When the Moose Jaw organizing committee for the 2023 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship was planning and preparing for the event this past spring, there were always many questions.
What kind of a field of teams would they have, what would the fan support be like and, most importantly, would the coronavirus raise its ugly head once again and bring things to a halt before they even started.
Fortunately for the local crew, the answer to each of those questions was overwhelmingly positive. And now as preparations begin for the return of the national championship Mar. 22-29 at the Moose Jaw Curling Centre, it’s all systems go.
“It’s kind of like riding a bicycle, now I know how to do it,” organizing committee chair Moose Gibson said with a laugh. “So you just roll the dice again and see how it all comes together.”
The first steps for the return of the tournament are underway as the event seeks a repeat of the impressive sponsorship support they received the first time around.
“The Chamber of Commerce sent out a letter on behalf of us, so we’re hoping that’ll help out,” Gibson said. “Everyone is sort of in the know about it so we’re hoping we’ll see a lot of businesses who helped out the first time come back and some new businesses sign on.”
Folks interested in helping out should be well aware their sponsorship could lead to Moose Jaw once again attain national glory.
The Saskatchewan team of skip Gil Dash, third Marie Wright, second Darwin Bender and lead Moose Gibson thrilled a packed house of hometown fans this past March when they defeated Northern Ontario in the gold medal game.
The title was the fourth for Dash, Wright, Bender and coach Lorraine Arguin, who also claimed titles on 2012, 2016 and 2018.
“So if we’re fortunate enough to win again, it’ll be their fifth championship and that’s always pretty special. It’ll be the Drive for Five,” Gibson said, adding that coach Arguin plans to retire after this season, adding an extra incentive for the Moose Jaw-based squad. “Without her in the province I don’t think the program would have climbed the mountain it’s climbed.”
The constant quest for new players in the province has also seen some success, with a handful of newcomers taking part in the three camps already held. That includes a callback to the World Para Hockey Championship -- Ryder Rowe, who became an unofficial member of bronze medalists Team Czechia during the event at the Moose Jaw Events Centre this past spring, was out giving wheelchair curling a shot during a recent try-out camp.
“He came out and gave it a go and it was really nice to see him out there,” Gibson said. “Maybe we have a future star in the making!”
The 2023 tournament saw 12 teams from across Canada take part, including a host of current and former Team Canada members -- including mixed doubles representatives Dash and Wright, who were fresh off their appearance at Worlds in B.C. mere weeks earlier.
“The turnout last year was awesome, and I think we opened a lot of people’s eyes to the quality of curling and the skillset that’s just across the country,” Gibson said. “We had six of the eight national team members here last year, so hopefully we have that same kind of support and turnout.”
Tickets will go on sale at the beginning of December and are $15 for a single draw, $25 for a day pass and $80 for the championship round.
For more information on the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championshp, including sponsorship info, give Gibson a call at (306) 690-9641 or send along an e-mail to [email protected].
