Come March, the Drumheller Curling Club will be hosting athletes from all over Southern Alberta in the Southern Alberta Bantam championships.
Come March 11-16, up to 16 teams of youth, ages 13-14, will be on the ice to play in the tournament. Drumheller Curling Club vice president Larry Needham is looking forward to the tournament.
“They approached us almost a year ago to see if we would be interested in hosting and we took up the challenge,” said Needham.
He explains there is not much awareness of bantam curling, outside of school competition.
“The Southern Alberta Curling Association (SACA) had a bantam program, but I don’t believe they have a midget program. They go directly from Bantam to Junior” he said.
He said there will be teams from centers such as Airdrie, Calgary, Cochrane, and maybe even Morrin or Delia.
“It will bring some interest to the town and exposure. We have and will continue to do the best we can with what we have,” said Needham, adding that Kevin Blanchett does a remarkable job in making sure the playing surface is top- notch.”
Opening ceremonies and opening draw will be Friday, March 11, and round robin play will continue through Saturday. They will also host a luncheon for the players on Saturday and the Final will be played out on Sunday.
Needham said that not only will the tournament shine a spotlight on the community, but it may also show younger curlers they can continue to pursue the sport.
“We are trying really hard to put together a youth program, and to that end every Monday we have kids come out for instruction at a very minimal cost. We have been doing this for a couple years now,” said Needham. “To have young players exposed to this, to have them come see what they can expect if they continue with the sport and work at it, I think it will not only be an incentive for the kids already in the program, but I think it will also entice some more kids to get into it.”
“Needham said SACA supplies time keepers and referees, but the club can always use volunteers to support the tournament. To learn more about the tournament contact Needham at (403) 856-5336.
