The Trail Curling Club can add another feather to its already prodigious cap, after Curl BC announced last week the club will host the 2013 Tim Horton’s B.C. Senior Curling Championship, Feb. 11-17.
“The excitement is pretty keen amongst our members, and everyone’s looking forward to it,” said event co-chair Flo Woodhouse.
Upon learning that no city had been awarded the championship, Woodhouse approached the venerable Trail club early last month and suggested it should apply.
“We downloaded the application and sent it in, and two weeks later we found out that we had won it,” she said. “It has all happened quite quickly. “
The three co-chairs of the event, Woodhouse, Cal McKerracher, and Sandra Stadujar, have many years curling experience and organizing similar championships such as the Scotties B.C. Women’s Championship hosted by the Trail Curling Club in January, 2008.
In the short time since the application, committees have been formed, volunteers recruited and sponsors contacted.
“People have been volunteering, coming forward, the excitement is quite high, but then again Trail is well known for its expertise in hosting events like this. The merchants and businesses have been phenomenal over the years supporting these things, because you couldn’t do it without them,” added Woodhouse.
The BC Senior Championships will showcase the top eight senior men’s and top eight senior women’s curling teams. The 50+-year-old participants are competitive curlers with winning teams advancing to Canadian and World championships.
The Canadian Curling Association dictates protocol and organizers are obliged to train and recruit officials. Timing and scoring courses will be organized as the club mobilizes volunteers and organizes officials.
“There are a number of people who have taken timing courses before, and they look forward to these events so they can get their hours, to get fully qualified,” she added. “We will draw on those resources of officials.”
With 64 contestants as well as coaches, officials and family visiting Trail, it should prove to be another successful week for not just the club but the city as well.
Each event will follow an eight-team round robin format, followed by a three-team playoff.
The Trail Curling Club formed in 1908 and has hosted past events such as the 1998 BC Junior Men’s Curling Championship and the Scotties.
