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Eaton’s Centre kicks off 26th annual Western Canada floor shuffleboard tourney

The Timothy Eaton's Centre will host the tournament from Sept. 13 to 16, while the public is welcome to attend and watch

Stan Prime, a world-class floor shuffleboard player, had nothing but great things to say about the quality of the boards on which players compete in Moose Jaw.

“Nothing wrong with these boards. They work pretty good here. I’ve played on a lot worse, for sure,” Prime chuckled on Sept. 13 before the start of the 26th annual Western Canada floor shuffleboard tournament at the Timothy Eaton’s Centre.

Prime is one of 57 players from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba who will compete from Sept. 13 to 16 for the championship trophy. 

Prime’s travelling passport is well worn, as he’s competed in Australia, New Zealand, Seattle, Wash., Ontario, Alberta and Arizona during the past several decades. 

“I like the competition. When I retired, I went to Yuma (Arizona). They had three boards and it was very competitive. They had a world-class team,” the Airdrie, Alta., resident said, noting he eventually joined that team and competed across the world. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

Prime has visited Moose Jaw several times during the past decade because his common-law wife — whom he met while in Yuma — is from The Friendly City. One of his favourite parts about coming here is visiting the Tunnels of Moose Jaw and learning about the community’s history.

“This is a good tournament. I’ve never had problems. It’s all friendly people,” he added.

Winnipeg native Bryan Weber made his first appearance at the tournament after his friend, Ron Molter, invited him to compete. Both met in Texas several years ago while wintering at the same resort and became friends. 

Floor shuffleboard is a great game because it’s similar to ice curling and employs almost the same strategies, Weber said. His first goal during this tournament is to have fun and then win — if he can. 

Weber comes into the tournament with the title of “expert” after scoring enough points during tournaments and competitions elsewhere. However, this is the first time he is playing with that title since he could not travel to Texas last year due to the pandemic. Still, he is excited to go toe-to-toe with some of the best players in Western Canada.

During the opening ceremony, MC Earl Berard told the crowd that it’s tough to be an athlete — at any age. They don’t always attain enough sleep, while some of them must travel long distances to compete. However, they will discover during the competition that Moose Jaw has some of the best shuffleboards anywhere, of which the Eaton’s Centre is proud.

Afterward, Berard told the Express that the centre board held a meeting months ago and decided to hold the tournament in September even though it normally occurs in July. The pandemic wiped out the 2020 tournament, so board members decided they would take the chance and hold it this year.

“We anticipated a problem of people not coming. But at the same time, we consider ourselves fortunate because we had people register and come to Moose Jaw,” he said. 

Berard added that the tournament is open to everyone to watch, while seniors should consider joining the floor shuffleboard league to compete, socialize and have fun.  

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