Local curlers earn spot at Rockfest West
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Photo Courtesy of Michael McCutcheon
Strathmore’s Evan Clark, Ava Dumont, and Nash McCutcheon have each qualified to attend Rockfest West, a U15 curling competition which aims to help youth develop their skills.
“Rockfest West is a singles curling competition for kids aged 11 to 14 – the Top 20 male and female juniors from the province of Alberta will be going to Kelowna at the end of February to compete against other kids from BC, the Yukon, and Northwest Territories,” said Michael McCutcheon, program coordinator for the Strathmore Curling Club.
McCutcheon explained Clark and Dumont both qualified to attend during a regional qualifier event which took place in Okotoks in November 2024. They each achieved the highest individual scores in their respective categories at the time.
Nash McCutcheon was able to qualify, being among the Top 5 curlers in his category noted on Curling Canada’s Singles Curling App within Alberta.
The 120 participating youth will throw 12 stones each and will be scored based on those shots. As an event, Rockfest West will provide the youths with a space to make new friends, meet potential future teammates, and provide training sessions both on and off the ice.
“The three kids here were in the Top 40 in the province, which is pretty exceptional,” said McCutcheon. “The whole event is, Curling Canada will put these kids into separate groups, some with different kids from different provinces, and then they will form teams of four just like a normal team. They will throw their rock, they will have sweepers, and they will have a skipper at the end calling line.”
Each participant in the event will ultimately be scored individually based on how they throw their own rocks.
The competition period will largely consist of a qualifying stage, narrowing the pool to the Top 15 males and Top 15 females who will compete in the finals. The conclusion of the competition will see the top three crowned at the event.
“For the younger kids, it is more about the experience getting to meet the top-level curlers at the Brier, getting the experience, meeting new friends, (and) potential new teammates in the future,” said McCutcheon. “For example, Nash, who is 11, he has got a long way to go but it is going to be a great experience for all three kids.”
Rockfest West will be taking place from Feb. 27 to March 1 at the Kelowna Curling Club. Youth curlers may find more information, as well as how to qualify for future events through Curling Canada online resources.