This year the Bentley School made good use of the Bentley Curling Rink and the club was only too happy to accommodate them.
Teacher Marla Kolybaba was granted as much free ice time as she wanted so on Fridays in January and February she took 17 Grade 7, 27 Grade 8, and 23 Grade 9 students who were enrolled in the school’s junior high recreational education classes to the local rink. Rec ed classes focus on activities that keep people healthy for life so they get a wide range of exposure to different kinds of activities. This year it included curling as a lifelong sport.
Club executive member Krista Turner came out a few times to help and “was insanely great at how she helped. She was wonderfully excited about the sport too and taught them very well,” said Kolybaba.
Much of the school curling was made possible by curling club president Norm Rieu. The club went to the trouble to secure a grant to get literally a barrel full of equipment that included brooms and sliders for the school program for students to use, and also offered the school free ice time.
“The time, effort and commitment (of the curling club) to make this program go was amazing. A totally great experience for me,” Kolybaba said. “It’s been really cool to see the kids get better.”
The school wants to leave the equipment with the club so others that need or want to borrow equipment will have that opportunity.
Besides the junior high rec ed classes there were also the official school teams.
For two noon hours per week, under the direction of teacher Brenda Von Kuster, there were three high school teams with 14 members who made up one mixed team, one girls’ team and one boys’ team as well as two junior high teams with 10 kids who participated and played in mixed team competition.
The high school teams competed in area playdowns at Sylvan Lake, which Bentley hosted the second weekend in February and at zone level in Lacombe the third weekend of February.
Curling is over for students for another year and will soon come to an official close for club members when they have a mixed bonspiel at the end of March.