Sports

Local shuffleboard player to represent the province, next stop world championships

June 22, 2023   ·   0 Comments

A local shuffleboard player has qualified to play at an inter-provincial championship tournament in Winnipeg.

Orangeville resident, Mike Milne, is a long-time shuffleboard player who hones his skills at the Senior Centre on Bythia Street. The Centre had a shuffleboard court in the basement.

He will be part of Team Ontario at the IP Shuffleboard Tournament that will take place from June 18 to 23. There will be teams from Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia, as well as an InterProvincial team competing at the Pembina Curling Club.

To qualify, Mike had to submit documents with his results from earlier play.

“I was a previous Ontario champion, and came third last year at the Elora Expert Class, and I’ve won a few local tournaments, so I applied with that criteria and I was accepted,” Mike explained. “I leave Sunday morning on the 18th.”

Mike will join other players in the province to make Team Ontario for the event.

There will be four rounds of shuffleboard per day. Teams will play 12 matches during the tournament, with the finals being held at 9:00 a.m. on the last day of competition.

After the provincial championship, Mike will be heading to St. Petersburg, Florida, in October to compete in the World Championships.

“They tell me it’s the original shuffleboard location – the original place that started it all, so I’m quite impressed by that.”

Mike said he really enjoys the sport and the individual style of play.

“It just suits my abilities very well,” Mike said. “I’ve been a fairly decent pool player most of my life and that aspect is very useful. I enjoy making a good shot. Whatever sport you do, every now and then something perfect that happens, and that’s what I look for in shuffleboard. It’s quite a lonely sport because it’s just you and one other man.”

To qualify for the World Championship in Florida, he had to go through a similar process.

“It’s an application form and you have to put in all your credits and they weight it on your merits,” Mike explained.

The upcoming Winnipeg tournament will have several hundred competitors vying for the championship title.


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