The curling season is now in full swing, as both the women's and masters' Yukon championships were held at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre in Whitehorse over the weekend.

With just two women's teams in the mix, Sandra Mikkelsen and Nicole Baldwin were facing off to determine their position in this week's Yukon/NWT playdowns, which will also be held in Whitehorse.

Mikkelsen won both games, so she will be the Yukon's number one seed.

A bit more was at stake in the masters' competition, with three teams trying to earn the right to represent the Yukon at the national championships this spring. Jerry Miller and Perry Savoie of Whitehorse took to the ice against John Hall of Watson Lake.

In the end, it was Savoie and Hall putting it all on the line in the final. And Hall, lead Jim Holt, second Gerry Amann and third Dave Kalles will be making the trip south for the nationals.

Full results for either competition were not available by press time.

'We had a very good weekend,' stated Hall. 'We curled quite well, we were consistent all weekend.

'Our front end curled extremely well, actually. The lead and the second just set us up so well right from the start.'

The four men don't even curl together on a regular basis, and in fact, they hadn't curled a single game together this season before this past weekend's event. But Hall said they were confident it would all work out.

'We've curled together many times before,' he explained. 'Not all of us on the same team, but I've curled with everyone of them at one point. Dave Kalles and I normally curl together.'

It was because they know each other so well that Hall and company believed they had a legitimate shot at dethroning last year's champions, the Miller rink, who they thought would be the toughest competition.

'We felt this was the strongest team we'd brought to the playdowns ever,' said Hall. 'Normally, Miller always seems to the our biggest competition, but it turned out this time, it was Savoie's rink that was toughest.'

Hall defeated Miller in both games they played against each other in the round robin, and then split his two games against Savoie. The only game Hall lost went to extra ends, but the rink would get their revenge against Savoie in the final.

'All of the games were good,' said Hall. 'They all went to 10 or extra ends, and the final game was a real barn-burner. We won 6-4, but it was a last-rock win really.

'We gave up two to them in the sixth. When we had the hammer, they stole two, and that really was a bit nerve-wracking. But we came back with two and then stole two. It was a very well-played game on both parts. Nobody was going to run away with it.'

Hall is hoping for more of the same when the squad travels to Brandon, Manitoba, for the Canadian masters' championships, April 4-9. Unfortunately, Hall himself will be away from the territory for the next two and a half months, starting tomorrow. He's heading off to El Salvador and Panama, and will fly straight to Winnipeg when he returns from overseas for the competition.

'I'll be coming into it cold,' he admitted, adding he hopes to get a little bit of practice in at a local club just outside Brandon, where he used to live.

'It would be nice to have that practice time over the next couple months, but what can you do?'

Hall said it will be difficult to be in a country where curling doesn't appear on the radar. He will have internet access though, so he can keep up on results from both the Scott Tournament of Hearts and the Brier.

'Once in a while, you see a hockey game on TV down there (in Panama), but not this year probably,' he laughed.

Still, the limited time together as a team hasn't damaged the rink's confidence. While they certainly wouldn't mind winning the national championship outright, Hall said realistically, they're aiming for the middle of the pack.

'The Yukon just doesn't have the amount of strong curlers that the provinces do,' he said, but added they won't just be happy they made it that far. 'We want definitely to show well, not to embarrass the Yukon with a poor showing. From what I saw before at the Masters I was there before with Jerry Miller I think we can be competitve. If we curl at the level we curled at this past weekend, we can certainly be competitive.

'It would be nice to bring back a championship, but I think that's a pretty lofty expectation.'

Hall expects Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario will all field strong teams, although he's not too sure about Saskatchewan this time around.

'You'd think Saskatchewan would be tough too. But unless I see a stronger team than we saw last time, they're definitely beatable.'

The curling action continues in Whitehorse this weekend, with the Yukon/NWT women's playdowns beginning Thursday at Mount Mac. The first draw is at 3 p.m. and opening ceremonies are at 6 p.m.

Also this weekend, the Yukon Level 2 men's championships will take place, with four teams facing off for two spots at the territorial playdowns next month.