A mixed-curling bonspiel had the Prince Rupert Curling Club packed over the weekend. The three-day tournament was the first big tournament of 2019 for the curling club and it did not disappoint.
The event winner was the Thomas rink, 10-7, in the A-division; Pettersen rink in the B event, Harvey rink in the C event and Mullin rink in the D event.
People hurried from across the island to take part in the splendour, as curling-sanity swept across the island.
While the tournament was highly skilled and filled with fierce competitors, there was always room for camaraderie and friendship on and off the ice, something that makes curling so unique, according to Sean Carlson one of the newer members of the curling club.
“I think it’s the social aspect, it’s great to get out on the ice and curl but its also just hanging out with people and enjoying the community around you,” Carlson said.
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The Prince Rupert Curling Club has been doing bonspiels like this for a long time, and while the popularity of Canada’s second most famous ice sport may be fading, here in Prince Rupert events like this bonspiel are fighting against that narrative.
“Curling in the last few years has taken a bit of a nosedive, but we have been getting our population back recently especially with events like this one because it draws in both men and women,” Dan Dawson, event organizer for the mixed Bonspiel said.
The bonspiel ran all weekend, and while everybody can’t win on the ice, the curling club is making sure everyone feels like a winner off the ice.
“It’s meant to be a friendly atmosphere, go out and compete for a while, then come back upstairs and share some good times with people, I think we are a pretty close-knit community,” Dawson said.
READ MORE: Rupert curling club open for 2018
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