The 2012-13 curling season came to a close April 18 with an evening of entertainment, dinner and awards presentation. About 100 people attended the closing banquet and heard that it had been a pretty darned good year for the club.

The season's award winners represented the fine play that began last fall at the Alberton club and the mixture of old and new faces shows promise for next season as the club seeks to develop and grow.




Paul Arsenault of Valleyview Motors presents the Men's Championship trophy to (L to R) skip Daryl McDonald, Ben Gavin and Dylan Vincent.












The Men's Runner-Up Team (L to R) skip Blaine Hutt, Eric McCarthy and Winston Keough. Paul Arsenault who has been sponsoring the club championships for more than 30 years is on the right.











Paul Arsenault presents the trophy to the Women's Championship Team (L to R) skip Virginia Hutt, Ann Marie Muise, Nancy Doyle and Karlie Lewis.









The Women's Runner-Up Team (L to R) skip Carol Burroughs, Janet Hackett, Cheryl Bell and Hailey Wilson.







The season-long club draws Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays each produced a winning team and they were honoured at the closing banquet.





The Monday Night 1st draw winning team sponsored by St. Felix Golf Course. (L to R) skip Eric McCarthy, Gerald Milligan and Paul Pitre.










The Wednesday Night 1st draw winners sponsored by Castle Building Supplies. Mike Trudeau, Daryl Macdonald, Glen Betts and Russell Campbell.











The Thursday Night 1st draw winning team, sponsored by FJ Shea Store, is represented by Gifford Costain.












The Monday Night 2nd draw winners sponsored by Regal Cresting. (L to R) skip Freddy Fraser, David Bell, Cheryl Bell and Lynn Adams.












The Wednesday Night 2nd draw winners sponsored by the Medicine Shoppe. Mary Ellen Rennie of the Shoppe presents the team (L to R) skip Kevin Ellsworth, Freddy Fraser, Blaine Hutt and Colin Bell.










The Thursday Night 2nd draw winners sponsored by Home Hardware. (L to R) skip Dylan Vincent, Maurice Poirier and Kathleen Poirier.








And to round up the winners category, the rookies of the year were announced by WCCC board member Audrey Callaghan. Alvin Hackette and Sharon Handrahan were this year's selections.

 

While not new, it's worth celebrating the performance of the WCCC stick curling duo of John Vincent and Walter Callaghan who repeated as PEI stick curling champions and went on to the nationals this year.





The Past President of Curling PEI Shirley Lank officially presents John (L) and Walter their banner as Provincial Stick Curling Champions for 2012-2013.











A few photos of the socializing and entertainment at the club prior to the banquet:

                                    



 



                                        


                                    


The Year End Funspiel sponsored by Leslie Hardy & John Griffin took place April 5 - 7 and 19 teams competed in the popular annual event this year. When the action was over, Blair Jay's team emerged the winner.






Leslie Hardy (L) presents the trophy to the A division winning team of (L to R) skip Blair Jay, Heather Bernard, Gerald Casey and Debbie Casey.
















The A division runners up (L to R) skip Iva Griffin, Allison Griffin, Pete Larter and Melissa Clements.














The B division winners (L to R) skip Walter Callaghan, John Vincent, Frances Ellsworth and Donna Callaghan.







The B division runner-up team (L to R) skip Leslie Noye, Jacob Wilkins,  Dylon Vincent and Alex Ramsay.










The C division winners (L to R) skip Leslie Hardy, Wendell Hardy, Sandra MacLean and Bernard Reily.









The C division runners-up (L to R) skip Alan Adams, Robert Henderson, Alvin Hackett and Janet Hackett.






                                    


        PEI rinks sweep Stick Curling National Championship finals

It was a clean sweep for PEI rinks in the final draw of the Canadian Stick Curling Championship at the Cornwall Curling Club, with host club rinks winning the Open and Women’s championship games, and the Open division Consolation final, and a Montague team taking the Bronze Medal game.

The Open Division (any combination of men and women) was won by the Paul Field/Roddie MacLean duo from Cornwall, who knocked off the defending champion Earl Stephenson/Warren Johnson twosome from Winnipeg by a 6-2 score.

The women’s event, new this year, was won by the hometown team of Ruth Stavert and Eileen Blanchard, who beat the Jean Marie Denning/Alye Lou McCarthy duo from Fredericton, NB, by a 6-5 score.





National Stick Curling Mens Champions 2013 (L-R): Roddie MacLean and Paul Field with event organizer Shirley Lank













National Stick Curling Mens Champion Runners-up 2013 (L-R): Earl Stephenson, Bob Leard of Stick Curling PEI and sponsor of “Bob’s Stick”, Warren Johnson











National Stick Curling Womens Champions 2013 (L-R): Ruth Stavert, Bob Leard of Stick Curling PEI and Bob’s Stick, Eileen Blanchard











National Stick Curling Championship womens runners-up 2013 Jean Marie Denning and Alye Lou McCarthy with Bob Leard (centre) of Stick Curling PEI and owner of “Bob’s Stick”







There were six teams from the Alberton clurling club at the competition and, while they did not make it to the podium, theyrepresented our club well. They were the two person teams of Eddie Bernard/Roger Gavin, Walter Callaghan/John Vincent, Bill Glydon/Harvey MacEwan, Alvin Hackett/Janet Hackett, Fr. Art Pendergast/Fidele Richard and Ann Barwise/Audrey Callaghan.

Action shots from a few of the 12 players from the WCCC who were in Cornwall for the National Championships.






40 Open division and 10 Women’s division teams took part in the 9th annual Stick Curling Championship- this is the first time the event was held east of Winnipeg.

Next year’s championship will be held in St. Albert, Alberta.


                                    


The 2013 version of the Blue Book spiel took place the weekend of March 30 and Daryl  Macdonald's team played its way to victory at the WCCC.






The A division winners receive their trophy from Doug Fraser of alberton fisheries. The team (L to R) are skip Daryl Macdonald, Eric McCarthy, Russell Campbell and Audrey Callaghan













The A division runners-up (L to R) skip Blain Hutt, Virginia Hutt Shirley Hutt and Brent Costain















The B division winning team (L to R) skip John Vincent, Maurice Perry, Alvin Hackett and Donna Callaghan
















The B division runners-up (L to R) Glen Betts, Ian Macmillan, Amy Macmillan and Bobby Jean Macmillan















The C division winners (L to R) skip Leslie Hardy, Leslie Noye, Robbie Williams and Alan Hardy













The C division runners-up (L to R) Paul Wood, Lowell Morrison, Rodney Ellis and Rickey Cooke









                                    



The 2013 Dominion Legion Curling Champion team is the Manitoba/NW. Ontario team skipped by Blair Goethals from the Deloraine Legion. The foursome beat the Nova Scotia/Nunavut squad 6-3 in Sunday's tie-breaker.

The two rinks finished round robin play with identical 5-1 win-loss records to force the tiebreaker. The host PEI ’s Mel Bernard team of the Summerside legion branch finished tied for third with Quebec and Saskatchewan, at 3-3, while BC/Yukon and Newfoundland and Labrador both ended play with one win and five losses.

Mike Atkinson of the Dominion Command Sports Committee presented the trophy to the winning Manitoba/NW Ontario rink (R to L) skip Blair Goethals, third Barry Sunaert, second Dale Doethals and lead Lorne Sambrook. On the left is Eldon Doucette, provincial sports chair of PEI Command and on the right is host committee co-chair Geoffrey Irving.

The major curling event came to a close Wed., March 20, with an evening banquet and awards presentation at the host St. Anthony's Legion in Bloomfield.

The Championship took place March 16-20, 2013, at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton, PEI. Seven teams competed for the top prize in the event.

The event was hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #27 from nearby Bloomfield and PEI was represented by the Mel Bernard rink from Summerside. The other teams were from BC/Yukon, Saskatchewan, Manitoba/N.Ontario, Quebec,Nova Scotia/Nunavut and Newfoundland and Labrador.

The stirring opening ceremonies on March 17 (St. Patrick's Day) set the tone for the event as the teams were marched on and off to the sound of a trumpeter and a piper.




Team PEI, the Mel Bernard rink from Summerside, in the thick of the action on day two of the Legion championship.(R to L) Skip Mel Bernard, third Blair Jay, second Lou Nowlan and lead Earle Proude. The team was 2-0 after three draws, having had a bye in draw one.





Very early action as the championship got underway after the official opening. Six teams hit the ice while the PEI team had a bye in the first draw.

                                    


The storm/power outage delayed Saunders Variety Spiel was concluded on March 15 and the winner of this annual event at the WCCC was John Vincent's team.







The A division winners (L to R) skip John Vincent, Benny Gavin, John Handrahan and Donna Callaghan

















Pete Larter represented the A division runnner-up team skipped by Freddy Fraser. Wendy Fraser and Mandela Fraser completed the foursome
















The B division winning team (L to R) Winston Keough, Paul
Potrero and Frances Ellsworth. Skip Eric McCarthy could not be present.








C Division winners (L to R) skip Leslie Noye, Jacob Wilkins, Dylan Vincent and Alex Ramsay C Division runners-up (L to R) skip Bob Henderson, Megan Henderson, Alvin Hacket, andt Janet Hackett


                                    


Sharon Horne and her host club rink of of Kim Ellsworth, Wendy Fraser and Alison Griffin have won the 2013 PEI Dominion championship, defeating the Cornwall Curling Club team in the final draw Sunday, March 10 at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton.

On the men's side, it was a repeat win for the Crapaud Community Curling Club's Allan Inman rink with a close 8-7 victory over Blair Jay and his team from the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside.

The Horne and Inman rinks now advance to the national The Dominion Curling Club Championship, November 18-23, 2013 at the Fort William Curling Club in Thunder Bay Ontario.

Six men's teams and six women's team from across the Island took part in the competition.








Shelley Gray of the PEI Curling Association (L) presents the winning women's team of (L to R) skip Sharon Horne, Kim Ellsworth, Wendy Fraser and Alison Griffin.













A sweet victory for the WCCC ladies team in the six team competition. Next: Thunder Bay, Ontario, in November













The ladies runner-up team from the Cornwall Curling Club (L to R) skip Lorianne Davies, Morgan Kirkham, Tracy MacDonald and Lynda Turnbull













Shelley Gray of the PEI Curling Association presents the men's winning team from the Crapaud Community Curling Club. (L to R) skip Allan Inman, Stephen Thomson, Gordon Fall and Tony Quigley











The men's runner-up team (L to R) skip Blair Jay, Sandy Rundle, Chuck Jayand Gerald Caissy










The opening ceremony at the start of the 2013 PEI Dominion championship at the WCCC with teams blanketing the rink. It was the start of a fine weekend of curling action in Alberton.



Weekend Action en route to the championship final Sunday, March 10






           



                                    


The WCCC boys Under-16 team put on a fine display of curling and was the silver medallist at the provincial championships played at the Crapaud curling club in early March. The event saw eight boy
Boy’s Runners Up:  L- R  Gayle Johnston of Curl PEI, Roger Gavin Coach, Alex Ramsay Lead, Dylan Vincent 2nd stone, Jacob Wilkins 3rd  stone, Leslie Noye Skip and Sponsor David O’Connor of O’Connor Glass Ltd.
Photo courtesy of peicurling.com



                                    

The Curl PEI Provincial Stick Curling Championship was won by the host Western Community Curling Club rink of John Vincent and Walter Callaghan. They beat the Cornwall Curling Club's Roddie MacLean and Paul Field in the final on March 7, 2013.

Both rinks will advance to the Maritime Stick Curling Championship, March 12-14 in Montague, and the Canadian Open Stick Curling Championship in at the Cornwall Curling Club from April 1-4.






The PEI Men's Stick Curling champions for 2013 John Vincent (L) and Walter Callaghan receive their trophy from Audrey Callaghan of the WCCC.











The PEI Men's Stick Curling championship runner-up team of Roddie MacLean (L) and Paul Field from Cornwall are presented by Audrey Callaghan of the WCCC.






                                    


The Credit Union Funspiel held the weekend of February 16 at the WCCC saw Bob Matheson's team win the big prize after a few days of spirited competition.




Credit Union CEO Louis Shea presents the trophy to the A division winners (L to R) skip Bob Matheson, Paul Wood, Maurice Poirier and Isabel Avery.










The A division runner-up team (L to R) skip Ian Macmillan, Alan Gaudet, Shirley Murphy and Audrey Callaghan.












The B division winners (L to R) skip Roger Gavin, Daryl Macdonald, Roy Gavin and John Handrahan.














The B division runner-up team (L to R) skip Eldon Hardy, Fr. Art Pendergast, Winston Keough and Dale Howard.












The C division winners (L to R) skip Leslie Noye, Jacob Wilkins, Dylan Vincent and Alex Ramsay.










The C division runner-up team (L to R) skip Kevin Ellsworth, Kim Ellsworth, Paul Pitre and Frances Ellsworth.









                                    


The annual A & E Funspiel at the WCCC took place January 11-13 and members had a good weekend of friendly competition. In the end, Bob Matheson's team emerged as the winners of the event.





Funspiel co-sponsor Eldon Hardy presents the trophy to the A Division winning team of Bob Matheson, Judy MacIssac, Paul Wood and Jeff MacIssac.









A Division runners-up (L to R) skip Freddie Fraser, Virginia Hutt, Dale Howard and Janet Hackett.











B Division winners (L to R) skip Alan Adams, Winston Keough, Billie Lewis and Alvin Hackett.












B Division runners-up (L to R) skip Roger Gavin, Dylan Vincent, Marg Malone and John Handrahan.












C Division winners (L to R) skip Ian MacMillan, Iva Griffin and Richard Gorrill.










C Division runners-up (L to R) skip John Vincent, Gerald Milligan and Donna Callaghan.






                                       


The New Year was kicked off at the Western Community Curling Club January 4-5 with the Provincial Legion Championship. Four teams competed for the right to represent PEI at the Legion nationals and Mel Bernard's team from Summerside took the honours.

The Bernard team will now represent the Island at the National Legion Championship to be held at the WCCC in March.

The Bloomfield team skipped by Kevin Ellsworth, which took the provincial championship last year, finished in second place. The other teams competing were from Wellington and Charlottetown.





Eldon Doucette, Legion Provincial Command Sports Chair, presents the winner's troply to (L to R) skip  Mel Bernard,  Blair Jay, Lou Nowlan and Earl Proud.












Eldon Doucette (Centre) with the runner up team of (L to R) Kevin Ellsworth, Blaine Hutt, David Bell and John Ellsworth.









The championship was opened with provincial legion and WCCC officials welcoming the teams to the Alberton curling club for the annual competition.



Alan Curtis, Chairman of the PEI Commmand of the Legion and representing the Bloomfield branch, officially opens the championship.

He is flanked by (L) Eldon Doucette the sports chairman of the provincial command and (R) Fr. Art Pendergast, president of the WCCC.






  

                      The teams line up for the official opening of the championship.

The winner of the weekend championship will represent Prince Edward Island at the Legion Nationals which, this year, will be held right here at the WCCC in late March.

                                       

The first formal event of this new curling season, the Teddy Bear Funspiel, was held the first week of December and Matthew Maclean's all-boys team came out the winner.

There were eight teams in the competition which has been part of the Alberton-based club for quite a few years.




WCCC President Fr. Art Pendergast presents the trophy to the A Division winning team. They are (L to R) Matthew Maclean, Marshall Smallman, Kevin Gallant and Alan Maclean.











The A Division runner-up team of (L to R) Blaine Hutt, Freddy Fraser and Shirley Hutt. Wendy Fraser could not be present for the photos.












The B Division winning team of (L to R) Leslie Noye, Kent Noye, Dylan Vincent and Jacob Wilkins.











The B Division runner up team of (L to R) Rick Hardy, Ben Gavin, Russell Campbell ande Robbie Robertson.







                                       


The new curling season has arrived despite the green grass and mild fall temperatures. The WCCC folks have the rink ready and are kicking things off with an open house November 1, 2 and 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. each evening.

Drop in for a visit, take advantage of the free curling, meet old and new curling friends at the club in Alberton. Club members will be glad to help new or potentially new curlers.

The regular curling schedule will begin soon. Fall draws, special events and bonspiels for the season will be announced and posted here when things are all set up.

We hope to see you at the club.