The junior curlers of the Whitehorse Curling Club participated in the Junior Bonspiel Sunday at the Whitehorse Curling Club. According to Wade Kopan, one of the organizers of the bonspiel, the event has been running for over 15 years.

The bonspiel allowed the junior curlers to play in a more competitive fun atmosphere.

“We are trying to add a different aspect to the game. Normally the regular programming they do on Saturday mornings is a little more structured,” said Kopan.

“We put that structure into an application at the bonspiel and allow them to play the game.”

Twenty-four kids took part in the bonspiel, to make up six teams. Over the day the kids played two games of curling, four ends each game.

“We do it in a smaller format,” said Kopan. “Normally a game is eight ends, but at this stage, eight ends for them is a quite a bit of a thing to ask, so we do four ends for them and play one in the morning and one after lunch. We do it in this structure and this format as not to overwhelm, but it is enough to keep the interest there. So we’ve got that balance there were it’s not too long, but it is long enough so they get the aspect of the game.”

The kids, coaches, and volunteers were all smiles as they came off the hack, and swept. Kopan said without the volunteers help the Whitehorse Curling Club could not hold events such as the Junior Bonspiel.

“They are very helpful,” said Kopan. “Without the volunteers, it is tough for us in the club to put on something like this without the volunteers.”

The bonspiel was about fun and giving the junior curlers the opportunity to take the skills and techniques they had learned in practice and apply it to gameplay. As well, it allowed them to learn some of the nuances of the game like how to keep score, and how long a game lasts.

Kopan says the junior curling program is really strong, and that the club is sending teams out of the territory to compete in national bonspiels across the country.

“They are doing really well,” said Kopan. “We do have one junior boys team that will be going to Prince Albert, Sas., for the junior nationals on January 17, 2019. The junior girls team I know is going to the under 18 nationals, the junior program is doing well.”