For 6 years now;Coldwater has been home to the first of the four summer tournaments that are played throughout the province of Ontario each year. Many of the participants who compete at this event are Snow Birds who spend their winter months in the sunshine state of Florida.
But, when the month of May rolls around they begin having withdrawal symptoms by what is perceived to be brought on by leaving the Florida courts and their shuffleboard friends behind. They are anxious to get a cue in hand and travel many miles to take part in the CNSA Any Doubles Tournament in Coldwater Ontario Canada.

 

Other tournaments sanctioned by the Ontario Shuffleboard Association will follow in June and July and the dates and locations can be found on the respective web sites.
The enrolment may have been down somewhat at this year’s CNSA Tournament, and this may have been partly due to the conflicting Inaugural Shuffleboard Tournament in Sochi Russia, where no less than 24 Canadians took part. That is not to say that these players would have came to the CNSA Tournament, but it is difficult to compete with success, and these Inaugural Events are just that.
The Tournaments in Ontario are set 1 year in advance and it’s difficult to change what has been set in concrete, such as these old and established tournaments are. It has been recommended that in future it would be for the good of Shuffleboard if the two did not conflict with their timing.

Players taking part in the CNSA Doubles Tournament came from as far away as Florida and, in my opinion “this is what promotes Shuffleboard”. Just as the many that travelled to Russia to take part in promoting the game of shuffleboard in that country.
Shuffleboard is a very small and niche industry, and suppliers of the product and equipment for shuffleboard must continue to open new markets in order to remain viable, “or we would all
suffer from their demise”. Profit realized from selling a few discs and cues cannot be compared with selling other sporting goods equipment, and shuffleboard is fortunate to have these dedicated suppliers, but we must protect what has been established as well as looking for the new markets.
The players taking part in the Doubles Tournament in Coldwater shared over $1500.00 cash and the results are as follows.

 

Coldwater – Results May 24-26, 2011
Amateurs Main Event

1st – Ziggy Gudzus & Ann Dirkse
2nd – Ken & Brenda Taylor
3rd – Bob Breckenridge & Bob Read
4th – Don Webster & Eleanor Bart

Consolation
1st – Grant McRae & Dave Norton
2nd – Lenore & John Holder
3rd – Harry & Rita Holland
4th – John & Ria Wilson

 

Open Main Event

1st – Earl Ball & Henry Strong
2nd – Lionel Young & Hubert VanEerd
3rd – Henry VanDorp & Lorie Davis
4th – Forfeit

Consolation
1st – Bish Kowacz & Norma Bruce
2nd – Grace Pipher & Ruby Withington
3rd – Beverly Fowler & George O’Reilly
4th – Linda O’Connor & Garry Keating

Money for the 4th place was donated by an anonymous party as a result of the No Play No Pay rule implemented by the CNSA several years ago. One player was unable to finish and that left the other remaining player without a partner through no fault of his own.