A team of curlers from Muskoka Beechgrove Public School swept their way to success during the four-day Timbit Provincial Elementary School bonspiel in Gananoque earlier this month.

More than 360 curlers representing 80 schools from across Ontario competed in some 220 games of six-end curling April 3-5. The Beechgrove team celebrated a four win and two loss record to win a first-place trophy in the event sponsored by A&P.

Team skip Steven Dawson said the five students from the junior curling program at Gravenhurst Curling Club travelled 12 hours with their parents and coach Deb Legault to participate in the competition.

“We met a lot of new people,” said Dawson. “Last year we sent a team to Southampton where we had one win and three losses, so we definitely improved this year.”

Each team is guaranteed to play four games and advances based on its record. Once a team loses, it is put out of the main event and into smaller sponsored events, he said.

“We won twice and lost twice, but then we kept winning a couple more,” Dawson explained. “The first team we lost to was the Ontario Curling Association playdown champions.”

Most of the students have been playing together for several years and have competed in the Tim Hortons curling championships as many as four times.

The team includes Dawson, Jaylene Holmes-Tang, Alex Champ, Caitlin Strength and Colin Strength.

The winners of the Timbits elementary school championships in Gananoque were from Cedarview Middle School in Barrhaven, curling out of the Manotick Curling Centre.

All participants received a free hooded sweatshirt.