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It will be a busy weekend at the Nanaimo Curling Club with two separate bonspiels taking over the pebbled ice.
On Saturday they are hosting their annual family bonspiel and on Sunday they welcome in some of their more physically challenged athletes for a sticks and stones bonspiel.
The family 'spiel will be filled out with 16 different teams and will pit family against family in a fun tournament, getting underway at 9: 30 a.m.
With some rinks up to three generations of curlers will be making up the foursome.
"Curling is one of the few sports where you can do that and have all the generations out there," said Nanaimo Curling Club junior coordinator Kelly Rice who is running the tournament.
Local junior curlers are encouraged to get their families out for the event every year and it has served a successful tool in growing the sport in Nanaimo.
"We've brought in moms and dads into curling, just from them spending time here watching their kids curl," said Rice, adding it is a four-end, five-draw bonspiel that adds up points at the end of the day to determine its champion.
The sticks and stones bonspiel brings out local wheel chair athletes and those who are unable to get down in the hack - they curl with a push stick with no sweepers.
Rice says this is a growing demographic for curling in Nanaimo, one they have taken great care to expand.
"Since we put in the elevator and ramp two or three years ago, we've been able to develop our wheelchair curling team and this year two of our curlers . . . we're presenting them with their B.C. jackets before they go off to nationals," she said.
Ellis Tull and Corinne Jensen recently won the B.C. championship as part of the Darryl Neighbour rink in Kamloops and they are heading off to Thunder Bay on March 18-25 in search of a Canadian crown.
The bonspiel this weekend will feature eight two-member teams playing six-end, six-rock games and will get underway at 9: 30 a.m.
Come on down and check it out if you want to see a different spin on the sport.
MUST WIN FOR SILVERTIPS
The North Island Silvertips are in a must win situation this weekend as they host the Okanagan Rockets in a two-game set at the Nanaimo Ice Centre on Saturday (5: 15 p.m.) and Sunday (10: 30 a.m.).
Thanks to their split last weekend with the Fraser Valley Bruins, the Silvertips (17-17-4) find themselves one point behind the Bruins (16-15-7) and the Valley West Hawks (18-17-3) for the final spot in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League playoffs.
The Bruins play the Vancouver NE Chiefs (21-13-4) twice while the Hawks have two games with South Island T-Birds (3-28-7).
PIRATES EXHIBITION
The B.C. Pacific Baseball League Nanaimo Pirates have four exhibition games this weekend at Serauxman Stadium.
On Saturday they host the Victoria Mariners in a double header at noon and 2: 30 p.m. On Sunday they have a double dip with the Parksville Royals also at noon and 2: 30 p.m.
JAldrich@nanaimodailynews 250-729-4243
On Saturday they are hosting their annual family bonspiel and on Sunday they welcome in some of their more physically challenged athletes for a sticks and stones bonspiel.
The family 'spiel will be filled out with 16 different teams and will pit family against family in a fun tournament, getting underway at 9: 30 a.m.
With some rinks up to three generations of curlers will be making up the foursome.
"Curling is one of the few sports where you can do that and have all the generations out there," said Nanaimo Curling Club junior coordinator Kelly Rice who is running the tournament.
Local junior curlers are encouraged to get their families out for the event every year and it has served a successful tool in growing the sport in Nanaimo.
"We've brought in moms and dads into curling, just from them spending time here watching their kids curl," said Rice, adding it is a four-end, five-draw bonspiel that adds up points at the end of the day to determine its champion.
The sticks and stones bonspiel brings out local wheel chair athletes and those who are unable to get down in the hack - they curl with a push stick with no sweepers.
Rice says this is a growing demographic for curling in Nanaimo, one they have taken great care to expand.
"Since we put in the elevator and ramp two or three years ago, we've been able to develop our wheelchair curling team and this year two of our curlers . . . we're presenting them with their B.C. jackets before they go off to nationals," she said.
Ellis Tull and Corinne Jensen recently won the B.C. championship as part of the Darryl Neighbour rink in Kamloops and they are heading off to Thunder Bay on March 18-25 in search of a Canadian crown.
The bonspiel this weekend will feature eight two-member teams playing six-end, six-rock games and will get underway at 9: 30 a.m.
Come on down and check it out if you want to see a different spin on the sport.
MUST WIN FOR SILVERTIPS
The North Island Silvertips are in a must win situation this weekend as they host the Okanagan Rockets in a two-game set at the Nanaimo Ice Centre on Saturday (5: 15 p.m.) and Sunday (10: 30 a.m.).
Thanks to their split last weekend with the Fraser Valley Bruins, the Silvertips (17-17-4) find themselves one point behind the Bruins (16-15-7) and the Valley West Hawks (18-17-3) for the final spot in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League playoffs.
The Bruins play the Vancouver NE Chiefs (21-13-4) twice while the Hawks have two games with South Island T-Birds (3-28-7).
PIRATES EXHIBITION
The B.C. Pacific Baseball League Nanaimo Pirates have four exhibition games this weekend at Serauxman Stadium.
On Saturday they host the Victoria Mariners in a double header at noon and 2: 30 p.m. On Sunday they have a double dip with the Parksville Royals also at noon and 2: 30 p.m.
JAldrich@nanaimodailynews 250-729-4243