The SaskTel Tankard has been everything it was billed to be, and more.
The opening draws for the provincial men’s curling championship have been played at Affinity Place. The curling has been great, the ice has held up and people are raving about the facility and the efforts of the organizing committee.
Of course, none of this should be a surprise for local residents. We knew that people who attended the Tankard would rave about Affinity Place, the volunteers, the organizing committee and the other people organizing the event. And we knew the curling would be great, with top curlers like local favourite Brent Gedak and out-of-town rinks like Steve Laycock in the field.
The opening ceremonies were excellent. One of the highlights was the inclusion of the Junior Stars program, in which each team was partnered with a local youth curler.
Such initiatives might not seem like a big deal to some, but for a sport that’s in need of an infusion of young talent, anything they do to attract young curlers is beneficial.
The young people get a great experience that they will undoubtedly tell their friends about, and they’ll find out that most curlers are down to earth people.
That’s part of what makes the sport great. Most curlers are regular people who have a regular job, and then they travel to bonspiels and other competitions on the weekend to make a little extra money.
But after their final game of the day is complete, you’ll find them in the curling rink lounge, casually having a drink while chatting with teammates, competitors and fans alike.
Hopefully the Tankard will spark some renewed interest in curling in Estevan. The local curling rink hasn’t been immune from the slow decline in interest in the sport over the last couple of decades. The number of curlers is down, the number of leagues is down, and the local rink is constantly looking for ways to attract new people to the sport.
Hopefully this won’t be the last time a marquee curling event is at Affinity Place, either. The last major curling event in Estevan was the SaskPower Scott (now Scotties) Tournament of Hearts provincial women’s tournament in 2001. The last time the Tankard was here was in 1994.
Now that Affinity Place has hosted a marquee curling event, you know others will want to follow suit. But it will be difficult to have something here during hockey season if the Power Dodge Ice Centre is the only other hockey arena in the city.
The Power Dodge Curling Club is capable of hosting most events offered through CurlSask and other organizations. But there are just some events, such as top provincial competitions like the Tankard, national championship or Grand Slam of Curling showdowns, that are too big for the rink.
