Provincial curling championships return to Melville after five years

Melville is hosting provincial curling championships, with the winners heading to Brier and Scotties. Fruzsina De Cloedt has the story.

After a five-year absence, Saskatchewan’s provincial curling championships are back at the CN Community Centre in Melville.

The last time the event was held in the city was in 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm. That year, the women’s championship was played first, followed by the men’s event a week later.

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This year marks the first time the men’s and women’s championships are being played simultaneously, with finals scheduled for Sunday. Nine teams are competing in each division. The women’s winner will represent Saskatchewan at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, while the men’s champion will advance to the Brier.

Curling fan Ruth Choboter, who attended the men’s draw on Monday afternoon, said she’s especially excited to watch the younger curlers.

“The younger curlers I’m excited to see — Martin from Saskatoon, and everyone else. I love curling,” she said.

Hosting the championships is a major event for Melville, which is home to around 4,500 people.

“This would be much larger than anything that usually takes place in our town,” said Larry Petersen, president of the Melville Curling Club. “This is the fourth provincial we’ve hosted, so people in town are used to this particular event.”

Petersen said he hopes the championships will inspire more people to take up curling, noting participation in organized sports has declined over the years.

“Our participation is way down from what it would have been 30 years ago,” he said.

The provincial curling championships are set to run from Jan. 5 to Jan. 11 at the CN Community Centre in Melville.