But they’re going to give it a go regardless – and it all began Wednesday as registration opened for leagues and they released their Return to Curling guide and frequently asked questions.
Make no mistake, things will be different. But at least the chance to hit the ice will be there, a far cry from earlier this summer when there was concern there might not even be any games at all.
“There’s already quite a bit of interest and we’re just kind of waiting to see how it all turns out… we know there are going to be changes pretty much every week and we’ll just have to adjust,” said curling programmer Rhonda Wenarchuk.
“Saskatoon has already started with their high-performance program and they’ve had no problems, it’s been fine up there. Then there’s a club in Manitoba that has been out there for over a month, they started the high-performance program for Curing Canada to see how it was going to all play out and work and they’ve had no problems at all. So once everybody gets going, I imagine it’ll be fine.”
A major reason for that optimism is the precautions that will be in place.
In addition to traffic control both in the lobby and on the ice, gameplay changes have been put into place to minimize close contact.
The largest of those is the implementation of the one-sweeper rule. While Curl Sask left it up to each individual club to determine how they’d go in that direction, Curl Moose Jaw decided to follow the Curling Canada guidelines and run with a single sweeper regardless of family cohorts and groups.
Add that to skips not being allowed to sweep, specific points on the ice for sweepers to stand when they’re not sweeping and a host of other changes, things will be different – but not all that difficult to adjust to.
“I think it’s going to take a couple games for everyone to get in a groove for what we should and shouldn’t do,” Wenarchuk said. “Once everybody gets going, I imagine it’ll be fine.”
Things also still have to be sorted through with regards to a handful of speciality leagues, including wheelchair curling, the afternoon stick league and two-on-two leagues.
The Original 16 Cash League is also in a small state of flux, as if a full slate of teams sign up, it might be necessary to stagger draws in order to maintain the 30 people or fewer room requirements. Having four sheets start at 6:30 p.m. and the rest at 7:30 p.m. is one potential plan.
One change that’s definitely for the positive is the new registration system. The Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre has implemented the Curling IO program currently in use for competitive teams, with the link to register found by clicking here. Simply find the day and league you’re interested in, fill out the form and you’re set.
For a look at the full and comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions document, click right here. And for more on the coming season, be sure to check out www.moosejawcurling.com .
