Curlers from across the province gathered at the Asham International Curling Development Centre in Morris for the Co-ops of Manitoba Provincial Junior Curling Championships Feb. 18-22.
History was made during the opening ceremonies when the event’s first rock was thrown by a robot for the first time.
“The Morris Curling Club has Canada’s only robotic rock thrower and we took advantage of that for this event,” said club manager Steph Bérard. “We also had local youth as flag bearers for the teams as they were pipped onto the ice.”
Twenty teams took part in the competition, with 12 women’s and eight men’s teams representing elite U20 curlers from across Manitoba.
Team Hayward from the Carman Curling Club won the Junior Women’s Championship on Sunday night for the third consecutive year, beating Team Dundas from the Heather Curling Club 6-5 in a tight game.
“We are excited to represent Manitoba again in Sudbury next month,” said skip Shaela Hayward following the team’s acceptance of their trophies and winners jackets.
On the men’s side, Team Boutet from the Heather Curling Club won 7-4 against Team Sugden from the Morden Curling Club. Both teams advance to the 2026 Canadian Junior Curling Championships in Sudbury, Ontario beginning March 28, with Team Sugden attending as the wildcard team.
“It’s been a while since the Morris Curling Club hosted a Curl Manitoba event,” noted Cheryl Demarke, club vice-president in reflecting on the weekend. “They’ve been fantastic to work with and the committee is thankful for the multiple hours put in by the volunteers to ensure this event was as successful as it was.”
