Esquimalt is hosting the B.C. Curling Championships this week, with teams across the province vying for a chance to compete in the Canadian championships later this winter.
The event usually takes place in a curling club, but this year the organizers from the Esquimalt Curling Club and Curl BC decided to rent out the Archie Browning Sport Centre.
“Putting it in an arena is a whole new set of challenges,” Esquimalt Curling Club president Alan Teasdale said.
So far, the turnout has been pretty good.
“There’s probably 100 people in there today, which is pretty good for the morning draw,” Teasdale on Wednesday (Jan. 24).
This included students from Esquimalt’s Rockheights Middle School, who got the chance to go out on the ice and test their skills.
“They got a chance to fool around on the ice, and then after that they went and sat cheered on the teams in the arena,” Teasdale said.
Renting out the arena does have a cost, but the municipality has given the organizers a discount, Teasdale said.
Curling’s popularity took a bit of dip in recent years with two of the four Greater Victoria curling clubs closing just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Teasdale said, but the local clubs have seen a slight uptick in membership recently.
“It’s nice to see the downward trends somewhat reversed and going up,” he said.
The woman’s competition will be a round robin, with a playoff on Saturday and the finals on Sunday morning at 9 a.m.
Men’s competitions will be in a triple knockout format, also with playoffs on Saturday and finals on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Last year’s women’s champs, Vancouver’s Team Grandy will be returning after reaching the semifinals in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts women’s Canadian championships.
Victoria locals Team Gaultier won last year’s men’s B.C. championships, but the team roster has changed, and it is now called Team Schneider. Gaultier was eliminated in the pool rounds at the Montana Brier Canadian championships.
There was initially supposed to be a wheelchair competition this year, but Teasdale said that in the end only one team had signed up due to cost of ferries and accommodation, so it was cancelled.
Tickets for the events are $15 per person during the week, and $20 per person on the weekend.
READ MORE: B.C. curling championships to rock Esquimalt rink early next year