The bite of cooler air will get a bit closer this week as the ice goes in for curling at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex.
That also means league play starts up on Monday (Oct. 20) for the members of the Athabasca Curling Club.
Club treasurer Faye Stevenson said the club this year will once again have a ladies league on Monday nights, mens league on Tuesday, a Wednesday adult fun league and a mixed league playing on Thursdays. In addition, there will be junior curling on Wednesdays after school and adult league playing on Thursday afternoons.
“Things seems to be progressing well for registrations,” Stevenson explained.
“It’s looking like the ladies have picked up some from last year, sitting at 17 so far, while the mens are around 16 teams right now.”
She did add the club continues to receive calls about registering a team or players, but wasn’t certain if they had all signed up.
On the junior side, Stevenson figures they will have a full compliment of 32 youth again this year since its tough to add more than that with only have four sheets available to play on.
In addition to the league play, the club will also host its three regular bonspiels this coming season.
In January, the mixed bonspiel will take place followed by the ladies and the mens bonspiels on different weekends in March.
The club though, is adding in a special event on Nov. 9.
It’s called the Sterling Bonspiel,” stated Stevenson.
“It’s a two-person team event that is fairly unique and should be quite fun for everyone.”
While it seems like the number of curlers is climbing in the region, Stevenson noted Athabasca and Boyle are the only two active curling clubs in the area.
“Sure, the number of people coming back to curling are growing and the interest continues to go up in the junior ranks, there is an entire generation that is still missing from the sport,” she said.
“It’s those people (ages 30 to 40) that never really got into the sport right about the time all the money came into it and it got expensive to play all over the place and commit all of the time that was needed.
“So it’s good to see the numbers rebound and the fun come back, especially the work being done to get the grassroots back as well.”
For more information about getting involved in the Athabasca curling scene or signing up to play, contact Stevenson at (780) 6675-2199, For the junior curling program, you are asked to contact Cheryl Minns at (780) 675 2697.
