The Skylar Ackerman rink out of Moose Jaw accomplished one of their major goals this season this past weekend.

The local team will be representing the Southwest at the 2018 Saskatchewan Winter Games in North Battleford next month after winning the district title in Gravelbourg over the weekend.

“That was our big goal this season and I’m really proud of how the girls pulled together as a team to accomplish that,” said Ackerman.

“We played really well the whole weekend and had really great communication… moving forward, that’s something that we need to keep doing.”

The weekend started strong for the Ackerman rink, which also includes third Madison Johnson, second Chantel Hoag and lead Samantha McLaren. They won their first game over Team Sloman, 14-4, and then downed a fellow local team skipped by Makena Simmons, 9-2, in the ‘A’ final.

After stumbling a bit with a 7-5 loss to Team Stark in the ‘B’ semifinal, the Ackerman rink rebounded with a big 10-0 win over Team Stark in the championship final to secure their spot at the Winter Games.

“We’ve worked really hard all season and have been working towards this goal since September now and we’re really excited to represented Southwest at the Games,” said Ackerman.

“We’ve improved a lot, our weight control has gotten better, so when you can hit the broom with the right weight, you can make a lot of shots.”

The focus now turns to North Battleford and preparing for the Sask. Winter Games, “It’s going to be a great experience and we can’t wait,” said Ackerman.

The 2018 Saskatchewan Winter Games will run from Feb. 18-24.