ASSINIBOIA — Archie and Hilda Taylor had a curling rink built on their farm in Davyroyd back in 1949. With the family supplying the land, and the community the labour to build it, the facility gave rise to an event that brought the community together while creating the tradition of the annual Davyroyd bonspiel.
Tragedy struck in 1972 when a tornado ripped through the Taylor yard and the rink was lost. However, determined community members continued the bonspiel tradition, now in Assiniboia, also held several years in Crane Valley. Seven decades of community curling camaraderie and fun have taken place.
“Our bonspiel works a bit different than traditional bonspiels in that, you register as an individual, and then names are drawn from the hat to make the teams,” Carmon Eisnor, one of the organizers says.
“By doing this you get to curl with new people each year, and it may be someone you wouldn’t otherwise get to visit with.”
When this bonspiel started, curlers had to be from the community to participate. Eisnor said as the years have gone by, they have opened the event to anyone who wants to curl with them.
Three trophies are awarded, which are memorial trophies from prominent community members who have passed on. It’s part of what keeps the legacy of Davyroyd and their long-standing curling bonspiel rooted in tradition.
The A-side trophy is in memory of Walston Price and Joseph Liefso, while the B-side trophy is in memory of Bub Corman. The C-side trophy is presented in memory of Neil Taylor.
Organizers say in 2024 they added two new fun events and trophies. “You’ve got the pep” award is presented in memory of legendary, life-long curling enthusiast, Bobby Corman. The Barefoot Champion is presented in memory of Tim Padfield.
Eisnor also affirms that none of the curlers go away empty handed as they are fortunate to have prizes donated to give out to the participants.
“We have an amazing community, and as numbers dwindle in the actual community (about 20 people left out there), we are still all very close. To many of us, Davroyd-Zenith will always be home,” adds Eisnor.
The organizing committee for the 2025 event is Chantel Cobbe, Andi Pinfold, Shai Corman, Tess Ariss and Chantel Hannah. Individuals continue to commit to organizing the bonspiel as they grew up watching their parents and grandparents participate.
“It was and is a lot of fun, we have lifelong friendships from it, and now our kids are making the same connections. We want our community to live on through our traditions,” acknowledges Eisnor.
In the last five years of the Davyroyd bonspiel, the event has averaged seven teams. However, Eisnor said one of the bonuses of this activity is that community members who are no longer able to curl have the opportunity to come and socialize and take in all the action at the rink. Sharing memories and making new ones, reuniting the past and present is always one of the highlights.
The 2025 event will take place at the Prince of Wales in Assiniboia on Feb. 15.
