Saskatoon hosts Aboriginal curling championship

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Seventy-seven teams travelled to Saskatoon at the end of April to take part in the annual National Aboriginal Curling Championships.

This year's tournament, which ran from April 17 to 21, saw 48 men's teams, 17 women's team, eight junior men's teams, and four junior women's teams come to compete. Most of the entries were from Saskatchewan and Alberta, but three rinks travelled from Yellowknife to vie for the championship.

Tournament co-ordinator Maynard Whitehead estimates about one-quarter of these teams participate only this one time per year, a testament to the popularity of the sport among First Nations and Metis people, many of whom come from smaller communities where there are no curling facilities.

It was the battle of Saskatchewan in the men's division final, which saw Rod Wuttunee of Red Pheasant pick up his third NACC trophy following a 6-2 win against Marv Aubichon of Regina.

After Aubichon stole one in the first, a terrific hit-and-roll by

Wuttunee's third, Chad Sahyes, allowed his rink to get the necessary two with the hammer. Aubichon in the next end was forced to settle for one as he needed to draw to the button when facing three opposing rocks in the back half of the house.

With last rock in the fourth, tied at 2, Wuttunee waited, and waited, and waited. There were three consecutive blanked ends as Wuttunee's crew continuously peeled rocks hoping for at least two. He helped his own cause in the sixth when he knocked out Aubichon's shot rocks, which were protected by guards.

"He doesn't want to mix it up at all. It must be boring for the fans," Aubichon said in a joking manner during the period of scorelessness.

Wuttunee found his break in the seventh when a couple of missed shots, including one by Aubichon that nicked a guard, resulted in three shot stones before Wuttunee had his last toss. Although he didn't gain the four-foot for a four-spot, he did count those three and a 5-2 margin, which would eventually be more than enough as he could then go on to peel rocks for the remaining three ends.

"He tried to draw through my two shot stones but it ricocheted (off the guard) and gave us three," said Wuttunee, whose previously NACC wins came in 1998 and 1999.

Regarding the tactic of keeping the house clean of stones, Wuttunee said that was the game plan from the start.

"That was the strategy I was going to use and that was no rocks in the front. That was pretty simple."

For Aubichon, whose appearance at the championship marked his return to the rink after six weeks off to recover from knee surgery, his team was never able to break this defensive grip.

"We tried off-setting guards and splitting rings and they made the double shots they had to," he said.

On an adjacent rink, the women's final saw the Renee Sonnenberg rink from Alberta, the defending titleholders, up against the Jennifer Regnier rink sponsored by Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation. When the final rock was thrown, it was the returning champs who emerged victorious.

Although a 12-3 decision against the Regnier team appears to have been a mismatch, the score was inflated after Sonnenberg stole six in the eighth end before the teams shook hands. The final, played April 21, pitted two skips who both had previous experience hoisting bonspiel trophies. Regnier skipped her team to the NACC title in 1995, and has had numerous provincial playdowns this winter curling in Edmonton, while Sonnenberg, now living in Grande Prairie, has appeared twice on the Canadian national scene at the prestigious Scott Tournament of Hearts as the Alberta representative in 1999 and 2001. In addition, she was on the winning teams for one mixed and two junior provincial championships.

Sonnenberg, with the hammer, had her chance to score two in the second end but failed to hit and stick with her final throw, counting only one. Her squad, however, recovered that lost opportunity by stealing one in an exciting third end.

After lead Simone Handfield (Sonnenbur's mom) threw up a guard and Kim Regnier replied with a stone in the back 12, no inch was given, none surrendered for most of the end as the seconds and thirds Christina Bird and Nikki Smith (Sonnenberg) and Nancy Dancy and Dianne Sergeew (Regnier) combined to congest 10 rocks inside the eight-foot.

Numerous team discussions about possible shot combinations brought the end to a methodical crawl, especially by Regnier who faced surrendering a deuce with two Sonnenberg stones near the button. Eventually after the clutter was cleared away, a measurement determined Sonnenberg's steal.

Regnier replied with a two-spot in the fourth and with her last rock in the fifth, bumped her shot off a guard leaving the shooter protected in the eight-foot for a steal and a 3-2 lead. Sonnenberg counted her two in the sixth when on her last throw, all of her teammates vigorously swept just to get the rock into the eight-foot.

"I was struggling early on with my shots and later in the game, I switched rocks with my mom, but it could have just been me," Sonnenberg said about ice conditions that may have been hampered by warm outdoor temperatures.

The decisive frame was the seventh when Regnier tried to knock a guard into the house to avoid the steal. Instead she gave up two and down 6-3 and was forced to gamble in the eighth.

"If I would have made the nose hit and run back, it should have spilled two but instead it over-curled," said Regnier.