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Bechtel-Casavant rink dominates floor curling provincials

The best floor curlers in Alberta are from Westlock.
floor curling
L-R: Alberta Floor Curling Association president Emil Schiller presents provincial floor curling champions Harold Bechtel, Fred Casavant, Teresa Bechtel and Sue Casavant, from Westlock, with their first place hardware from the May 1 event.

The best floor curlers in Alberta are from Westlock.

The Alberta Floor Curling Association hosted its 2019 provincial tournament in Morinville at the Rendez Vous Centre April 30 to May 1 and the Westlock team of Harold and Theresa Bechtel and Fred and Sue Casavant came away with the first place trophy, going undefeated with a 6-0 record.

The Jarvie-based team of Alex Gibson, Lorne Beamish, Willy Lehmann and Jack English took home the fourth place prize in the tournament.

“I was actually really impressed with the way it was put on,” said Fred Casavant, who plays third for the winning team. “There were 24 teams representing the floor curling association.”

Teams from northern and southern Alberta play their own separate tournaments to decide who will go on to the provincial tournament, said Casavant, who also won a bronze medal at the 2017 event held in Jarvie. Twelve teams from each region are selected and play off against each other to decide a champion.

He said he enjoyed socializing at the meet-and-greet aspect of the event, as well as the competition.

“It’s a really good time, a really good time,” said Casavant, who has been playing for about four years, starting at the Westlock Drop-in Centre.

“The competition is really strong, there’s not much difference between the top four or five teams. You have to get lucky and hopefully things go your way. You can place in fourth or fifth just for missing one shot.”

Floor curling is very much like the version of the game played on ice, except the rocks are made of wood which competitors throw down the waxed floor to a waiting button. There is no sweeping and the game is geared towards more mature players as there is no danger of slipping on the ice.

“Whereas the fear of slipping and falling might deter some seniors from taking up the sport of regular curling on ice, floor curling provides the same competitive — and friendly — experience in a more accessible form. Individuals who cannot crouch down to throw, or who are in wheelchairs, can use a push stick to throw their rock, making the game adaptable to each curler’s comfort level,” according to the association’s website.

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