Scotties attendance surpasses target
Curling championship in St. Catharines set to blow by Grand Praire’s 2016 spectator count
It would appear St. Catharines rocks when it comes to curling.
The Scotties Tournament of Hearts national women’s curling championship has drawn 31,358 fans with just 13 draws of 22 draws complete at Meridian Centre.
Family Day was big. It drew 4,785 spectators for two draws, which pleased Doug Geddie, one of three vice-chairs of the host committee for Scotties.
“I think we had a break with the weather and Family Day on Monday, giving us huge walk-up traffic,” Geddie said.
“Monday is usually the quietest day of any curling event, and we had terrific crowds. Far better than we ever anticipated. Based on that we are feeling pretty good about what will happen the rest of the week.
“Curling Canada has said we have exceeded our target so far. The big numbers will be on the weekend. That’s when everybody wants to attend.”
Last year’s event in Grand Prairie, Alta., only drew 38,854 for the entire tournament. The struggling Alberta economy depressed Grand Prairie’s numbers. It’s hard to splurge on curling tickets when you face losing your home.
The all-time attendance record for the tournament is 154,688, set in Regina in 1998. That number can be chalked up to curling fever on the Prairies.
“No matter how much promotion you do, people don’t think about it, until the event begins,” Geddie said. “There have been some really interesting games, and I believe the word is spreading in the community.”
When Kingston hosted the event in 2013, it attracted 65,825 fans. Moose Jaw drew 70,047 in 2015. Montreal’s attendance was 39,063 in 2014.
“Curling Canada has a mandate to grow the sport, and they prefer smaller centres,” Geddie said. “One of the worst-attended Scotties was in Montreal. They wouldn’t do this event in Toronto because of the competition for the entertainment and sports dollar.
“When they come to a place like Moose Jaw or St. Catharines, the community embraces it with open arms. It’s a big deal.”
TSN is broadcasting the event — which culminates in Sunday night’s championship match. TSN drew a one-night audience of 825,000 viewers for the 2016 championship match, which made it the second most-watched event in Canada that weekend.
“When we first went to city council in 2014 and asked for their support, we told them we would have 60-plus hours of TSN coverage live from St. Catharines.
“Every time they go to a commercial, it is the Scotties 2017 Tournament of Hearts, live from St. Catharines, and you have all the intro and extro shots.”
Cathy Gauthier, who has won three national curling championships, is part of the TSN broadcast team, but said you can’t beat being in the building.
“It’s like any sport,” she said. “You watch it on television, but you don’t get the true sense of it. When you watch auto racing on television, you don’t get the sound and the speed. It is the same with hockey.
“When you are here live, you see the intensity the players put into their sport. There is a lot of emotion in the building.
“As a former player, we loved it when the stands were full. It is something special.”
Michelle Englot, the skip for Team Manitoba, said her rink is enjoying its time in St. Catharines.
Of course, it is easier to enjoy yourself when you are curling well. Manitoba was 9-1 heading into Thursday night’s draw.
“The crowds have been amazing,” she said. “The volunteers have been incredible. The atmosphere is great. It can be tough when you struggle at an event like this — but we are winning a few — and having some fun.”