Buckle up!

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Bas Buckle soaking in his final national competition at 2023 Everest Canadian Curling Club Championships

Do many of you curling fans out there remember Bas Buckle? 

If so, perhaps you’d like to know he’s alive and well and, believe it or not, competing for another national curling championship at age 75. 

You read that right: 75. Buckle is skipping the Newfoundland & Labrador team at the 2023 Everest Canadian Curling Club Championships in Winnipeg this week, and although his record doesn’t show it, playing some of the young whippersnappers in the field pretty tough. 

Keep in mind the Everest Club Championships are largely not age-compliant. So Buckle and Co. — they are all senior or masters age — are playing against curlers who are much younger. 

It’s Buckle’s first national championship since 2007, when he competed in the Canadian Seniors Championship, where he finished 4-7. 

So the natural question is, where has he been hiding for these many years? 

The answer is simple. 

“I took a sabbatical in 2008. I had an accident and broke my ankle,” said Buckle, a two-time Canadian and world senior curling champion after wins in 2004 and 2005. “I 

didn’t play competitively for a little while and when I did play, it would usually be if the event was in my home club.” 

That’s a long time between drinks, but such is his love for the game that Buckle, when healthy enough, keeps showing up for competitions, hoping he can conjure up some old magic. 

He did this year with a long-in-the-tooth team of third Mike Mullins, second Blair Fradsham and lead Dennis Bruce who, together, talked the retired paper mill worker to give it another go. All but Bruce are retired. 

It is a team of high achievers on the ice. Their trophy cases at home prove it with national appearances in senior, masters and police events. This is their first national championship at the club level. At provincials, the team ran the table to qualify for the Everest Canadian Club Championships flawlessly. 

Buckle’s provincial victory had a lot of fans celebrating his title at his club in Corner Brook, but at the same time, wondering: aren’t these guys a little past the point of playing in a national championship? The average age on the team is 67.5 years. 

Buckle doesn’t think so because his team can still play despite their yellowing birth certificates and was good enough to get to Winnipeg. 

“The guys on the team they’re only young fellas — 59, 62 and 64,” laughed Buckle, who will soon be inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Curling Hall of Fame. 

The whole team is making a statement about age and the ability to compete. They’re making it easy to remember there is no actual age limit in curling. So far, these guys are fending off Father Time with a stick — or rather, their brushes. 

“It just goes to show you can curl when you’re 75 years old,” said Buckle. “I’ve been pretty active all of my life.” 

Buckle says this will be his last national event, ending a remarkable career on the ice with 11 provincial titles in senior, masters, mixed and club play. 

“It’s great just to be here. Playing against the younger ones makes you feel a little younger. I’m having surgery on my ankle at the end of the season. I said take me out and show me a good time. A bon voyage sort of thing.” 

And so far this week, a good time is exactly what he’s enjoyed. 

With pool play having concluded on Thursday, eight men’s and eight women’s teams respectively remain in contention for the national club crown in a modified double-knockout playoffs, with the gold- and bronze-medal games set for Saturday, Nov. 25. 

In the opening round of men’s playoff play, Alberta’s Dan Sherrard (6-0; Beaumont) puts his perfect record on the line against Québec’s David Maheux (3-3; Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville) while Ontario’s Noel Herron (4-2; Kingston) will take on host Manitoba’s Derrick Anderson (4-2; Gimli). British Columbia’s Tyler Orme (4-2; Vernon) will square off against Nova Scotia’s Shea Steele (4-2; Halifax) and Saskatchewan’s Mitch Criton (4-2; Regina) matches up against New Brunswick’s Dan Crouse (4-2; Moncton).  

Meanwhile in the opening round of women’s playoff play, British Columbia’s Carley Sandwith-Craig (6-0; Duncan) led the pack during pool play and will test her unblemished record versus Manitoba’s Kara Balshaw (3-3; Winnipeg). New Brunswick’s Abby Burgess (4-2; Oromocto) will battle Saskatchewan’s Allison McMillan (4-2; Saskatoon) while Alberta’s Nanette Dupont (5-1; Lethbridge) will duke it out with Québec’s Cindy Dallaire (4-2; Sept-Îles) and Ontario’s Lindsay Thorne (5-1; Ottawa) skirmishes with Nova Scotia’s Tanya Phillips (3-3; Halifax). 

Men’s playoff play is scheduled to begin Thursday at 4 p.m., (all times Central), while women’s playoff action gets underway at 7:30 p.m. 

Live-streaming coverage of selected games at the 2023 Everest Canadian Curling Club Championships will be available on Curling Canada’s streaming platform, Curling Canada + as well as on TSN+.   

Scores and standings from the event will be available at by CLICKING HERE.   

For draw times, team lineups and other event info, CLICK HERE.