Celebrating those who made the most of isolation with CBC Manitoba's Lockdown Showdown

Manitobans have been cooped upfor months by partial lockdowns, but that hasn't stopped some people from stepping up their game.

CBC Manitoba wanted to celebrate those who have leaned into isolation and come up with their own unique ways to beat the tedium during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Enter CBC's Lockdown Showdown a competition that sought out the makers, the writers, the innovators and the active Manitobans who resolved to make their lockdown timeat least somewhat productive.

And Manitoba, you delivered.

Out of dozens of fascinating entries, 10 people stood out. We call them Lockdown Showdown Superstars.

These Manitobans have nothing going on and everything going on at the same time.

Converting a $20 filing cabinet to a triple-decker meat smoker? A Niverville man was willing to risk it for the brisket.

Learning to skate at 61 years old? One Winnipeg woman came into it cold now it's no sweat.

Turning your front yard into a physically distant winter wonderland for your neighbours? Mightas well include a two-metre-high ice wall.

Finishing a book about your wife'sfamily history? A 75-year-old man hunkered down, and now it's a bestseller.

Here are their stories.

The Innovators

David Falk

Falk used his time to build a socially distanced firepit out of ice and a six-metre-tall ice tree using a dead elm in his year.

Lockdown Showdown: Fire and Ice

4 years ago

Duration 2:35

'Go big or go home' says David Falk, a Winnipeg resident who created epic ice structures in his front yard.

Lockdown Showdown: Niverville man creates meat smoker out of office cabinet

4 years ago

Duration 3:18

Bretton Selent shows off the $20 filing cabinet that he converted into a triple-decker meat smoker during the pandemic.

Bretton Selent

In addition to passing the time,Selent's pandemic project has some delicious benefits: he built a meat smoker using an old metal office cabinet.

Hear Selent describe how he did it below:

Lockdown Showdown: Retired principal hits the ice

4 years ago

Duration 1:53

At 61, Claire Maxwell had never skated at The Forks until now that is.

The Writers

Terry Dann

Dannstarted writing his firstnovel years ago, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it forced him to hunker down and get it done.

His historical novel, Land Title: A Novel of the Prairies, is now published through Amazon.

The Active

Claire Maxwell

At 61, Maxwell decided to use her time during the pandemic to finally learn how to skate.

The Makers

Angela Swanson

For many years, Swanson had been hanging on to pairs of old jeans with an ambitious plan.

When the pandemic began, it gave her time to pull our her fabric shears and to fire up her sewing machine.

The result is a large quilt constructed of those old jeans, in various shades of blue and black.

Ellie Leferink

Because of pandemic, thefour-year-oldgot to spend more time in the kitchen, as her parents taught her about baking and encouraged her to get involved.

Chef Ellie now has her own YouTube channel, where she demonstrates how to make sweet treats, such as apple crisp.

Kelly Deveau

Deveau, a retired nurse,decided to roll up her sleeves and start a new hobby upcycling old furniture painting and upholstering to put those items through eye-catching transformations.

Listen to these three makers talk about their pandemic projects below:

You can catch more interviews with the finalists of the Lockdown Showdown through the CBC Listen app, or catch some of their stories on CBC TV's 6 p.m. newscast.

You can also hear from some of our runners-upbelow: