Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Vince Fedoroff

NEW LOOK – The ice at the Whitehorse Curling Club features green and blue rings this season.

Schamber rink rolls to victory in mixed bonspiel

Ken Schamber’s foursome was the unlikely winner of the 2015 Tetra Tech EBA Mixed Bonspiel last weekend.

By Marcel Vander Wier on November 20, 2015

Ken Schamber’s foursome was the unlikely winner of the 2015 Tetra Tech EBA Mixed Bonspiel last weekend.

The 45-year-old’s rink was the last to register for the first bonspiel of the season, and was basically a throw-together team.

Still, the group of Schamber, Christopher McKay, Evelyn Pasichnyk and Pete Currie curled its way into the winner’s circle with a 51-point performance.

Frank Taylor’s rink took second place, finishing just one point behind, while Lee Malanchuk’s team finished third with 49 points.

“I didn’t expect to do as well as we did,” said Schamber, who returned to the local curling scene last season.

“We were a last-minute, throw-together team. The event itself was fun enough that I know I’m going to do it again next year.”

Twelve teams competed in the event. Action began late Friday night and wrapped up Sunday, followed by an awards banquet.

All games consisted of six ends with a modified scoring format that saw two points awarded to winner of the end, and one point to the loser.

Blank ends resulted in a single point for each team.

Both Schamber and Taylor finished with 4-0-1 records through their five games.

“It was my first time playing that format and I clearly enjoyed it,” said Schamber. “It levels the playing field.

“I had one strategy, and that was put a lot of rocks up front. And then occasionally I would make my shot.”

Meanwhile, Taylor’s rink helped organized the event. The 57-year-old curled alongside his wife, Frances Taylor, as well as Scott and Darlene Gammell.

“Our wives basically ran it,” Frank Taylor said. “They did all the leg work. ... They’ve been buying the prizes for over a year, getting ready for it.”

Taylor said the format gives every team a chance to earn victory, no matter what experience.

“If we do it again, we’re going to try and get the Friday night league more involved,” he added.

This Sunday, junior curlers will take over the sheets at the club as the 2015 Suzanne Bertrand Junior Bonspiel runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bertrand, a longtime volunteer and curling coach, lost her battle with cancer in February 2010. She was 62.

Then on Monday, the 2015 Travelers Curling Club Championship begins in Ottawa.

Yukon will be represented by Jim Sias and Jody Smallwood.

Comments (1)

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Scott gammel on Nov 20, 2015 at 5:45 pm

Nice photo, would be better if it was an actual photo from the mixed bonspiel and not a photo from a league night.

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