NBCHS wraps curling season, with bright future ahead

Back in Langham for the provincial bonspiel, the Vikings’ girls again cruised to the gold medal game, finishing the tournament as provincial silver medalists for the highest finish in the history of the NBCHS curling program.

Head coach of the school curling program Evan Reid said he and fellow coaches Dale Dillabough-Young and Nicole Beausoleil couldn’t have been prouder of what the team was able to accomplish, with a bright future ahead for those returning as well.

“We only graduate Ava [Beausoleil], so the rest of the players I’m assuming will be back, and hopefully we can have another squad of four that will all be Grade 11 next year. We’ll have the chance to be really good for a few years in a row,” Reid said.

“We’re certainly being dealt a blow losing Ava, but there are also some strong curlers coming in behind her so I’m looking forward to a couple of years of success with the team.”

Senior boys

Comprised entirely of Grade 10 players, the Vikings’ senior boys team won bronze at the district bonspiel this year in Spiritwood, on their way to a fifth-place finish at regional playdowns in Rosthern as well.

The NBCHS senior boys team pictured L-R, Maddox Prescesky-Laclare (Skip), Keaten Osicki (3rd), Gavin Browne (2nd) and Michael Venne (Lead). (Submitted photo/Evan Reid)

Reid said the senior boys squad has just seen the tip of the iceberg of what they can accomplish, with still two years of high school curling eligibility ahead for each member of the group.

“They had a lot of learning opportunities this year, and for them to medal was fantastic,” Reid said. “For them to have the experience of going to a regional competition was super, as a lot of students don’t ever get to a regional competition, much less when they’re in Grade 10.”

Junior boys

The junior boys’ team, comprised mostly of Grade 7 first-year players, capped their season with a bronze medal at the year-end district bonspiel in Wilkie. Just two members will move up to the senior boys’ team next year, leaving four Grade 8’s eligible to return.

The NBCHS junior boys pictured L-R: Coach Evan Reid, Lucas Nachtegaele, Carter Mack, Andrew Konopelski, Jakob Konopelski, Braxton Winterholt, and Liam Iverson. (Submitted photo/Evan Reid)

Reid said the group’s enthusiasm for the game was great to see as a coach, setting the foundation of what’s possible heading into next year.

“They seemed to have a good time this year which was the number one goal for any team, and I’m pretty sure those boys are going to be back next year,” he said. “We have a chance to develop again through the season, and then there’s maybe chances for us to medal down the road too.”

“For young guys to do a little bit of winning when they’re competing amongst guys who are two years older than them and have a couple more years’ experience, just the fact that they’re winning games is pretty cool.” – Coach Evan Reid on the junior boys’ success

Coach Reid said the success of the curling program as a whole this season wouldn’t have been possible without the support of fellow coaches Dale Dillabough-Young and Nicole Beausoleil, who helped coach all three teams.

“Without those two, I wouldn’t have had as much success or as much fun doing what I do with the teams, so a big thank-you to them for helping out with the teams this year,” he said. “All the teams were very successful and achieved success either higher than expected or right where would be expected, so it made for a strong season.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

NBCHS wraps curling season, with bright future ahead

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