Incredible curling season

By Melissa Piche Times Contributor

As winter turns to spring, it becomes that bittersweet time of year where we say farewell to winter sports that we as Canadians love. 

The Strathmore Junior Curling Club is no exception after an amazing season. 

“This year we were excited to have 44 junior curlers register in our program with 17 of those being brand new to the sport,” said Michael McCutcheon, who is the Novice Junior Program Coordinator. “We had 24 curlers in the bantam/juvenile group aged 12-17 and 20 registered in the novice group aged 8-11. These numbers are up from the previous year, but we can definitely accommodate more with 32 spots in each age category open each year.” 

The junior program, which is open to anyone aged 8-17, hosted their annual bonspiel on Feb. 16-18.

“The U18 Recreational Bonspiel ran on the Friday and Saturday and filled up fast without any promotions.” McCutcheon said. “We hosted 16 teams in that age group with teams coming from as far as Stettler. The U12 FUNspiel was on the Sunday and also full with 16 teams from our club and local areas like Irricana, Calgary, Airdrie and Okotoks. These bonspiels continue to have a great reputation and receive a lot of community support, which is very much appreciated and the key to our success. “

The junior program relies heavily on large volunteer presences as with many local youth sports. 

“We have extraordinary support from our club members and their families,” he said. “We had 16 coaches help run this year’s programs and are always open to having more help and providing training opportunities if needed. We even had a number of our more experienced junior players help with our novice practices.”

Highlights of the season for the junior program included:

Ready to Rock: New to the league this year, this program was supported by Curling Alberta. This program kicked off with a free “try it” event in January and had approximately 20 beginner curlers continue in an 8-week program. 

Hit Draw Tap: Four junior curlers from the league qualified for the Curling Alberta Hit Tap Draw competition hosted alongside the Men’s Provincial Playdowns in Edmonton on Feb. 11. Two of the four finished first in Alberta in their age groups.

Bonspiels: A common highlight in any league. These are fun events offering prizes, fun and friendly competition, medals, raffles and more. Each host puts together a wonderful weekend for participants. Some of the local teams travelled to Indus, Calgary and Irricana to take in events.

With grant money, the junior program was able to purchase some new and much needed equipment. Stop watches, a new iPad and rock timer were purchased, which will be used to help the curlers read the ice better and improve their curling skills. 

Registration usually opens in September, however the junior program is hoping to open the 2023/2024 season a bit earlier this year, to allow people to consider curling as an option when enrolling for winter sports. 

If you would like more information on the junior program, you can visit their website (https://strathmorecurling.ca/junior-league/).