Pictured from left to right are Jamie Dodds, Garry Topolnitsky, Randy Bertschi, and Wendell Yager.

I was just perusing through Sweep! magazine when I noticed the section on 8-enders. Fortunately, I just happen to have a submission to make to the section. My men's team, playing in a regular men's league A-event game in Indus, Alberta, Canada got an 8-ender on February 5, 2001.

It was in the 6th end of a closely played game in which we lead 5-2 at that point, having just given up one to get the hammer. Only when we had 5 of our rocks in the house did it dawn on me that we might have a chance at an 8. Our opposing skip has a propensity for throwing takeouts - lots of them and with heavy weight. It was much to our surprise  when he called a corner freeze against one of our 7 stones. He threw the rock a little wide and a little heavy and it sailed through the port. Now it was up to us to take their rock out. The Indus rink only has 4 sheets of ice so, when it became apparent to everyone else that there was a chance for an 8-ender on sheet 2, all the rest of the games came to a halt.

On the way down to the hack to throw my final stone I endured all the heckling and good-natured jibing that comes along with playing in a small club. Sitting in the hack, I experienced the same nervousness I had experienced 24 years previously when I got my previous 8-ender. The shot I had to throw was a straight-back take-out about a foot from the left-side boards. I was forced to throw an inturn at it. Being that I was throwing an inturn away from the boards at a rock only about a foot from the side I was concerned that the rock would back up and jam the opposition rock on one of ours at the back of the house. Sitting in the hack, I looked up at my sweepers and told them how nervous I was. Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm my nerves, I focused on the shot at hand, told myself that it was like any other routine takeout and delivered the stone.

I knew it would be close as I released it. About half way down the ice it started to back up a bit as I thought it might but once it crossed the hogline it started to bend nicely. About 6 feet in front of their rock I knew we had it! The line was perfect and the weight was right. We did it!

For me, it was the second attempt at an 8-ender this season. Back in November, I was attempting a hit and roll for 8 when my shooter just rolled out of the rings and I had to settle for 7. For my third, Randy Bertschi, it was his first 8-ender. He had the unfortunate circumstance of having an 8-ender scored against him a couple of years back. For my second, Jamie Dodds, it was his second 8-ender and for my lead, Wendell Yager, it was his first. The real irony in this 8-ender is that the opposing skip played 3rd for a team that had beaten us in a bonspiel A-event final the day before. My team (the same guys) had been the favourites to win the bonspiel and we were pretty bummed out at losing. Getting the 8 erased the bad memories of the night before in a real hurry! I look forward to reading this in an upcoming issue of Sweep! magazine.

Garry Topolnitsky (skip)