The Lloydminster Comprehensive High School (LCHS) junior curling team is celebrating winning the Northwest district banner, capping off a successful season.
According to coach Melinda Temple, it came down to a dramatic double-takeout in the final end. The Barons sealed their win in St. Walburg and brought home a hard-earned banner.
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“We’re incredibly proud of the LCHS junior curling team for their success at the Northwest districts competition,” said Jason Neville, director of education. “Their hard work, teamwork and dedication truly paid off, and they represented the Barons and our division with excellence both on and off the ice.”
Junior skip Hudson Charbonneau led the team, which included Brody Herman, Kaden Lane and Taison Behm.
He credited their win to skill development and effective use of time tools.
“Just practising skills, like sliding out farther and then, stopping at the cup, and that helped us a lot with our skills,” said Charbonneau. “Using your watches to time the rock, timing hog to hog, timing hack to hog. It helped us a lot with how slow or how fast our rocks were.”
Charbonneau said this was his favourite season yet.
“It was one of the best seasons I’ve ever had. We went to many more events, and I had lots of fun,” he said. “I just can’t wait (for next season).”
Temple, who coaches alongside Jeremy Thompson, was thrilled with how much the team improved over the course of the season.
“It’s been a great curling season at LCHS,” said Temple. “Our senior team placed second in their district at the playoffs in Edam (Sask.) and moved on to the regional competition in Unity. The junior team won the district at the playoffs in St. Walburg and the district banner, with a nail-biting double takeout in the last end.”
Temple said one of the junior team’s most considerable strides came in communication and timing.
“For the junior curlers, one of the biggest improvements was their timing with rocks,” said Temple. “They really worked hard to communicate more effectively and used their stopwatches to aid in judging the weight, which helped in setting up ends and managing game flow.”
Additionally, Temple said takeouts became a key strength.
“We focused on using consistent board weight across the whole team, and that really paid off,” said Temple. “When everyone’s on the same page with their takeout weight, it allows the skip to ensure giving the correct ice, it gives the sweepers more control, and allows for better line calling.”
The team built confidence in its skills and strategic play became a strong suit.
“We spent time developing a stronger game plan around drawing into the rings, especially in early ends,” said Temple. “Instead of always looking for the big hit, they became more comfortable placing stones in scoring position and building the house.”
Temple said the players’ trust in one another made a big impact.
“This team trusts each other and genuinely enjoys playing together,” said Temple. “That connection shows in how they communicate under pressure and support each other through close games.”
Charbonneau closed his season with a message to his teammates.
“I just want to say good job to my team,” said Charbonneau, noting the great job they did. “I can’t wait to curl with the guys again next year.”
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