The spotlight will shine bright on Doug McLennan tonight as the eighth inductee into the St. Albert Curling Club’s wall of fame.
McLennan will join Hec Gervais, Jackie Rae Greening, Dan Holowaychuk, Cathy King, Marc Kennedy, Don McKenzie and Scott Pfeifer on the wall of fame in the Friendly Giant Lounge.
The 8 p.m. ceremony is the main event at the club’s Curlers & Sponsor Appreciation Night. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the festivities include live music.
McLennan, 58, is a former club president who won two Alberta senior (50-plus) championships as the third for rinks skipped by Wade White in 2013 and Glen Hansen last year. At nationals, White was awarded bronze at Summerside, P.E.I. and Hansen finished fourth at the Thistle Curling Club.
The St. Albert skip is also the winner of four consecutive mixed President’s Cups and eight in nine years in the club playoffs and celebrated victories at the Edmonton and area Tournament of Champions in 2010 and 2015 and was the runner-up in 2013 and 2014.
The men’s, women’s and mixed playoffs are headed toward the finish line at the St. Albert Curling Club.
The women’s Manager’s Cup final is 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the President’s Cup and Manager’s Cup mixed finals are March 29 at 7:30 p.m. and the men’s and women’s President’s Cup and men’s Manager’s Cup finals are March 30 at 6:30 p.m.
The President’s Cup winners advance to the 53rd annual Edmonton and area Tournament of Champions next month at the Edmonton Garrison Memorial Golf & Curling Club.
The defending President’s Cup champions are Dale Briske for the men, Lauren Jenkyns for the women and Doug McLennan in mixed.
At the 2015 Tournament of Champions, McLennan’s lineup of third Allison Howes, second Colin Jenkyns and alternate Nicole Bellamy, filling in at lead for Jenkyns, who was skipping her St. Albert team in the women’s final, beat Don Bridgewater of the Crestwood 6-5 with last rock in the eight end.
Jenkyns, third Kathy Piper, second Laurie Schreiner and lead Cindy Bobowik lost the final 9-8 in an extra end to the Avonair, skipped by St. Albert’s Karynn Flory of the NAIT Ooks.
Piper and Schreiner are shooting for their 10th President’s Cup in a row.
The inaugural Marc Kennedy Classic U18 Junior Bonspiel, presented by Sarasota Homes & Realty, will bring together 40 rinks from Fort St. John to Okotoks next weekend at the St. Albert and Jasper Place curling clubs.
The curlers range in age from 10 to 17 and are competing in the competitive, intermediate and recreational divisions.
There are 10 competitive and eight intermediate male rinks, eight competitive and five intermediate female rinks, one competitive and three intermediate mixed rinks and five recreation rinks.
The St. Albert rinks include Oake in competitive, Berg, Schnirer and Graham in intermediate and Bakos, Lozinsky and Weir in recreational.
The first draw is 9 a.m. Thursday at St. Albert and Jasper Place and Sunday’s finals are scheduled for St. Albert.
The Saturday night events include a Hot Shots competition, with the top 12 curlers from predetermined shots advancing to the final, plus a banquet and dance.
The Kennedy Classic was created when the annual Kevin Martin Junior Bonspiel at the Saville Centre ended after a lengthy run.
Kennedy, 34, recently won his third Brier and the first since 2009. The 2008 world champion and 2010 Olympic gold medallist was inducted into the St. Albert Curling Club wall of fame in 2011. The Paul Kane High School alumnus and former St. Albert Storm quarterback started his curling career as a six-year-old in the club’s Little Rockers program.
