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Rookies and seasoned curlers met for a night of cheers and beers on Jan. 6 as the Prince Rupert Curling club held its 3rd annual New Beers Resolution curling event.
Approximately 60 people — many of them beginners — gathered at the club where they had an opportunity to throw rocks, learn about the game, make some new friends and have a good time.
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“A lot of people hear about curling or watch it on TV but they don’t necessarily get to try it,” said Danny Dawson, one of the club’s members. “We try to offer a non-threatening environment so that they can try and learn and do as they please.”
Dawson said the curling club is always trying to find ways to generate interest in the sport to allow it to grow in Prince Rupert.
“We want to promote the fact that curling is a sport that is accessible to everyone and allows them to compete without it having to be to strenuous,” he said.
Among those who were on the ice were Billy Hughes and Autumn Johansen, a couple who moved to Prince Rupert at the end of 2017. While Johansen was born in Prince Rupert, Hughes is originally from Bolton in the United Kingdom and was excited to give curling a try for the first time.
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“We were talking about some things to do that were Canadian and I’d never tried it and I decided to give it a go,” he said.
The couple heard about the night from a post on Facebook and decided to give it a try. Hughes said he enjoyed himself even if he doesn’t quite understand the rules, and he will considered coming back for one of the club’s open nights.
“We were kinda just throwing rocks,” he said. “We hadn’t quite gotten to the sweeping part, but I think we’re going to come back and try it.”
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