Many curlers from across the province are welcoming the brand new ice at the Morris Curling Club this month.
Removed in early July for maintenance purposes, the fresh ice was opened to the public on Aug. 6.
“The ice had been in for six years in a row,” explained Gabe Brandt, curling club manager. “Putting in completely new ice keeps the ice healthy, allowing for better curling conditions.”
Ice supervisor Scott Churchill is happy with the fresh sheets.
“We have more room to flood the ice now. The ice will be watered every five weeks to keep the ice healthy. Any impurities that rise to the surface with flooding will be scraped off.”
Access to curling ice in the summer can be challenging for competitive curlers.
“Some of the best curlers in the world have practiced here,” Brandt said. “We are the only club in Manitoba with summer ice and one of a handful of clubs across the country. I’ve heard of teams needing to train in Kelowna during the summer.”
It is important for competitive athletes to maintain their skills and, if needed, use the state-of-the-art laser technology found at the Morris Curling Club’s Cargill Curling Training Centre.
The club has been quite busy since re-opening. Two bonspiels take place the last two weekends of August, with teams coming from Wisconsin, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Minnesota.
“Eleven practices were booked one day last week,” shared Brandt. “These are teams curling out of Manitoba that we usually see on TV.”
A week-long summer camp was also hosted last week, allowing local youth to hone their curling skills.
Chloée Pickell, 13, helped teach the younger curlers this year. She has curled for the past five years with the curling club’s junior curling team, attending several youth bonspiels last year.
“I like to curl and hope to get to the Scotties one day,” she said with a smile.
A summer fun league composed of local enthusiasts has already started playing during the day. Formal programming will begin in early October with several leagues available: Monday nights is the open division, Tuesdays is for the junior crowd, Wednesday is stick curling, and Thursday is the rec. league.
“The stick league is popular with anyone: those new to curling, curlers with safety concerns, mobility issues, or bad knees,” explained Brandt. “There is no need to understand how to curl the rock.”
The recreation league is provided during the day, usually attracting an older crowd, and is available on a drop-in basis.
Anyone interested in curling on a league or bringing a school class out as an alternative to gym class can contact Brandt at 204-746-2271 or manager@morriscurlingclub.com.
