Chad Sallenback’s rink from Terrace won the A event of the 64th annual Loggers Bonspiel that took place in Terrace this weekend from March 29 to 31.
Mike Dahms’ rink from Red Deer took the winning seat of the B event. The C event top title was given to Ron Vanderstar’s rink and the D event was taken by Al Parker’s rink, both from Smithers.
With 37 men’s teams playing a total of 91 games at the Terrace Curling Club, male curlers came from all across B.C. to participate in the annual event to fundraise money for the club.
“It’s a big turnout for us this year… we have some highly competitive teams which is why we get curlers from all over here,” says Wayne Julseth, chair of the Loggers Bonspiel. “Even people that don’t curl regularly come for the bonspiel.”
This year from entry fees alone, the Loggers Bonspiel raised almost $6,000 to help the Terrace Curling Club maintain its rink and events. They also received approximately $16,500 in sponsored prizes, such as fishing trips, helicopter rides and gas-powered leaf blowers, which will be given out to winners and in raffles throughout the weekend.
“It definitely attracts people, it’s one of the richer bonspiels in the province,” says Julseth. “This is an expensive facility to run and we’ve had some expensive years… this is the biggest fundraiser we get for the club.”
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Approximately 150 men were registered in the Loggers Bonspiel, aged 20 to 80, but he says that it was not a male-only weekend and everybody is always welcomed to their events.
“It’s a good time here, it’s good clean family fun too. There are kids running around for the most part of the day.”
Julseth says he’s happy to have seen such a great turnout and appreciates all the community support they’ve been continuously receiving to keep the Terrace Curling Club going.
“Curling has been a dying sport for the last number of years, but the club has been doing really well in membership,” he says. “They’ve been successful in encouraging more people to play and our membership shows that we’re on a steady incline.”
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Although Julseth didn’t participate in this year’s Loggers Bonspiel due to a knee injury from skiing, he says curling has given him a different perspective to meeting people.
“You get exposed to people you normally wouldn’t be exposed to… it’s a real mix group here, everything from blue collar to business owners,” Julseth says. “In my point of view, this is one the greatest sports on earth because it provides this great community that goes along with it.”
