NORTH BATTLEFORD —Twin Rivers Curling Club in the Battlefords continues to slide and glide into success.
Manager Brandon Hall says curling season preparations are right on the button and they will soon welcome curlers back in the house.
Twin Rivers Curling Club was recently named Curling Club of the Year by CurlSask for their efforts in demonstrating club best practices and superior status on social media, being a driver of inclusivity and creating a positive welcoming space as well as club membership growth, exceeding 20 per cent of the previous season.
Twin Rivers was also the feature of a national article by Curling Canada on the organization’s efforts in growing club members by 50 per cent, which was in part by the new programs offered.
Three teams have represented both the Twin Rivers club and Rivers West Sports District at national competition in Quebec for the 55+ senior games.
“Team Scheible (Wayne Scheible, Brian Welford, Alan Hoffman and Bill Rayner) battled it out in the finals taking home a silver medal,” Hall reports.
“Team Verhoeven (Barry Verhoeven, Kim Zoller, Dale Grant and Richard Pratchler) made their way to the bronze medal draw and secured a win bringing home the bronze medal. Team Voinorosky (Lorne Voinorosky, Colleen Voinorosky, Candy Brown and Glen Watchel) didn’t have it play out as they wanted but were amazing representatives for Saskatchewan curling as always.”
Offering leagues and experiences for curlers of all levels
“We keep adding leagues and bonspiels that focus on a fun social aspect by adding music, glo curling, and a focus on more of a night out than a competitive league but also making sure we still have competitive outlets for those who wish to go that route,” says the curling club manager.
Registration for the upcoming season is on now and the season officially kicks off Oct. 7.
Multiple leagues are being offered that include a Monday open league with a fun, social focus and is open to all ages and genders. Hall acknowledges that this is a great league for any skill level, including those new to the game, and offers a shorter evening of curling with six-end games.
A fun league is held Tuesday afternoons for all ages and calibres of curlers. Even if you don’t have a team to join, the club says teams for each week are drawn from a hat and members can sign up for the fall and spring sessions. It is the perfect opportunity for snowbirds or stay-at-home folks who would enjoy an afternoon of fellowship along with curling.
Experienced curlers have the opportunity to be part of the Tuesday competitive league, open to men, women or mixed teams, offering a friendly competitive atmosphere.
Wednesday features drop-in stick curling n the afternoon. All participants throw with a stick (throwing device) and pay as they play. Teams are formed each week and play six ends with the added bonus of no advance registration required.
Wednesdays are all about the fun, social league. Beginner curlers and those with minimal curling experience rule the ice. Curlers can prepare to glide into curling, with a twist as music is played during the game and following the game curlers are encouraged to join the social atmosphere that includes tasty bites, drinks and giveaways.
“No experience is needed for the Wednesday social league, and all equipment is provided. Don't have a team? No problem, sign up as a single, double, or even as a team of three and we will form teams to make sure everyone can join. This is a shorter evening of curling with six-end games,” Hall explains.
Carol Christopher League will take place on Thursdays and is also a social league with a competitive spirit and includes two draws, mornings and afternoons. Teams are drawn from a hat with members signing up for this league at the beginning of fall and spring sessions.
Thursday open league is for all or any combination of age and/or gender and offers a fun, friendly evening of curling for all skill levels from beginners to experts. Hall said this is one of the most popular league times so early registration is helpful.
Twin Rivers also offers junior instructional curling on Wednesday after school and children are separated into groups based on their age. The club provides equipment free of charge, but participants need to have clean indoor shoes.
Hosting helps showcase the club
As soon as curling season gets underway, Twin Rivers will be hosting a U20 Curl Sask Tour event Oct. 25-27 and offers spectators a great chance to see live curling games with up-and-coming Sask. competitive teams, who may just be the next championship team.
High school curling has a home at Twin Rivers for Junior Battle West District championships, Feb. 26-27, while the Sask. High School Athletic Association senior boys’ regional playdowns will be held Feb. 28 to March 1. Top teams from this event will advance to SHSAA provincial championships.
Hall notes events will be hosted throughout the season. These include two sturling spiels, a family fun spiel, a Christmas spiel and the annual ladies’ bonspiel Feb. 8-9. The men’s bonspiel takes place March 8-10 with the year-end wrap-up bonspiel near the end of March, followed by the Light of Christ Catholic Schools spiel March 28.
This makes for a full house for the club and keeps executives, employees and volunteers busy throughout the season organizing and manning both leagues and competitions.
The Twin Rivers Club said while they can’t identify the oldest curler at their club, they are happy to have several older than 90 players still actively participating. Half of the club’s current membership has been with Twin Rivers since it was founded in 2012, many of those migrated from the other clubs that were part of the Battlefords curling scene.
Ice technicians at the club start with head ice technician, Doug Flasch. Flasch is assisted by Brian Nebel, Wayne Payne and Wayne Cubbon.
Curling Club highlights are many
Hall says there were many highlights from the past season, most notable was increasing membership 50 per cent from 190 members to 295 members.
The club also said hosting U20 provincials and SSFA 55+ games resulted in positive feedback from teams and coaches on the facilities and ice conditions.
Hall maintains that, as always, their biggest challenge is rising costs as utilities have skyrocketed in the last few years, along with most other expenses.
“It’s a challenge to find a balance of making curling affordable for everyone but make sure you can cover your expenses. You can no longer just rely on the revenue from curling fees to cover your costs. Another challenge in the past has been getting new people in the door. In past years if people don’t curl with the school or as a child you would not normally see them come in as adults. We have been able to overcome this challenge with great success this past year.”
Twin Rivers said the biggest thing they are trying to communicate to residents of the Battlefords is the opportunity to curl regardless of age, gender, ability, curling skill or curling knowledge, as they have a league for everyone.
You can follow the club on their Facebook page for all the latest news and updates. What's a curler's favorite place to hang out? The rock and roll club, of course.
