Charleswood hosting curling championships

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This article was published 13/01/2020 (2379 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Charleswood will get to see some world-class curling in its own backyard.

The 2020 Viterra Men’s Curling Championship, hosted by the Charleswood Curling Club, will take place at the Eric Coy arena from Feb. 5 to Feb. 9. The provincial tournament will bring in curlers from across Manitoba to sweep their way to victory, as well as a chance to represent their hometown on a national scale.

Steven Dueck and Jim McRae are co-chairs in charge of organizing the massive event. Together with a team of committees and volunteers, they’re doing everything from finding sponsors to getting the arena ready to host the top curlers in the province.

Dueck said he’s very excited about hosting the event.

“I feel great. I think the last time the (Viterra Men’s Curling Championship) was hosted in Winnipeg, it was at the IcePlex in Headingley. That was around five or six years ago,” Dueck said. “We’re putting in a lot of work behind the scenes, I know it’ll be a good event. We hope people come out to enjoy some of the best curling in the province.”

Dueck said they applied to host the event in 2019. The Charleswood Curling Club had previously hosted the Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts (Scotties) in 2017, the women’s provincial curling championship.
Dueck said the club had a very successful track record for hosting the Scotties, which helped them get picked for hosting the Viterra championship. Dueck added that after the games, ticket holders can come back to the Charleswood Curling Club, which is just next door, for food, drinks and live bands.

Winners from the Viterra Men’s Curling Championships will go on to represent Manitoba at national events, including the Tim Hortons Brier.

McRae said the whole club is supporting the tournament.

“The club has been very supportive. We need upwards of 250 volunteers to just run the event. We’ve had a lot of people step up to help us put this thing on,” McRae said. “Come and watch some of the best curling in the province. In between draws, come back to the club lounge and relax. As the curling out there ramps up, so will the entertainment in here.”

McRae added that it’s a lot of work to put this event on. The volunteers have to work with the city to get the ice ready, remove the safety glass in the arena, as well as setting up the building for a broadcast crew. The tournament will be broadcast live on SportsNet.

The club needs additional help from the city to put on the tournament. They applied for the Community Incentive Grant program, but the Winnipeg Public Service recommended they be denied, as it didn’t meet the grants criteria of purchasing “a capital improvement or the purchase of a capital asset that will be retained for more than one year.”

The Assiniboia community committee voted to waive the requirements allowing the curling club to receive $14,000. The request was moved by the standing policy committee on protection, community services and parks, and will go to council for a final vote on Jan. 30.

Dueck said they need that extra funding to support the club.

“It’s great news, obviously if we get the grant, it will help pay for the cost of hosting the event. It’ll help us host a successful event, make it profitable, to invest the profits back into the Charleswood Curling Club in the future,” Dueck said.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit charleswoodcurlingclub.com, or email viterra2020cwcc@gmail.com