Hall of Famers: 2017

McTavish, Edna June
BUILDER
Inducted 2017

June McTavish (1928-1998) is someone with a very special and legendary status.  She rarely, if ever, participated in an on-ice game of curling and seldom could be seen throwing a rock.  Yet, she may have encouraged hundreds of young men and women to try the sport and become successful regular and perhaps competitive curlers.

In 1952 she started the “Bide a Wee” mixed curling league with seven teams.  By 1964 she league had become so large she had to include draws at the Ft. Garry, Eaton and Granite Curling Clubs.  The team total by then had reached 54!  By 1967, the league grew to 97 and ice was included at the Elmwood, Rossmere and Thistle clubs.

From 1952 to the mid 1980’s, June worked tirelessly as the “Bide a Wee” grew to become the largest mixed league in the province and perhaps the world.

She was a co-ordinator, recruiter, organizer, secretary, treasurer and drawmaster.  Above all she was known as a friend.  She greeted all new members at the door, introduced them to new friends and encouraged them to become part of the club.  June emphasized that a friendly atmosphere be maintained and balanced the teams to make that happen.  Her annual yearbooks included rules, draws, ice locations, roster lists, point allotments, bye teams and extensive spare lists.

Annual bonspiels, golf tournaments, championship playoffs and banquets were all part of “Bide a Wee”.

Above all, June McTavish encouraged club members to follow the “Bide a Wee”, inviting them to “Stay Awhile” and enjoy after game fellowship.  Mixed curling was initially considered a social sport.  “Bide a Wee” Saturday nights at the Heather and Granite clubs are remembered with great nostalgia by many Winnipeggers! 

Alex Mowat began curling as a young teenager at the Elmwood Curling Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba and curled at this historic Institution continuously for about 60 years.  At the Elmwood he has worked on the club executive; holding positions of junior chairman, secretary, vice president, president and curling school instructor (for 28 years).  He is an Honorary Life Member of the Elmwood (2001).

Provincially he has been an MCA Council member (1978 – 1984).  From this association he was Chairman of the Junior Christmas Bonspiel and Canada Winter Games Manitoba Playdowns.

Volunteering at national and world events, Alex has been involved in all Winnipeg endeavors; especially on the committees of the 1978 Silver Broom and 1991 World Championship.

Alex Mowat’s coaching skills are known worldwide.  He is a Level 3 curling instructor, national course conductor and provincial Curling Canada co-ordinator.

Beginning in 2005, he had a long term relationship with the Kaitlyn Lawes teams.  In 2005 he coached her team when they won the Manitoba U16 Youth Jamboree.  Alex coached Team Lawes through 2008 when her team won the Manitoba and Canadian Junior Women’s titles, and secured a bronze medal at the Junior Women’s Worlds. 

Other junior teams who have benefitted from his expertise and guidance include Jeff Tipping (1977-1978), Brandy Davis (1993), Shannon Gautier (1994-1995), Scott Cripps (1995), Kyle Werenich (1996), Brent Baschuk (2000-2001), Brad Haight (2000), Reid Carruthers (2002-2004), Jim Coleman (2008-2009) and David Kraichy (2010).

For his dedication to coaching and education of curlers, Alex has accumulated many honours both provincially and nationally.  A few of these include the MCA Coaching Excellence Award in both junior men’s (2009) and junior women’s (2007), CCA Coaching Excellence Award in both junior men’s (2003) and junior women’s (2008) and CCA Curling Instructor of the Year Award (1985 & 1994). He is an Honourary Life Member of the MCA (1989).

He is being inducted in the Builder Category but he is also a distinguished competitive curler!  He has participated in provincial playdowns eight times – 6 in the men’s and 2 in the mixed.  In MCA Bonspiels, he has been successful three times – winning the Hudson’s Bay Event in 1980, the Investors Group Trophy in 1991 and the Keystone Ford Event in 1999.

Mowat, Alex
BUILDER
Inducted 2017

Van Daele, Linda
CURLER
Inducted 2017

Linda Van Daele started to curl at age 10 in a two-sheet natural ice rink in Deleau, MB.  Her father worked at making ice where he and her mother curled.  She therefore spent a great deal of time at the local rink and soon developed a love for the sport.  In a small town, at school noon hours, the choice was skate or curl.

Linda did not league curl until she was 25 years old.  She has curled at the Riverview, Brandon and Wheat City clubs in Brandon.  In organized competitive curling, she has appeared at provincial and Canadian competitions 36 times! – 8 women’s, 16 senior women’s, 8 masters women’s and 4 mixed.

In women’s provincial play she was a finalist in 2002, winning 8 games and losing 2; and voted all-star skip!  Most of her success has developed after she became eligible for senior competition.

In senior women’s play, she skipped teams to Manitoba championships in 2001, 2005 and 2010; and was runner-up in 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2009.  In 2001 at the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship, Linda’s team finished with a 9W – 3L record.

In masters women’s championships, curling third for Joyce McDougall’s Brandon team, she was Manitoba Champion in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and a Canadian Masters Women’s Champion in 2011.  This winning team consisted of Joyce McDougal, third Linda Van Daele, second Cheryl Orr and lead Karen Dunbar.  The 2011 Canadian event was hosted by the Assiniboine Memorial CC in Winnipeg.

As a bonspieler, Linda has won the Brandon Ladies Keystone Klassic (1999) and the Great Canadian Travel Senior Women’s Bonspiel twice (2002 and 2004).

Linda also contributed to the sport as a volunteer teacher and organizer; working at initiating and assisting with youth programs as well as helping run clubs in Brandon.  The city of Brandon has hosted events that have included Worlds, Scott Tournament of Hearts, Skins Games, Briers and provincial men, seniors and ladies championships.  Linda was a volunteer at all of these events, primarily acting in the score keeping capacity.

The 2015 World Junior Men’s Champions consisted of skip Braden Calvert, third Kyle Kurz, second Lucas Van Den Bosch and lead Brendan Wilson.  They curled out of the Deer Lodge Curling Club in Winnipeg.

The team won two consecutive Manitoba provincial junior men’s titles (2014 and 2015), two Canadian junior men’s titles (2014 and 2015) and a World gold medal in 2015!

In 2014, the Manitoba championship was won with an 8W -2L record.  At the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors they were champions with a 10W – 1L record.  At the Worlds, their 6W – 4L record had them finishing in fourth place.

In 2015, they retained their national title by defeating Saskatchewan 8 – 6.  They won the gold medal in Tallin, Estonia with a single loss in eleven games, beating the defending champions from Switzerland.

In 2015, the Canadian junior men’s first all-star team included Kyle Kurz (third) and Lucas Van Den Bosch (second).  The second all-star team included Braden Calvert (skip) and Brendan Wilson (lead).

Calvert – 2015 TEAM
World Champions
Inducted 2017

McFadyen – 1986 TEAM Canadian Champions
Inducted 2017

The 1986 Canadian Junior Men’s Champions included Hugh McFadyen, third Jonathan Mead, second Norm Gould and lead John Lange.  They curled out of the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club in Winnipeg.

The Hugh McFadyen team became the third junior men’s team to curl out of the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club and win the Manitoba and Canadian junior championships.  In 1986, the team was undefeated in provincial and Canadian championship play.  At the Victoria Curling Club in Winnipeg, they were unbeaten in seven games. In Red Deer, Alberta, at the Pepsi-Cola Canadian Curling Championships, they were again unbeaten in twelve games.

The following year (1987) at Victoria, BC, they were finalists at the Uniroyal World Junior Men’s Championship with a 9W – 2L record.

At the Canadian Championship in 1986, Hugh McFadyen was the all-star skip and Jon Mead was the all-star third and won the Sportsmanship Award.  Again at the Worlds in 1987, Jon was the all-star third and won the Sportsmanship Award!

The 1973 Canadian Senior Men’s Champions consisted of Dr. Bill McTavish, third Norm McLean, second John McLean and lead Harry Sulkers.  In 1973 they curled out of the Elmwood Curling Club in Winnipeg.

The McTavish team competed together with lineups unaltered in senior men’s competitive play for seven years from 1972 to 1978.

They appeared in the Manitoba playdowns 6 times – winning 2 provincial championships (1973 and 1974).  At the Seagram’s Canadian Senior Men’s Championships in Sudbury (1973) they had a 9W – 2L – finishing in first place.  In St. John, New Brunswick (1974), they finished in a third place tie with a 6W – 4L record.

In bonspiels they won the McDiarmid Lumber Senior Men’s twice (1972 and 1974).

McTavish – 1973 TEAM Canadian Champions
Inducted 2017