The games have been played and the cleanup has begun, and the organizers of this year’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts are feeling good about the overall success of the week-long event.
“I'm a happy guy and my other two vice-chairs, they've done a fabulous job and they're just ecstatic with the way things are going,” said Kevin deDelley, one of three vice-chairs for the event and the president of Curl Moose Jaw.
The Scotties totalled a whopping 59,000 attendees throughout the 10-day tournament, which may be just shy of the turnout at the 2015 Scotties here in Moose Jaw but is nothing to brush off.
“Moose Jaw itself has responded very well. Every restaurant's making money, gas is up, snacks are up, hotels are full,” said deDelley. “And look at the national exposure the city's got. It's great.”
As an organizer this year, deDelley is impressed with how smoothly the event has run with Curling Canada’s expertise and familiarity from the 2015 event, as well as the 2012 Canada Cup.
“They’re more refined in what they’re doing. They see value in coming to a place like this, when we have a history,” said deDelley. “It's been phenomenal, the volunteers have been fabulous. The players have given us a great show. Curling Canada's done a great job, and we look forward to doing it again.”
The biggest change from 2015 was the inclusion of electronic scoreboards, which actually lessened the burden on volunteers throughout the week but required a change in setup.
It took over 400 volunteers keeping things running, and the setup and takedown crew will have spent a full two weeks creating the Scotties and then returning Mosaic Place to its original state.
“It was actually pretty smooth sailing,” said Maddie Kelly, marketing co-ordinator from Curling Canada. “We organized it well enough to know our issues ahead of time, and also the building has just been awesome. This facility's perfectly suited to an event like this, so it makes it very easy for us.”
For Kelly, she was impressed with the response the national tournament received from Moose Jaw — and Saskatchewan — fans.
“I know how much the community has helped us with promoting it and getting involved,” said Kelly. “It's awesome to see all the smiling faces. I've met people from across Canada, the majority from Saskatchewan, and they’re just great people and I’m glad that they enjoyed it.”
For deDelley, a highlight of the tournament has been seeing so many young faces in the crowd. With a thriving Under-21 Junior curling program at Curl Moose Jaw, it’s exciting for deDelley to witness the moment young curlers first experience the sport.
“They've got the jerseys, autographs, they've gotten to walk with the teams and all the kids that curl loved it,” said deDelley. “As soon as they play ‘O Canada,’ the first shots are made and the place goes wild. I think they’ll be curling fans for a long time to come.”
Kelly agreed with that sentiment whole-heartedly.
“We love our demographic and our die-hard fans,” said Kelly. “We want the young people to come and watch. . . and once you get them in here, it’s like a bug — you catch it and you want to come to every game.”
With the proceeds from the 50/50 draws over the week going back to the Curl Moose Jaw junior program, deDelley hopes that the national tournament has inspired more Moose Jaw curlers to get involved with the local club.
“This is late in the season so we may not see the actual fruits of our labour until next September, but certainly once the ice is in and the smell of frost is on the ground, it's curling season,” said deDelley.
But overall, hosting the Scotties again in Moose Jaw has been an incredible experience, said both deDelley and Kelly.
“A little chill went up my spine every time I heard the bagpipe, every time people stand and rise and cheer for a great shot, it's an amazing feeling,” said deDelley.
“It just went really, really well, and I'm just so thankful for the building and the volunteers in the city,” said Kelly. “I couldn't have asked for a better place to host an event.”
