Members of the Carol Christopher 50+ League in action Thursday on the fresh ice at the Northland Power Curling Centre. (Submitted photo/Brandon Hall)

By Martin Martinson

Growing registrations

Twin Rivers Curling Club sees strong turnout for winter season

Oct 13, 2023 | 8:00 AM

The curling season officially got underway this week at North Battleford’s Twin Rivers Curling Club, and if early numbers are any indication, it looks to be another busy year at the Northland Power Curling Centre.

Headlining this year’s curling programs at the club is a new Social League, set to officially begin Oct. 25. The new program serves as a sort of casual introduction to the sport for those looking for a fun night out, with a reduced six ends of play (rather than the standard eight), along with music over the speaker system throughout, and no prior experience required.

“We’re responding to what we’ve perceived as a demand for something that other clubs have implemented quite successfully,” Vice President of the Twin Rivers Curling Club Doug Fehr said. “The majority of the market for curling these days is people looking for a night out and looking for a social experience and a bunch of fun.”

Running in six-week increments, Fehr added that while the league has filled up quickly to start, there will be some opportunities to potentially join later in the season, as there will be three ‘mini-seasons’ over the duration of the winter.

Additionally, other traditional leagues have also seen a strong turnout for the club this year, as each of Tuesday night’s Competitive League and Tuesday afternoon’s New Horizons League are full, while the Carol Christopher 50+ League which features two draws Thursday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. is also quickly nearing capacity.

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The club estimates that altogether to this point, registrations are up as much as 35-40 people from even a year ago. It’s something Fehr called ‘a large credit’ to manager Brandon Hall who, along with the club’s junior coordinator, was instrumental in designing and implementing the Social League, expanding on their list of programs.

“We’re up in numbers which is really encouraging, and a lot of our growth is from that Social League, but also different people entering on Tuesday night, and I just think it’s largely due to the efforts [the team has] put in,” Fehr said.

Fehr added that while many of the leagues are quickly filling up, there does still remain opportunity for those still looking to get involved in the sport this season. Among the programs still looking for a few more teams is the Monday Night League, which begins next Monday, Oct. 16, with still room for up to five more teams.

“It’s wide open for any age [and] any gender. It could be four guys, four girls, or a mixture. It doesn’t matter, and it’s another non-competitive league,” he said.

In addition to various league play, the Twin Rivers Curling Club is also looking forward to hosting a couple of larger-scale events this year, including the Provincial Junior U20 Championships which will take place in February, and the curling portion of the Provincial Senior Fitness Games in March.

There will also be the usual Sterling Bonspiels, and at least one Open Bonspiel this year, with dates to be announced in the coming weeks.

To keep up to date with all the latest happenings at the Twin Rivers Curling Club, find them on Facebook, or visit their website.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1