the lower grades, it has been pared down to two. Those events and their winners were: Legion Event - Kyla Spruyt rink of third Isabelle Lamontange-Miller, second Shayanne Stephen and lead Allie Galiz Curling Club - Holly McLaughlin rink of third Duan de la Roche, second Ciara Fourie and lead Tyler Doak. It should also be noted that prior the presentation of the trophies and ensuing pick-a-prize, a special presentation was made by Cordwood Committee Chairperson Rylee Galiz and member Shannon Bartlett to Jodie Kowalchuk. Bartlett presented her with a flower arrangement and Galiz thanked her for her numerous years of involvement with the event. As for the weekend itself, very obviously, a great time was enjoyed by all! Along with the youngsters' cordwood, Snow Lake's Annual Adult Cordwood Bonspiel also took place at the Wilfred T. Lipton Arena, but only on the evening of Friday, March 16. Nevertheless, 12 teams _ as many as were in the kid's spiel _ vied for $225 in prize money. Almost, but not quite as noisy as the kids who had just exited the ice surface, at about 6 p.m., the adults settled into the hacks on six sheets of nicely laid out ice and fired rocks to their heart's content. Some managed to stay upright, but many (maybe it was just our sheet) reached the far end of the ice by either rolling on their sides or sliding on the handle. See 'Brooms...'on pg. 11 Continued from pg. 9 Many groups dispensed with brooms as it is common knowledge that they don't do a lick of good out there, and if one felt the need to lean on something, the arena boards are the perfect height. After the last chunk of seasoned birch wobbled haphazardly down the ice, the winners were declared. They were: 1st ($100) - Dana Kowalchuk rink of Colleen Cairns, Kristen Cheyne and Ashley St. Croix 2nd ($75) - Cole Dunbar rink of Sydney Coulson, Joan Gogal and Kade Korchinski 3rd ($50) - Kim Gogal rink of Brad Gogal, Debbie Marsollier and John Marsollier The event was loads of fun, lots of laughs, and a great way to spend a Friday night. Everyone agreed that a big pat on the back should go to the organizers for a job well done! Closing out my column on curling, Snow Lake's Kelly Peterson rink of third Judy Peterson, second Darcy Tower and lead Leone Jackson arrived back in the community a little tired of sweeping, but with eight inches of fresh snow on the ground, they were just in time to do some shoveling! After winning one of two zone berths in early February, the mixed foursome earned the right to take part in the Provincial Mixed Championships held at Winnipeg's Fort Rouge Curling Club from March 22 to 26. The team felt they did well at the event, coming home with a 2-5 record. All their games were competitive and several could have gone either way right up to the last end. The other team winning a berth in February was Thompson's Ferrol Asham rink (third Snow Lake's Jennifer Rolles). They finished with a record of 3-4.
