The Melfort Special Olympics curling team will represent Team Saskatchewan at the 2020 Canada Winter Games in Thunder Bay, Ont. (Facebook/Melfort Special Olympics)

By Aaron Schulze

Melfort Representing Saskatchewan

Melfort curlers representing Team Saskatchewan at 2020 Special Olympics Winter Games

Apr 30, 2019 | 5:50 PM

Five curlers and two coaches from Melfort will be heading to Thunder Bay, Ontario for the 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games.

Garnet Gerski, Scot Earl, Rodney Mitchell, Kyle Hartt, the team’s skip Daniel Fiedelleck, along with Head Coach Brian Kjelshus and Assistant Coach Carl Kruger will represent Team Saskatchewan in 2020.

Kruger told northeastNOW Kjelshus, Fiedelleck, and other curlers have represented Saskatchewan in the Canada Winter Games before, but this will be his first time on the national stage.

“It’ll be an exciting trip,” Kruger said. “Our best wishes are that we all do well down there and have lots of fun. It’s a great experience and something [the curlers] all going to be looking forward to.”

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The Melfort Team advanced to the 2020 winter games in February after winning provincials in Regina. Kruger said it means a lot to Melfort Special Olympics, as John and Dorothy Wilkstrom – a Melfort couple with a combined 54 years of volunteering for the Special Olympics – were responsible for starting the curling program in Saskatchewan in 1999.

However, one disappointing aspect of the Canada Winter Games is if Team Saskatchewan wins gold, there’s no world championship to advance in. Kruger mentioned there was no further completion to move on to when Fiedelleck won gold with the Melfort team in 2016.

The 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games will take place between Feb. 25 to 29.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow