The oldest curling club in Canada is getting the ice ready for another fun season on the ice, according to the President of the Golden Curling Club, Greg McTaggart, who has been working with a dedicated group of volunteers to prepare for the season.
Brett Salmon, vice president of the club, explained just how important these volunteers are for the survival of the club.
“Without volunteers, we wouldn’t be here. They are the core of the people who come out and help us,” Salmon said.
One issue has come up with the ice which will cause a one week delay in starting the year.
McTaggart explained that the ice plant had failed the first time, which meant they had to start making the ice from scratch.
“We want the ice to be at a high quality for the rest of the season,” McTaggart said.
“This is the kind of thing that if we start off a little bit wonky, will we be able to fix it? So we were not sure, but we wanted to make sure we did the best that we can,” Salmon added.
Now the season will start on October 25 when mixed teams take to the ice.
As for the draw of curling, both men had many reasons why they love the sport.
“It is a very social time for us. None of us are particularly good (except for Greg)” Salmon explained with a laugh. “For a lot of us, it expands your social circle.”
“Here it’s totally casual. We take on any newcomers and put them with someone who has curled before. Anyone can come out,” McTaggart said.
Anyone interested in coming out to try playing can come by the club on Monday, Wednesday or Friday afternoons. People can rent equipment at the club at a very reasonable price.
As for why curling is a sport to try, Salmon said, “Curling is like golf. Many of the top-end curlers are also golf pros. It is quite physical so you get exercise. There is also a lot of strategy involved like golf. There, you try and perfect your swing, while here, you try and perfect your shots.”
