If all goes well this weekend, there could be curling in Thornbury again by next winter.
Though once there was a proposal to build a curling rink in Thornbury to replace the one torn down more than a decade ago, the new plan doesn’t involve any new building.
A newly-formed not-for-profit called the Blue Mountains Curling Centre hopes to use the existing skating/hockey arena for weekend curling next year.
Lloyd Luckock is a director for the Curling Centre. He comes from a background in competitive curling and coaching in Western Canada. He’s excited about the prospect of curling at home next year. He has curled at both Collingwood and Meaford clubs, but he lives in Thornbury.
“This is really good for the community,” said Luckock.
He said a curling rink is just what the growing town needs as more and more people move to the area from larger city centres and want to keep active.
“It’s social, competitive and/or fun if you want it to be,” said Luckock. “Once people get involved, they get hooked. It just kind of grabs you.”
While he has big dreams for the local curling centre to be a teaching facility and one day host provincial competitive events, for now it’s going to help make curling accessible for more people.
The plan is to have Jitney times (like pick-up curling), mixed doubles and standard league play and an after school program for young kids. A membership with Blue Mountain Curling Centre is $150 and that would allow the member to curl both in regular league and Jitney events.
According to Aaron McMullin, facility supervisor for Beaver Valley Arena and Community Centre, the town has offered Blue Mountain Curling Centre 15 weekends in the 2018/2019 season. The curlers have been offered the ice surface Fridays from noon to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Curling Centre has until June 1 to sign the contract and book those available dates. McMullin said these were the weekends not already called for by other user groups hosting events at the arena next year. Arena staff were trained this weekend by Ontario Curling Association ice technician Darren Sinclair. McMullin said his staff will be able to change the ice over from a hockey rink to curling sheets easily. If the contract is signed, the extra lines marking the house and boundaries required for a curling sheet will be added at the beginning of the year with the hockey markings.
According to Luckock the way forward for curling is to share ice time at a hockey arena. He said there hasn’t been a new curling club built in Ontario in the last ten years, and to do so would cost at minimum $5 million.
“There’s no more perfect arena to do this in,” said Luckock about Beaver Valley Arena. He said the ice making and temperature regulation equipment is state-of-the-art and will create high-quality curling ice.
This weekend, Beaver Valley Curling Centre is reaching out to the community with curling events. They had Grade 5 students from Beaver Valley Community School on the ice Thursday, and will be hosting Jitney, mixed doubles demonstrations and some exhibition games to drum up interest. During the events, they will also be signing up members who want to curl in Thornbury next year. The Centre is asking for $50 of the $150 membership up front to make sure they will have the numbers to support a curling rink next season. Luckock said he hopes to see about 100 members sign up this weekend and for that number to climb to about 200 over the next month or so in order to move forward and start curling next year. The way the membership is structured, Luckock said it will make it easy for curlers who are members at Collingwood or Meaford clubs to remain there and get extra practice time in Thornbury. It will also be a chance for those new to curling to try the sport.
For more on Blue Mountains Curling Centre or to sign up for a membership, click here.
