(Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW Staff)

By Ben Tompkins

Calgary Bound

Melfort Special Olympics Curling team off to Nationals

Feb 27, 2024 | 5:06 PM

The Melfort Special Olympics curling team has arrived in Calgary, as they’re set to compete in the 2024 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games.

The competition begins Wednesday and runs until Saturday, with 12 draws currently on the schedule.

For the group’s leaders, this isn’t their first time playing in a national tournament, so they’re ready to go.

“This isn’t mine and Brian’s first time, we’ve done this before, so it’s pretty easy to know what we’re doing and what to expect,” explained Skip, Daniel Fiedelleck.

“Once you go there, you kind of look around at the rink and then you just kind of forget about where you are. I just want the guys to have fun and if we win a game it’s a bonus and if we get a medal that’s also a bonus kind of thing,” added coach, Brian Kjelshus.

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For Fiedelleck and two other members of the team, this will be their fifth national tournament. Meanwhile, it will be the third for Kjelshus.

Since 2006, the team has won a gold medal, two silvers, and a bronze, creating a bit of a dynasty.

“We like going, we’re the only team in Saskatchewan. Nobody can beat us and we just go out and win,” Fiedelleck told northeastNOW.

“In any competition, you want to go in thinking you’re going to win, but you can’t be too full of yourself because the rocks still have to be thrown and the game has to be played. If you have a bad game and the other team has a good game, you can lose at any given time,” Kjelshus said.

Even if they do win, unfortunately, there won’t be an international event to attend as many places simply don’t have the proper ice surfaces.

When the group won back in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, World’s were in Austria, which simply didn’t have a venue where the team could curl.

Despite all this, however, the group is still grateful to attend and quite appreciative of the support they receive, especially this last year when they knew they’d be attending Nationals.

“We’re thankful for all the support that we’ve got over the years; the curling club has been good to us right from day one and we’ve never had to fight for ice time,” concluded Kjelshus.

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