Remarkable Curling Achievement Made
Team McDonald scores an 8-ender at the 2022 Crush Bonspiel
Something incredible happened at the Crush Bonspiel over Labor Day Weekend! One of the competing teams scored an 8-ender! If you've never heard of this accomplishment, an 8-ender in curling is just like a perfect game in baseball, a hole-in-one in golf, a perfect 300 in bowling, or a 9-dart finish in darts! It's a feat so rare the odds of scoring one are nearly impossible to know.
Curling is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. Local Wine Country Curling Club (WCCC), founded in 2007, is dedicated to promoting the sport in Northern California. WCCC hosts learn-to-curls and leagues on Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings at Skatetown Ice in Roseville. They also host two annual curling tournaments, the Barrel Bonspiel in the spring and the Crush Bonspiel in the fall. This year's Crush Bonspiel brought in 32 teams from 18 clubs from around the country and two provinces in Canada.
During the second draw of the Crush Bonspiel on Friday, September 3, Team McDonald scored the 8-ender! An 8-ender occurs when a team scores 8 points in a single end of curling, as you can see in the picture above.
WCCC's President, Katie Feldman explains, "To indicate just how special this is, Team McDonald will now be listed in the American Curling Foundation & Museum. Eight-enders are so rare that USA Curling recognizes all teams that accomplish this feat with an eight-ender patch. This is also the 2nd time in our club's 15-year history to unlock this achievement."
Team McDonald
- Skip Andie McDonald (Phoenix, AZ) from Coyotes Curling Club in Tempe, AZ
- Vice Brian Feldman, Jr. (Sacramento, CA) from Wine Country Curling Club in Roseville, CA
- Second Ozzie Altus (Campbell, CA) from Silicon Valley Curling Club in San Jose, CA
- Lead Brian Feldman (Sacramento, CA) from Wine Country Curling Club in Roseville, CA
Junior Feldman and Brian Feldman are father-and-son on the same team for this event. Also, Andie, Junior, and Ozzie are junior curlers (under 21)!
To further express how exceptional this event is, there has never been an 8-ender in an Olympic competition. However, an Olympic team came close in 2014, with a 7-ender.
Placer Valley Tourism is proud to support the Wine Country Curling Club and congratulates Team McDonald on their 8-ender achievement!
