ESTEVAN - One top-notch provincial curling event is finished in Estevan, and now it’s time for the next one to begin.
The SaskTel Tankard men’s provincial curling championship will run from Feb. 1-5 at Affinity Place. The opening ceremonies will be at 6 p.m. and the first draw will be at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 1, and there will be lots of great curling until the tournament’s completion.
Event committee chair Devon Fornwald said he is looking forward to 12 of Saskatchewan’s top men’s curling teams coming to Estevan.
“We’ve got a strong field coming for the teams here. We’ve got a lot of past winners coming,” said Fornwald.
Six of the teams entered are from the Nutana Curling Club in Saskatoon: Michael Carss, Colton Flasch, Jason Jacobson, Dustin Kaithoff, Rylan Kleiter and Dallan Muyres.
Daymond Bernath and Kody Hartung are playing out of the Sutherland Curling Club in Saskatoon. Logan Ede is with the Martensville Curling Club, Joshua Heidt is from the Kerrobert Curling Club, Kelly Knapp is from the Highland Curling Club in Regina and Steve Laycock is out of the Swift Current Curling Club.
Flasch is the defending champion.
“Saskatchewan is a tough province to get out of, and there’s some great curlers all the way through the province. For the top 12 to make it here, that’s just an accomplishment in itself. So congratulations to those 12 teams on making it this far,” said Fornwald.
At this level, it’s a one-on-one game, Fornwald said, and the winner will be who pieces enough of those games together.
The winner of the Tankard will advance to nationals in London, Ont., from March 3-12.
There will be some work to be done after the Viterra Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which ran from Jan. 25-29 at Affinity Place, and before the Tankard begins. Fornwald said the ice makers would look at the ice and likely give it a good scrape and maybe even a small flood. They might have to sharpen the rocks.
Local curlers were scheduled to be on the ice on Jan. 31 to give it a test.
Fornwald noted the icemakers have equipment that gages the ice temperature and building humidity.
“It’s really quite a science, so they can change the ice temperature in a couple of minutes, and get it to be where they want it to be, because they know the precise temperatures for these rocks to slide and curl the best,” said Fornwald.
The two-day break between the Scotties and the Tankard will also give the event’s 190 volunteers a chance to rest, recharge and get back to the facility for another five days.
The Scotties Tournament of Hearts women’s curling provincials tournament was a great event, Fornwald said. He was particularly pleased to have so many school students at the event, as they brought energy to the building for the morning draws on Jan. 26 and 27.
“The curlers were super impressed with the facility,” said Fornwald. “They couldn’t say enough. The coaches, I’ve had multiple coaches come and stop and say ‘Wow, this facility is great. You’ve done an excellent job.’ A lot of the fans are so impressed with this building and what we have here for the facility.”
The ice makers did a great job of getting the ice surfaced prepared. The curlers were impressed with how the rocks curled, along with the ice consistency and how it translated to sweeping.
Fornwald said they ironed out a few “minor hiccups” from the Scotties to be ready for the Tankard.
“Everybody who is here as a volunteer knows their role, they know where they’re supposed to be and at what time. Our volunteers, that’s another thing. We get tremendous support from our volunteers in Estevan,” said Fornwald.
The Scotties-Tankard has 190 volunteers, and people are showing up to help out even when it’s not their shift.
“They’re just happy to be here to help out,” he said.
Many of them worked at previous events, whether it be curling or hockey, and they know what needs to be done.
Fornwald hopes the Scotties-Tankard will have a positive impact for the club. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many clubs in Canada have been hurting because some curlers didn’t come back to the sport. These events have really promoted the game in the community.
He expects some might come and watch and decide to get a team back together because they realize how much they miss curling.
Each time they have an event, there is a bump in people who want their kids in the sport.
“That translates into members further down the road. That’s incredible when you see those kids progress from the first time on the ice when they’re five years old, or if they’re 10 or 12 years old, the first time they’re on the ice and you see them out there with their volunteers that instruct them. It’s amazing how fast these kids just come into the program, they learn the game and they get excited about it.”
Once someone is a curler, they’re always a curler, he said. There are members at the Estevan club who are as young as four or five, and some who are in their 80s.
“You can play this game a long time and really enjoy it,” said Fornwald. “It’s a lot of fun. The level of physical activity, it’s up to you. You can go hard, or you can sit back and enjoy the social aspect of it, too.”
Fornwald stressed the event committee has done a terrific job of organizing the event. They have things so well organized that they have made his job as chairman much easier.
For full coverage of the Tankard, including photos and stories each day, be sure to visit our provincial news hub at www.sasktoday.ca.
Next week’s edition of the Mercury will have full coverage of the Tankard.
