In his first year of curling, Luke Arsenault ranked first among 45 provincial curlers and tied for first nationally out of 182 players, thanks to his impressive performance in the Hit, Draw, Tip competition.(Submitted/ Denis Arsenault)

By Kenneth Cheung

CURLING STAR

Seven-year-old from the Battlefords sweeps up provincial, national curling titles

Mar 7, 2025 | 1:16 PM

While most kids his age are just learning to throw a rock, seven-year-old Luke Arsenault is already making history on the ice.

The young curler from Twin Rivers Curling Club in North Battleford recently claimed first place in the Curlsask’s Hit-Draw-Tap competition for his age group, finishing at the top provincially out of 45 curlers. Even more impressively, he is now tied for first place nationally out of 182 curlers across Canada.

And he’s just getting started.

“Luke’s Papa is really into curling here in town. He’s in the curling club,” said his dad, Denis Arsenault. “So we asked Luke and his older sister if they’d like to try it out, and they both said, ‘Yep.’ This was their first year curling, and I think Luke really liked it.”

Luke keeps it simple when asked what he enjoys most about the sport.

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“It’s good exercise, it’s a fun game, and you can meet new people there,” he said.

A rising star on the ice

The Hit-Draw-Tap competition is a skills-based contest where curlers aged six to 12 from across Saskatchewan compete in three different shots: a hit, a draw, and a tap. The difficulty is adjusted based on age, testing each player’s accuracy and strategy.

Luke dominated the six-to-seven age category, posting the highest score in the province. Now, he’s preparing for the provincial showdown in Moose Jaw on March 29, where he will compete at the BKT Tires World Men’s Curling Championship against the top young curlers in Saskatchewan.

He won’t be the only one representing Twin Rivers. Sam Konopelski took first place provincially in the eight-to-nine age group and ranked 12th nationally, while Marin Frolek secured a provincial top-five finish.

Denis said his son’s rapid rise in the sport has taken the family by surprise.

“We really don’t know, to be honest,” he said. “He’s been doing pretty good. He hasn’t been doing a lot other than just going to the courses here in town, so we’re a bit surprised but impressed that he is able to do so good so quickly.”

Eyes on the prize

With a provincial title on the line, some kids might be feeling the pressure. But not Luke.

“Not too scared,” he said when asked if he gets nervous.

As for his expectations in Moose Jaw, he’s keeping an open mind.

“I actually don’t know. It’s hard to know until I meet my opponents,” he said.

Denis said whatever happens, the family is behind him all the way.

“I think it’s something he wants to continue doing,” he said. “As far as he wants to take it, we’ll support him. We’re pretty proud of the little guy.”

Twin Rivers Curling Club has seen a surge in young curlers over the past two years, with more kids now competing at the provincial and even national levels.

With more competitions on the horizon, one thing is certain—Luke Arsenault’s curling journey is just beginning.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com