Teams from across Saskatchewan began making their way to North Battleford's Northland Power Curling Centre Wednesday, in preparation for the provincial U20 tournament. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Coming to North Battleford

Twin Rivers hosts top curling talent for U20 provincials

Feb 21, 2024 | 2:42 PM

The top under-20 curling talent from across Saskatchewan will converge in North Battleford Wednesday, to open the men’s and women’s Pharmasave U20 Provincial Curling Championships at the Northland Power Curling Centre, Feb. 21-25.

Hosted by the local Twin Rivers Curling Club, the event will commence with the opening draw Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. Action will then resume Thursday-through-Saturday with draws at 9 a.m., 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. daily, followed by the semi-finals and finals at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Sunday.

Committee chair of Twin Rivers Curling Club, Doug Fehr said it’s an event the club is looking forward to hosting for the opportunities it provides.

“It’s a great chance to showcase the facilities we have here in the Battlefords, and we’re going to see some very good curling from the U20 folks this weekend,” Fehr said. “We’re maybe a little bit biased, but I think we’ve got one of the best curling facilities in the province and it’s wonderful to see these young athletes come out and compete and hopefully, maybe we see them on television in a few years.”

Fehr said the process of preparing for this week’s provincials was about as smooth as they could have asked for, thanks in large part to the club’s recent experience having hosted similar events, such as U18 provincials, the Scotties Last Chance Playdowns, and the Provincial Mixed Championship, each as recently as last year, with a strong core of returning volunteers who make these things possible.

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“It’s not as hectic as you might expect; we’ve done this so many times before that we’re probably ahead of the game in terms of getting prepared in advance,” Fehr said. “We’ve got a full roster of volunteers which is great because we need in the range of 50 volunteers to help out with various things, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Seventeen teams total will be competing this week, with 11 women’s teams and six men’s teams.

Due to the larger pool, the women’s tournament will be a ‘triple-knockout’ format, while the men’s tournament will feature a round robin format with each of the teams getting a chance to play one another prior to the start of the playoff rounds.

Opening ceremonies for the event will be held Thursday evening at 5 p.m., allowing the teams making longer cross-province treks from communities such as Estevan, Swift Current, and Yorkton to be on-hand to take part.

As far as local-area curling talent participating in this year’s U20 provincials, Team Semeniuk – featuring local curlers Chloe Semeniuk (North Battleford) and Julianna Millard (Livelong, Sask.) will represent North Battleford’s Twin Rivers Curling Club, while Battlefords/Delmas locals Ava and Leah Beausoleil will also be in action with Team Beausoleil, competing out of Saskatoon’s Nutana Curling Club.

The winners from this week’s U20 provincials will advance to the national stage next month, at the 2024 New Holland Canadian Junior Championship in Fort McMurray, Alta., March 24-31.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @MartyMartyPxP1