Curling enthusiasts in Morrin found a way to save on energy costs for their arena’s curling rink, and spent days transforming their hockey rink into a curling one for a bonspiel last weekend.
“The point was it was a good way to get kids curling again, and it was more economical to spend the effort changing the hockey ice,” said Ryan Bitz of the ag. society.
About 32 teams from Drumheller, Morrin, and Rumsey took to the four sheets of ice, with about four of those teams being young aged. About 20 volunteers put in the effort to make it happen.
Although final numbers haven’t been provided, Bitz said proceeds from the weeklong event are higher than $10,000.
“It was a great atmosphere, with a fantastic turnout. We didn’t think that many teams would be that good,” said Bitz.
“Curling has been losing ground in our communities, and we didn’t have enough players to justify keeping the curling rink open all season long. It’s all about the camaraderie.”
“We’ll definitely do it next year.”