Annual International Bonspiel to wrap-up curling season

The 2007-08 curling season might be nearing an end, but the Whitehorse Curling Club still has one more prominent event to host before this can happen.

The 2007-08 curling season might be nearing an end, but the Whitehorse Curling Club still has one more prominent event to host before this can happen.

The 56th Annual International Bonspiel will be held from March 27-30 and it will officially conclude the season for the curling club.

“The International gives any and all the opportunity of participating in this prestigious event by helping us celebrate the season and putting a final chapter to the year,“ said the Whitehorse Curling Club’s business manager Jon Solberg.

“We have a slogan this year, ‘rock out the season with us’ and I guess the whole point of having a year-end bonspiel like this is to celebrate the year that we have had together.“

The International is one of the largest and most historic bonspiels hosted at the curling club.

There are two separate sections of competition for men and women and the event is open to anyone 12 years old and over.

Currently, there are 17 men’s and 13 women’s teams signed up to participate, but registration for the bonspiel will remain open until 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Curlers have the option of registering as team, which costs a total of $240 or registering individually, which costs $60. If a team is short by one, or more players, the curling club would contact a curler on the individual signup list and try to match him or her up with the best possible fit.

Registration can be done through email at , by phone at 667-2875 or in person anytime during the club’s business hours, which are from 8:30 and 4:30 p.m. and then again in the evening from 6 p.m. until midnight.

Presently, there are eight teams from outside of Whitehorse competing in the International Bonspiel.

Three of the teams are from Fairbanks, Alaska, while one team is coming from Tennessee and the others are from the Yukon communities.

Curlers at the bonspiel are competing for a wide variety of prizes that the curling club has purchased for the event.

There is more than $5,000 worth of prizes for the bonspiel, ranging anywhere from $50 to $150 each.

Draw prizes will also be given out during the four-day competition and there will be 50/50 draws for each of the four days as well. The draw prizes will include return air fares to Vancouver, Edmonton or Calgary with Air North, valued at $500 each.

A banquet will also be held on Saturday, March 29 from 5-7 p.m. and will feature live entertainment. Curlers in the International will get in for free, while extra meal tickets cost $20 per person.

The International Bonspiel will begin on Thursday, March 27 and will feature a more traditional curling format, using ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ Event categories for both the men’s and women’s competitions.

This format favours the more skilled curlers and as long as a competitor keeps winning, he or she will remain in the ‘A’ event.

Curlers at the International are guaranteed at least three games and some will play upwards of six all together.

Prize winners will all play on Sunday, March 30, which will include the top four men’s teams in each event.

For the women’s division, around 10 teams will compete on Sunday, but this could change depending on how many more teams sign up before Tuesday’s deadline.

The team that finishes first in the ‘A’ event will have first selection at the prize table.

This will occur at an awards banquet in the Grey Mountain room, which will follow Sunday’s competition.

Prizes are purchased with the registration fees.

Sponsorship funds also help to cover the expenses for the bonspiel.

Each event at the bonspiel has a specific sponsor. The High Country Inn is sponsoring the Men’s ‘A’ Event, Casa Loma Motel is the sponsor for the Men’s ‘B’ Event, Canada Flooring Enterprises Ltd is the ‘C’ Event sponsor and Boston Pizza is sponsoring the Men’s ‘D’ Event.

Northland Beverages is the sponsor for the Women’s ‘A’ Event, while the Women’s ‘B’ Event is sponsored by Arctic Star Printing Inc. The Yukon News is sponsoring the Women’s ‘C’ Event and Westmark hotels and inns is sponsoring the Women’s ‘D’ Event. Other major sponsors of the bonspiel include Skookum Asphalt and Air North.