Every year, the Moose Jaw Curling Centre features plenty of competition at all levels of the sport, from beginners learning the game to elite players competing for provincial championships.
Pick any night of the week, and you’ll find a league in action or a bonspiel underway, with players young and old out enjoying the game. Leagues catering to recreational players saw all sheets full most evenings, with the Original 16 Cash League offering some of the top players a chance to get into the more competitive side of things.
Those looking to play the game despite a disability can do so as well, with the Stick Curling league one of the most popular in the city. And then there’s wheelchair curling.
Moose Jaw has become the undisputed hub of that version of the sport not only in Saskatchewan but in western Canada, hosting the 2023 Canadian Championship this past spring and now preparing to also host the 2024 tournament next March. Moose Jaw will also be hosting the 2023 Canadian Forces Canada West Curling championship in December after successfully hosting the tournament last winter.
On that point, the Moose Jaw Curling Centre isn’t just about having fun on the recreational side of things -- the banners on the far wall of the rink are testament to that.
Two were added this past fall, with Elaine Robson’s Saskatchewan Club Championship foursome and Penny Barker’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts provincial championship banners joining the dozens upon dozens of other provincial and national titles.
There will be a new one going up in the near future, too, after Gil Dash and Team Saskatchewan won the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship this spring at the Moose Jaw Curling Centre.
Seeing national events take place locally isn’t unusual, either. Curling Canada’s interest in giving Moose Jaw high-profile tournaments stems from the wild success they have any time they show up -- including the 2015 and 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts that took place in the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
Weekends are also an incredibly busy time, with regular bonspiels always a hit. That includes stops from the Sask Curling Tour in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles, as well as the annual Men’s Bonspiel, CHAB Youthspiel and a host of funspiels throughout the winter.
For more information on the Moose Jaw Curling Centre, including how to sign up for leagues for the coming season and other events, be sure to visit www.moosejawcurling.com and follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CurlMooseJaw/.
