Teams from nineteen different communities and curling clubs, including the first team to compete at the Manitoba Men’s championship in over 90 years from the south-central Manitoba community of Holland, earned provincial Men’s and Women’s championship entries on the December 9-10 weekend.
Jeremy Sundell skipped his Holland team to three straight wins to earn the first berth available in Clearwater. The last time a Holland team competed in the men’s championship, the team was skipped by Francis Campbell in 1934. They had a 1W-1L record at the British Consols that year.
Across both the Viterra and Scotties regionals, the clubs which earned multiple provincial entries include Assiniboine Memorial (2 Women, 1 Men), Dauphin (2 Men, 1 Women), Burntwood (1 Men), Brandon (2 Men), Carman (1 Men, 1 Women), Charleswood (2 Men), and Heather (2 Women). Single entries in the Men’s championship were earned by teams from Baldur, Beausejour, Deer Lodge, Fort Rouge, Gladstone, Holland, La Salle, Pembina, Stonewall, St. Vital, Virden and Winnipeg Beach.
SCOTTIES QUALIFYING: The 2024 Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Morden added the final six entries as a result of Scotties regional qualifying.
Joining the six previously qualified teams are Emily Cherwinski and Rachel Kaatz (AMCC), as well as Emma Jensen and Zoey Terrick (Heather), who earned the four Winnipeg berths. In rural Manitoba Tiffany Armstrong (Dauphin) and Shaela Hayward (Carman) won the two available Scotties entries.
The first six qualified teams were CTRS berth recipients Kate Cameron, Kaitlyn Lawes, and Beth Peterson; Manitoba Curling Tour berth recipients Jolene Campbell and Lisa McLeod; and berth bonspiel winner Kristy Watling.
The Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by RME will be played January 23-28, 2024 in Morden.
Canadian champion Kerri Einarson and Manitoba champion Jennifer Jones and their teams have pre-qualified for the national Scotties.
VITERRA QUALIFYING: On the men’s side, across Manitoba 36 teams played off for 20 available entries in to the Viterra Championship in Stonewall. One, the northern berth, had an additional entry and the berth was awarded to Grant Brown (Burntwood).
In Winnipeg, a Deer Lodge team skipped by Steen Sigurdson; Charleswood teams skipped by Darren Perche and Devon Wiebe; Pembina’s Daniel Birchard team; and St. Vital’s Thomas McGillivary team won Viterra berths. Greg Blanchard, skipping and throwing lead stones for the AMCC Joey Witherspoon entry, and Hayden Forrester, skipping the Fort Rouge Cyrus Brandt entry, also led their teams to berth invitations.
In Virden, Jace Freeman (Virden), Cale Dunbar (Brandon) and Steve Irwin (Brandon) earned the three available berths.
In Dauphin, local teams skipped by Greg Todoruk & Glenn Toews and Jeff Stewart (Gladstone) won the three berths.
In Clearwater, along with Sundell’s team, Dean North (Carman), and Jesse Janz (Baldur) took home the coveted berths.
In Gimli, Emerson Klimpke (Stonewall), Justin Reynolds (Winnipeg Beach), and Justin Richter (Beausejour) won the three berths.
In La Salle, one berth was available and it was won by Mark Lowdon’s La Salle team.
Four berths into the Viterra Championship remain to be filled. They will come from the Brandon (1) and Manitoba Open (3) Bonspiels.
The defending champion’s entry was vacated when Matt Dunstone’s team was prequalified for the Brier. Therefore the teams which had already qualified to compete in Stonewall before the weekend’s play began include:
** Reid Carruthers (CTRS)
** Ryan Wiebe (CTRS)
** Braden Calvert (MCT)
** Jordon McDonald (MCT)
** Sean Grassie (MCT)
** Riley Smith (MCT)
** Brett Walter (Berth bonspiel winner)
Manitoba’s Viterra Championship will be played February 6-11, 2024 at Veteran’s Memorial Sports Complex in Stonewall.
