Manitoba, Ontario win Gold Medals at Optimist International U-18 Championship
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The picture is of the two gold medalist teams with World Champion Jennifer Jones and Larry Pelzer, President Winnipeg Optimist Clubs Foundation.
ONTARIO GOLD MEN: Neil Sinclair, Graham Rathwell, Mathew Camm, Andrew Hamilton, Coach Graham Sinclair
MANITOBA GOLD WOMEN: Breanne Meakin, Meghan Knutson, Lindsay Baldock, Kelsey Resler, Coach Greg Resler
ONTARIO GOLD MEN: Neil Sinclair, Graham Rathwell, Mathew Camm, Andrew Hamilton, Coach Graham Sinclair
MANITOBA GOLD WOMEN: Breanne Meakin, Meghan Knutson, Lindsay Baldock, Kelsey Resler, Coach Greg Resler
Teams from Manitoba and Ontario are the Gold Medal winners in the Optimist Under-18 Curling Championships which wrapped up Sunday, April 6 in Winnipeg.
In the Men’s U-18 Championship Neil Sinclair’s Ontario team from the Manotick Curling Centre completed an undefeated 7-0 run through the championship with a final game 4-2 victory over Connor Njegovan’s Manitoba team from the Deer Lodge Curling Club.
Starting with the hammer, Team Ontario blanked two ends to start the game. Tied at two after four ends, Ontario blanked the fifth and scored the deuce on end #6 that was the difference in the game. Manitoba blanked the seventh and ran out of rocks coming home.
The Ontario team reached the Gold Medal game with a Sunday morning 7-5 semi-final victory over Kendall Thompson’s crew from the Lakeshore Curling Club in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia. They completed the round robin with a 5-0 record and were also perfect in the playoff round.
The Manitoba foursome advanced to the Gold Medal game with a Sunday morning 7-5 semi-final victory over Sam Gayley’s team from the Granite Curling Club in Seattle, Washington. They completed the round robin with a 5-0 record and were 1-1 in the playoff round.
The Bronze Medal game between Gayley and Thompson featured two teams that had been 4-1 in the round robin series. Thompson’s Team Nova Scotia captured the Bronze Medal with a 10-2 win.
In the Women’s U-18 Championship, Breanne Meakin’s Manitoba team from the Wildewood Curling Club finished the championship with a 6-1 record including their gold medal 8-2 victory Brooklyn Lemon’s Saskatchewan team from the Wildewood Curling Club/Maryfield Curling Club.
Manitoba scored two on the third end to tie the game and followed it with single steals on the 4th and 5th ends. The seventh end went bad early for the Saskatchewan team and when Manitoba stole four more, the gloves came off.
The Manitoba foursome advanced to the Gold Medal game with a Sunday morning 5-2 semi-final win over previously unbeaten Kendra Lilly and her team from the Idylwylde Curling Club in Sudbury, Ontario. They completed the round robin with a 4-1 record and were 2-0 in the playoff round.
The Saskatchewan team reached the Gold Medal game with a Sunday morning 11-7 semi-final victory over Randi Ludwar’s British Columbia team from the Grand Forks Curling Club. They completed the round robin with a 4-1 record and were 1-1 in the playoff round.
Ontario’s Lilly had been the only undefeated team in the U-18 Women’s round robin while Ludwar was 4-1. In the Bronze Medal game between Ludwar and Lilly, Team Ontario led by one coming home but the BC skip played a delicate shot through a port to make a tap-back on a rock in the four foot for two points and victory.
The 8th Annual Optimist International Under-18 Championships were hosted by the Pembina and Wildewood Curling Clubs in Winnipeg. Seventeen Canadian provincial and Territorial teams, five teams from four US states, and two teams from Japan played in 12-team U-18 Men’s and U-18 Women’s Divisions.
The 2009 Optimist International Championships will be hosted by the Caledonian Curling Club in Regina, Saskatchewan.
(Rank-Team-Final Record)
GOLD – Ontario (7-0)
SILVER – Manitoba (6-1)
BRONZE – Nova Scotia (5-2)
4th – Washington (4-3)
5th – Saskatchewan (4-3)
6th – Minnesota (4-3)
7th – British Columbia (2-5)
8th – Northwest Territories (3-4)
9th – Massachusetts (3-4)
10th – Quebec (1-6)
11th – Alberta (2-5)
12th – Japan (1-6)
(Rank-Team-Final Record)
GOLD – Manitoba (6-1)
SILVER – Saskatchewan (5-2)
BRONZE – British Columbia (5-2)
4th – Ontario (5-2)
5th – Quebec (5-2)
6th – Minnesota (3-4)
7th – Alberta (3-4)
8th – Japan (3-4)
9th –Wisconsin (3-4)
10th – Yukon (2-5)
11th – Nova Scotia (2-5)
12th – Northwest Territories (0-7)