CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE Feb. 17, 2018
The Shawville Curling Club was packed on Feb. 17 as nearly 100 people gathered for an annual bonspiel in support of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
Twenty-four teams of players from all over battled it out for the Billy Kuehl Trophy, named in the memory of an avid curler and Pontiac resident, who died of a heart attack at the age of 48.
Erin Powell explained that she and her cousin Sheena have helped out with the bonspiel since 2012. She explained that the event is a longstanding tradition in the club, and it’s also a personal cause for her family.
“My dad [Randy Powell] passed away from a heart attack in 2009. Two years after that, we decided we wanted to start raising extra money for the Heart Insitute so we threw a party called Spread the Love and kind of piggybacked it on the curling,” she explained. “Now we try to organize at least half of it.”
“A lot of us have had to use the Heart Insitute,” added Erin’s grandmother, Melba Powell, seated across the table.
The Ottawa Heart Institute is one of the largest health centres in Canada, treating over 100,000 patients annually. Cumulatively, the bonspiel has raised well over $150,000 for the organization.
Though there was no party this year, both the rink and the hall of the curling club were packed Saturday evening and there were plenty of drinks and laughs to go around.
In addition to the on-ice action, there was a Texas Mickey to be raffled off and many more prizes to be won.
This year’s winners of the Billy Kuehl Trophy were: Kenny Thomas, Ben Younge, Shawn Laframboise and Jeff Hannaberry.
