LAC LA BICHE – Curling teams from across the Lac La Biche region and beyond were at the Bold Centre to compete in the 2025 mixed bonspiel in early April.
The four-day tournament, which is put on annually by the Lac La Biche and District Curling Club, featured an A, B, and C event winner format, and drew 20 teams comprised of men and women curlers.
Once the regular games had finished, the teams, competed against each other in the semifinals and finals to determine the winners of this year’s mixed bonspiel. Winners received cash prizes.
The winners of the bonspiel are:
A Event
First place: Blake Chwedoruk (skip), Megan Warawa (third), Jordan Webb (second), and Becky Chwedoruk (lead).
Second place: Kyle Beniuk (Skip), Lacey Nikipelo (third), Josh Scott (second), and Amie Beniuk (lead).
B Event
First place: Ken Beniuk (skip), Tina Skakun (third), Randy Zevola (second), and Alicia Pruden-Beniuk (lead).
Second place: Paul Kunnas (skip), Cheryl Deren (third), Colin Christensen (second), and Jessica Kunnas (lead).
C Event
First place: Kevin Gaberel (skip), Megan Wainman (third), Dalen Beniuk (second), and Sarah Meyer (lead).
Second Place: Bernie Giacobbo (skip), Simone Cadieux (third), Bruce Adolf (second), and Anna-Marie Adolf (lead).
The event also featured a dinner and dance which took place on the evening of March 5.
Season wrap-up
Dylan Maskalyk, president of the Lac La Biche and District Curling Club, said the mixed bonspiel is significant as it is the final competition of the season.
“It’s a big wrap-up, year-end bonspiel for all our local members and any other communities that want to join,” Maskalyk said.
The 2024-25 season saw the local curling club add a few more teams into its mixed league. The club’s junior curling program, he said, was also successful.
“We hosted lots of school programming . . . It was a busy curling season.”
Caitlin Beniuk, who competed with her team at the four-day mixed bonspiel, is a familiar face at the annual event.
“I’ve been coming here for just about 10 years,” she said.
Beniuk curls throughout the winter and competes in league play games.
“It’s always competitive, but everybody keeps it light,” she said. “There’s cash prizes, there’s payouts . . . it’s fun.”
Gerry Webster has been participating in the mixed bonspiel for the past four years and has also been helping to organize the local sporting event for the past two years.
The bonspiel, he said, brings people together to have a good time over the weekend to wrap up the curling season.
“One last round of prizes, one last round of curling, and then it’s summer,” he said, with a smile.
