Glenora Curling Club hosts first bonspiel of 2026
With the first curling bonspiel under their belts, the Glenora Curling Club’s (Club) season is off to an A+ start.
On January 2nd and 3rd, their annual 3-person funspiel was held, with 8 rinks entered. The goal of the event was to have fun, and there was no shortage of that. The peals of laughter were drowning out the calls of the Skips, who, in all honesty, were also embroiled in the hilarity.
It was a lot of infectious fun that made everyone in attendance smile.
We spoke with Shawn VanDamme, the chief ice maker/organizer/planner, who shared a little secret with us.
“Our ice is so keen this year! We have made a few changes, and one in particular has made an enormous difference in our curling ice. We still use the plastic rings, but we have replaced the white silage tarps with white ice paint, which has made a really positive difference.
“The most significant change we made this year has significantly improved the quality of our ice; we switched from regular water to distilled water for pebbling. Without the excessive calcium and other minerals slowing down the rocks, the ice is so nice.” (‘near perfect’, I heard quite a few people say).
Shawn shared that the Club is also slated for some upgrades over the next year as funds permit.
“We will be adding cameras to the far end of the ice, hooked up to screens in the viewing area so spectators can see what is going on at the other end of the ice. It is impossible to see what is going on down there, so right now you can only see half the game.”
Cypress Technology Solutions will be doing the expert installation of this equipment.
Ongoing fundraisers will help move upcoming projects forward. The next one is a steak fry on January 24th during the four-person team bonspiel being held January 23-25.
The skating rink in Glenora is also open and free for everyone to use.
There are plans to add a wood stove in the warm-up shack when funds permit, with fundraising ongoing for that project as well.
February 16 is the much-anticipated Junior Bonspiel!
Juniors can enter as a three-person team or individually. It is a great way for tots to learn to curl and have fun with their friends. All ages are encouraged to join.
Donations of prizes for this event would be greatly appreciated.
The Glenora Curling Club would like to publicly thank the Clearwater Curling Club for the generous donation of an ice scraper. This donation clearly demonstrates the support between neighbouring community Clubs in their efforts to keep curling strong in all of our communities for generations to come.
The kitchen is serving some amazing rink burgers, and the ice is keen. What else do you need to know? The Glenora Curling Club is ready to welcome you!
For more info or to register a rink in a bonspiel, contact Shawn VanDamme at 204-825-7570.
PHOTO CAPTION: Taking first place in the Glenora 3-person Funspiel was the rink of (l. to r.) Bill Odell, Doug Wilson and Mark Lebeau over Shawn Van Damme, Jackson Van Damme and Desmond Lebeau. PHOTO BY SUZANNE PADDOCK
