A great event that boasts the highest prize payout of any Bonspiel in the Kootenay’s. The unique format offers teams of every skill level a good chance of being successful. The pay out in 2024 was $12,500. In 2025 it grew to $14,000.
2025 Bothamley Memorial Winners Payout
2024 Bothamley Memorial Winners & Payout.
History of the Doug Bothamley Memorial Bonspiel
To understand how the Doug Bothamley Memorial Bonspiel arrived at the Creston Curling Club, it’s helpful to look back at its history. The bonspiel started at the Nelson Curling Club in November 2012 as the “Nelson Open Cash Spiel,” attracting many regional intermediate or better competitive teams preparing for provincial playdowns. After Doug Bothamley passed away in July 2015, the bonspiel organizers led by Nando Salviulo and others renamed the event the “Doug Bothamley Memorial Bonspiel” in his honor, recognizing Doug’s vision for the bonspiel and his significant contributions to curling in the Kootenays, especially through coaching and support of junior and women’s teams. Although Creston was considered a more central location for the event, it initially remained in Nelson. When the Nelson Club encountered operational difficulties, Creston stepped in to help, notably organizing a fundraising bonspiel in 2019 that generated over $10,000 for Nelson. Due to the impending closure of the Nelson Curling Club, the event was relocated to Creston in November 2022. For the past four years, Terry O’Connor and other members at the Creston Curling Club have continued to attract regional teams to this bonspiel. Many teams and sponsors welcomed this transition, appreciating Creston’s newer facilities and quality ice.
Many newer members of the Creston Curling Club, or clubs in the surrounding area, might not recognize the name Doug Bothamley. It has already been ten years since he passed away. So, who was this remarkable person we lost too soon? Doug Bothamley was born on July 6, 1948, in Creston, British Columbia. It is believed that his parents are buried in Lister. Doug’s father was employed at the Bluebell Mine in Riondel, and Doug, along with his siblings, spent their formative years in Riondel and Central Kootenay. Throughout his childhood, Doug demonstrated notable athletic ability and participated in sports such as baseball, curling, and golf.
He was well-educated, holding a CGA, and moved to Yellowknife in 1972. Over his 31-year career with the Government of the Northwest Territories (NWT), he served on the Financial Management Board and was likely involved in the process of NWT becoming a territory. He also had an impressive curling career, coaching junior teams such as Team Koe and other juniors in 1996, 1997, and 1998, as well as Team Kyollo in 1997 and 1998 while in NWT.
His participation included notable events like the 1986 Brier and the Canadian Mixed championships in 1979, 1992, and 2002. He was part of a national champion team that won the Corby Cup in both 1983 and 1989 and later competed at the Canadian Seniors in 2003 and at the BC Master Men’s competitions in 2012 and 2013 representing the Kootenay Zone.
He held several roles at the Yellowknife Curling Club from 1972 to 2003, and later in Riondel between 2005 and 2009. I believe he joined our club in the 2009/10 season and collaborated with me and others on the committee when we hosted the BC Men’s Masters in 2014, where he served as Fundraising Manager. His wife, Nancy, also contributed by managing hospitality for the committee. He was determined to form a Masters Men’s Curling Team, and I had the good fortune to be part of that team for three consecutive years along with Laddie Pavlis, Vern Ronmark, and Terry O’Connor. Over three to four years, Team Bothamley took part in numerous playdowns and bonspiels, including representing the Kootenay Region twice at the BC Masters and once at the BC Interior Masters Curling Association. After our experience at the Masters, Doug and I wrote to Curl BC recommending a change to future Masters Playdowns, suggesting they adopt a round robin format instead of the previous two-pool system. He also held the position of Regional Director for Curl BC.
Doug participated in up to three curling leagues in Creston, often encouraging many East Shore Curlers to join the club, making the most of the long trip from Riondel together. Many of those curlers still play today in the Senior Men’s League. Truly exceptional people are rare, and Doug Bothamley was certainly one of them. He was a devoted advocate for curling in the Kootenays, admired for his kindness, loyalty, humor, and confidence both on and off the ice. My brief time with him helped me develop my skills in the sport, and countless others in the Kootenays benefited from his positive influence as well. Doug passed away from cancer in 2015 at the age of 67. Beyond curling, he was active in various leagues and was posthumously honored by the NWT Sports Hall of Fame for his contributions to Fastball during his years in Yellowknife. Naming this event after Doug Bothamley is a meaningful honor, recognizing his lasting impact on curling and his dedication to growing the sport in the Kootenays.