GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT // THE LOCAL DRAW Going strong at 60 – Last Chance Bonspiel
By Carrie Benton, U.S. Curling News columnist
color television, there was the Last Chance Men’s Bonspiel hosted by the Hibbing Curling Club in Hibbing, Minn, each April. Call me a “homer,” but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share a bit of the storied history of my hometown’s most famous bonspiel. It all started back in 1957 when Bud Aitkin and
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Louis Sella wanted something more than the last games of league play to mark the end of the curl- ing season. Tese two men, along with the help of Hibbing businessman Fran Befera, conceived of this amazing event as a way to end the curling season for U.S. teams and their friends north of the border. Te Last Chance International Bon- spiel was literally the last chance that men had to curl that season, and a last opportunity to gather with curling friends. Unlike today, curling facili- ties did not keep ice year-round or into the spring and summer months. Te Hibbing Curling Club is housed in the
historic Hibbing Memorial Building Arena facil- ity, which made it an ideal venue for a large-scale bonspiel. Te timing for access to the hockey arena – spring – was perfect for adding additional curling sheets (seven in the club and six in the arena) so that the event could accommodate a large number of teams. Te goal was 128 teams, and for many years the event drew just that, oſten with a waiting list of teams hoping for a chance to play. Many players were drawn to the novelty of playing on “the big ice” as the arena ice is called. Te wide open arena, with seating for 3,500 was quite the contradiction to the club ice housed downstairs with ice sheets separated by support pillars. Also, remember, arena clubs did not exist until recently, so playing in an arena was a treat. With 128 teams, the bonspiel was easily the
largest in the U.S. for many years. It continues to be among the largest events, still averaging 90 to 100 teams annually. Games begin with the “work- ing man’s draw” for local teams on Wednesday evening. A full slate of games begins on Tursday and runs through Sunday aſternoon. With an event this large, draw times can range anywhere from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., with games oſten begin- ning even later than that. Tere is little sleep to be had on the Last Chance weekend, which adds to its mystique!
efore personal computers, before cell phones, before “broomgate” and sweep- ing controversies, even before many had
Te Last Chance is known for its hospitality
and generous cash payout, this year a $20,000 purse ($5,000 to the winner of the main event). An interesting piece of Last Chance trivia is that when the bonspiel first started, event winners received outboard motors! While this prize was appreci- ated by many, the Canadian players had difficulty getting their motors through customs on their way home, so aſter a few years, the motors gave way to the monetary payouts we have now. Other prizes were featured in various years, including a unique donation by local businessman Bob Tiburzi. At the 32nd
hosting of the Spiel, Tiburzi donated a bottle
of Canadian Mist for each participating team. Tat year’s event was thereaſter referred to as the Cana- dian Mist Spiel. On the hospitality side, the bonspiel has included
an evening banquet (no longer offered), lunches, and eye-openers throughout the years. A full menu of items is available for purchase, with all curlers encouraged to try an Iron Range favorite – Porketta sandwich – which is a feature item each year. Te hospitality continues with music and dancing and a great club atmosphere. Te community embraces the visiting curlers by offering special hotel rates, food and drink specials, welcome banners, and even free taxi or bus service between establish- ments. It is very much a holiday-like atmosphere in town with the red carpet rolled out for the Last Chance participants. Winning Te Last Chance Bonspiel is a feather
in any male curler’s cap. Te event has attracted curlers of all levels each year since it began. Olym- pians, National and World champions, Brier Cham- pions, club teams and thrown together All-Star teams have all attempted to win this historic event. Te Bob Maggie rink of Duluth won the inau-
gural bonspiel in 1957 and repeated as champion the following year (1958). Tey were followed by the Pavich rink from Eveleth, and then the Bruce Roberts rink of Hibbing in 1960. Canadian teams dominated the event for many
years, with a U.S. team sneaking in for a champion- ship here and there. Te longest dry spell for the U.S. was likely from 1991-2008, when the only U.S. team to win the championship was a team from North Dakota skipped by the late Garland Legacie (1994). Rob Ramage (Baldur, Manitoba) won the event an amazing four times during this time period. Some locals referred to the event as “Te No Chance” during those years. In 2008, for the first time in history, an all Hib-
bing Curling Club member team won the event. Tat team featured names familiar in the curling
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community with members Tom Scott, Joe Gab- ardi, Joe Roberts Jr., and Shawn Rojeski. As with any event, success is dependent upon
volunteers and people working hard to coordinate all of it. A mainstay in that category has been the Berklich family of Hibbing. In 2013, Dan and Gerry Berklich were honored with lifetime memberships to the Hibbing Curling Club in cel- ebration of over 25 years of service with the Last Chance Bonspiel. Joe Berklich (Dan’s father) was instrumental in the early days of the bonspiel. Te Last Chance is now run by the board members of the club. Te success of the Last Chance has led to a
couple of spin-off events that have seen their own success. Te Senior Men’s and Senior Ladies Last Chance Bonspiels are held on the weekends that surround the original Last Chance and have had great participation. If you are looking for a truly unique experi-
ence, I’d encourage you to check out the spectacle that is the Last Chance Bonspiel in Hibbing, Minn. Players and spectators alike are in for an unforgettable experience! Tank you to Denise Sampson and Joe and
Anna Zezel of the Hibbing Curling Club for their help with this article. Q
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