The Whitehorse Curling Club was teeming with action over the weekend as 43 teams spread over four divisions took to the ice for the Whitehorse Curling Club's 60th International Bonspiel.

Action kicked off on Thursday night with the opening ceremonies. The Midnight Sun Pipe Band entertained the crowd as the junior male and female Arctic Winter Games curling teams were joined on the ice by the Yukon's gold medal winning Special Olympics team.

Thomas Scoffin, skip of the Canadian mixed team that won bronze at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games, threw out the first rock of the bonspiel.

On Sunday, the top teams from the weekend were on the sheets for the gold medal games.

Whitehorse teams were one win away from sweeping every division, but Buck Bernie's Alberta team was able to win gold in the men's ‘B' final and break the streak.

In ‘A' division action, the Ice Queens, led by skip Nicole Baldwin, were able to win gold in the ladies final. It was Baldwin's seventh time winning the event. Third Kerry Campbell, second Ladene Shaw and lead Tiffany Jewell rounded out the team.

On the men's side, Walter Wallingham was able to break a gold medal drought dating back to 1978 and capture first place.

Team Wallingham was formed by third Scott Hamilton, second Wayne Braga and lead Ed Kormendy.

"The team curled well,” said Wallingham. "

We were steady and made our shots. We were able to put pressure on the other teams.”

Braga was a late addition to the team with one of their regulars on holidays and Wallingham said he was a welcomed addition to the squad.

"Wayne played really well,” Wallingham said.

"Everyone did, really, so it made it easy on me.”

Wallingham said Hamilton had won the event several times in the past but the win was a long time coming for himself.

"I've been coming to this since I was a teenager,” he said. "I've done lots of curling and won other bonspiels in the territory but not this one.

"We were pretty proud of our win.”

Terri Ducharme's team won the ladies ‘B' division, Donna Scott's team won ‘C' and Bailey Horte's junior girls squad took the ‘D' division.

"It was pretty cool to see the junior girls win it,” said club manager, Matt Bustin.

"They played very, very well.”

Bustin said the turnout for the event was the largest the club has seen in recent years.

"It was the biggest it's been in awhile and it went great,” he said. "The teams from out of town had a blast.”

Yukoners were joined on the sheets by curlers from Alberta, Alaska and B.C.

"We take care of all the teams that come from out of town and they usually reciprocate with a bonspiel in Fairbanks so it works out really well,” said Bustin.

Bustin said the competition was spread evenly across the divisions with any of the teams having a chance to win it.

"There are quite a few teams that could have taken it,” he said. "Because of the draw format it's do-or-die, if you lose one game you can be sent down from the top division to the ‘D'. It really depends on how the draw works out.”

In the men's ‘C' division, Frank Taylor's team won gold after dropping a close match earlier in the tournament to Wallingham's team.

"They're a good team,” said Wallingham.

"They gave us a really tight game.”

Wade Scoffin's BS Squared team won the men's ‘D' division.

Between matches, the curlers were entertained on Friday and Saturday night by local band CHS.

The event also hosted a Friday luncheon for the out of town teams, a banquet Saturday night and late night buffets on both nights.

"The social aspect of it is almost as important as the curling,” said Bustin.

"We had people here until very late and all day long, teams that haven't seen each other in a long time have a chance to sit down and catch up.

"It's a special atmosphere, it's a lot more communal and it's all about good sportsmanship. It's a different atmosphere at the bonspiel and it was on full display this weekend.”

International bonspiel coordinator Jeanne Kucherean and a number of volunteers

organized the event.

"The club did a great job and the volunteers did a great job,” said Wallingham.

"The food was excellent, the music was good and it sounds like everyone had a great time.”