Even if things don’t work out for skip Dean Grindheim and his Team Saskatchewan team at this year’s edition of the Canadian Curling Club championships, they will still leave Winnipeg feeling like winners this week.
That’s because their beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders won the Grey Cup in the Manitoba capital on Sunday, ending a 10-season drought for the Green and White.
A national curling title for Grindheim and his team from the Sutherland Club in Saskatoon would be pure gravy.
“Definitely a Riders fan,” said Grindheim, who spent the opening day Tuesday on the sidelines but won his opener Wednesday at the venerable Granite Club to jump to the fray of the seven-team Pool A men’s round-robin standings.
Not that he’s complaining, but Grindheim and his teammates had to tamp down on celebrations after watching the Riders win on television back home in Saskatchewan.
“We took it easy (celebrating) because we knew we had to drive to Winnipeg on Monday morning,” he laughed.
It was also a productive day for the other Team Saskatchewan playing in the women’s competition. Skip Patricia Bibby and her crew from Prince Albert also won its game Wednesday after sitting out the opening draw.
Bibby, who defeated skip Geneva Chislett’s Team Nunavut (0-2; Iqaluit) 15-2 in Pool B play, would break new ground for Saskatchewan women at the competition for grassroots players. Saskatchewan has never won the women’s division in the 15 years it has been played.
Saskatchewan men, on the other hand, have won the competition twice (2010 and 2014).
Grindheim would like to make it three, and a second for a team from the Sutherland Club. Two members of his team, third/vice-skip Darren Camm and lead Mark Steckler were on the Sutherland team that won in 2010. Tyler Camm plays second on Greinheim’s current team.
Grindheim, who lives in Martensville, was almost a national Club champion himself, taking his team to the silver medal in 2021 in Ottawa, losing to Team Nova Scotia on last rock.
So, could a little Winnipeg magic that worked for the Riders strike the two Saskatchewan teams here?
“We’re sure hoping so,” aid Grindheim. “This is our Brier. The organizing committee guy at the opening ceremonies was giving it to us a little, and another guy was talking about some banjo picking. They were picking on Saskatchewan, so we want to give it back to them here.”
The Riders and Winnipeg’s Blue Bombers play in the Canadian Football League’s annual Banjo Game in September and have a fierce rivalry.
So far so good. Grandheim scored early and often to thump Donovan Arey’s Team Northwest Territories (0-2; Inuvik) 13-2 in six ends.
Having an opening bye is not the greatest but Grindheim said he felt right at home on the end sheet at the Granite.
“We caught on to the ice pretty quick,” he said. “We had a chance to practise on that sheet and knew it curled more on one side than the other so we kind of had that advantage.”
Another prairie team got off to a hot start in the men’s Pool A. Alberta’s Team Sterling Hansen from the Calgary Curling Club has raced away to a quick 2-0 round-robin record after defeating Team Newfoundland & Labrador’s Mark Noseworthy (0-2; St. John’s) 9-3. The Albertans share the lead with Bryan Cochrane’s Team Ontario (2-0; Russell) which scored an 8-5 triumph over Team New Brunswick’s Bob Sherrard (0-2; Saint John).
Team Prince Edward Island moved to the head of the men’s Pool B standings with a 2-0 record after skip Dennis Watts’ boys from Cornwall scored an 8-4 win over Team Nova Scotia’s Sebastien LeFort (1-1; Sydney). In other B Pool games, host Manitoba (1-0; Gimli), skipped by Derrick Anderson, defeated Team Nunavut’s Peter Mackey (0-2; Iqaluit) 8-3, and Mitch Young’s Team British Columbia’s (1-1; Cranbrook) shaded Team Quebec’s Ghislain Doyon (0-2; Val-d’Or) 5-4.
Team Alberta’s Michelle Hartwell (2-0; Edmonton) moved to the top of the table in women’s Pool B play after defeating Darlene Gammel’s Team Yukon 6-4. In the other Pool B game, Team British Columbia’s Kesa Woodward (1-1; Duncan) defeated Melissa Morrow’s Team Prince Edward Island (1-1; Crapaud) 8-1.
In women’s Pool A play, Nova Scotia’s Jennifer Connell is riding high (2-0; Berwick) after winning 7-3 over Carina McKay-Saturnino’s Team Northwest Territories (0-2; Inuvik); Team Quebec’s Miriam Perron (1-1; Trois-Rivières) defeated Newfoundland & Labrador’s Marcie Brown 9-4; and Team Ontario’s Lindsay Thorne (1-1; Ottawa) broke from the gate with a close 4-2 win over Team New Brunswick’s Sarah Gaines (1-1, Oromocto).
Teams will be looking to improve their records with two more draws in men’s and women’s play Wednesday afternoon and evening.
The fields are divided into two pools of seven teams. After the round robin, the top four teams from each pool will play in a double knockout that will qualify four teams to the medal round on the weekend.
Both gold-medal games will be played Sunday at 3 p.m.
Qualifiers will be ranked to determine placement.
For event live scores, roster information and live streaming, CLICK HERE.
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