The 2016 Edward Jones Tin Cup keeps getting better.
Teams told organizer Matt Tolley that the bonspiel was probably one of the best ones.
“We had a really good year. A lot of fun,” said Tolley. “I really enjoyed the people. We just had a great group of people here. We had a lot of out of town teams. Yes it’s serious, but at the end of the day, everyone came here to have a good time.”
A new champ was also crowned as Kelowna’s Garry Gelowitz topped Penticton’s Blaine Black, 7-4. Gelowitz’s rink featured Penticton’s Cy Gladish and Craig McLeod, and was rounded out by Tim MacIntosh.
“It was fantastic,” said Gladish, winning his fourth Tin Cup. “It was a good match. We jumped out front early. We were able to hang on. That was pretty exciting for us.”
Gelowitz and his rink have played together all season as they strive to qualify for the masters national championship in Digsby, N.S. Gladish said the Tin Cup attracted many good teams.
“It seems to get better every year,” said Gladish, who lost the Tin Cup last year to the Schoolboys, who won it in back-to-back years.
Summerland’s Steve Clement played in his 12th Tin Cup. He keeps coming back because it’s fun.
“It’s in our blood. It’s a great spiel,” said Clement, who won the B side event. “They have great prizes, very good competition. A really well run bonspiel.”
Clement added there is a great atmosphere and most of the teams come every year. Of the 40 competing, 28 returned. One of the highlights of the weekend was the casino night with great prizes won such as Seattle Seahawks and Toronto Blue Jays tickets. Grant Olson of Kamloops played for the first time and his team a great time.
“That’s why we came down,” he said. “There is a lot of good teams. Played a team in the morning from Saskatchewan. That’s a long way to come for a spiel. We were here for fun, not necessarily to win.”
They soaked in the camaraderie while hanging out and meeting the other people.
“That’s what curling is about,” said Olson.
The other aspect making the Tin Cup a success was community support. Tolley said they received a lot from different sponsors as well as the volunteers and praised the community for that.