Winsport getting more top curling events
High-stakes Pointsbet Invitational being staged in Calgary this year and next
The Scotties Tournament of Hearts has to end some time, much to the chagrin of Calgarians enjoying the national women's curling championship in their own backyard.
But with Curling Canada calling the event “wildly successful” comes news of more in store from the sport at Winsport during the next two seasons.
The 2024 and 2025 editions of the Pointsbet Invitational are set to be staged at the Winsport Event Centre, bringing the country's top men's and women's teams together under one roof in a one of a kind, tension-packed curling event.
The 2024 Pointsbet Invitational will take place Sept. 24-29, while in 2025, the dates are Sept. 30- Oct. 5.
Sixteen men's and sixteen women's teams from Canada will take part in the competition, chasing a prize purse of more than $350,000 in a sudden-death single-knockout format.
“The packed arena during the Scotties shows what a great curling city Calgary is, and we're excited that we'll be coming back here so soon,” said Nolan Thiessen, chief executive of Curling Canada. “The Winsport Event Centre has proved time and time again that it's a wonderful facility to host our championship events, and we're looking forward to putting on the biggest and best Pointsbet Invitationals yet over the next two years.”
The 2024 Pointsbet Invitational will be a kickoff to the 2024-25 competitive season, which is hugely important for Canadian teams as they push toward their goals of qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“Tourism Calgary is excited to welcome the Pointsbet Invitational to the city for the next two years,” said Tourism Calgary's Carson Ackroyd. “Not only will passionate Calgary curling fans enjoy watching the top players in the world compete, but the calibre of this new event will draw visitors from across the country to start the season.”
ALBERTA A SHOO-IN?
What's been the secret to Alberta's success at these Scotties?
“You know what?” said skip Selena Sturmay with a giggle. “I can't reveal my secrets.”
We're guessing it's the footwear, skip — the slippers you sport to and from the ice from the dressing room for every draw.
Quite the odd sight.
“It's definitely a team thing,” said Alberta second Dezaray Hawes, when asked to slip into that conversation about the out-of-place gear. “I don't know if it's a rallying point, but it's just kind of a routine for us now. We throw our slippers in the bag before we leave the hotel, and there it is.”
It's a thing Hawes brought to the table several years ago.
She didn't want to track mud from the room to the pebbled ice on her curling shoes, so she found a vessel to keep her sporting footwear clean before stepping onto the sheets.
“Years ago, I started wearing slippers before the games,” said the bubbly 27-year-old from New Westminster, B.C. “Everyone kind of laughed at me, thought it was more of an indoor staple as opposed to a curling-game thing.
“And now, everybody's followed suit and everybody wears slippers before the game.”
But no set of slippers is the same on Sturmay, Hawes, third Danielle Schmiemann and lead Paige Papley. Some are beige. Some are darker colours.
“Personal preference,” Hawes said. “Costco, whatever they sell.”
Whatever works, though coach Ted Appelman has yet to get his.
“I think I have to put in a request for a set of slippers,” said Appelman. “I might have to take a side trip to Costco.”
GO, TROJANS!
Calgary's SAIT Trojans were well represented at the Scotties and well loved by the crowd.
Two members of that school's curling team make up half of Yukon's Bayly Scoffin squad.
Scoffin is one of those Trojans, along with second Raelyn Helston. Both are second-year students at the college.
“Raelyn's born and raised in Calgary,” said the 21-year-old skip. “So we've had all of her family and all of her friends here at the Scotties.”
They were all on their feet late Thursday at Winsport during the round robin wrap-up when Scoffin, Helston and Yukon teammates Kerry Foster, Kimberly Tuor and Helen Strong finally counted their first win of these Scotties — an 11-4 win over New Brunswick's Mellisa Adams.
The entire rink full of fans celebrated the decision, cheering on the territory team from the north.
“That was insane,” Scoffin said post-victory. “We've been waiting for that to happen all week. The crowd went wild and just made us feel all sorts of wonderful things. It was just incredible having all that support.”
Scoffin, a native of Whitehorse, Yukon, moved to Calgary for school in 2022.
She's in her second year of business studies at SAIT.
“Honestly, I hadn't visited here too much before coming to live here,” Scoffin said. “… I was just drawn to it. And I decided SAIT would be a good school to come to, and I just love it here.”
Scoffin is a rookie at the Scotties but has curled nationally, including with her dad, Wade, going 1-6 in the 2021 Canadian mixed doubles championship in the Calgary bubble and going 1-6 with SAIT at the 2023 Ccaa/curling Canada collegiate championships in Sudbury, Ont.
Helston, 19, has participated in a couple of Canadian under-21 championships against Scoffin.
“Bayly and I knew each other from previous national experiences, and then we also found out we were going to SAIT together,” Helston said. “So Bayly contacted me at the beginning of the season and said, `Let's make a team for Yukon.' I said, `Sure, I'll be the import.'
“Our first Scotties experience. I feel like we're going to share this experience forever and cherish it forever. It means so much playing against my idols.”
Especially in her own backyard at Winsport.
“Hometown was amazing,” added Helston. “It was just electrifying, honestly.”
Lethbridge's Kayleigh Shannon and Madison Milot, of Bentley, Alta., are teammates of Scoffin and Helston on the SAIT squad, which is coached by Calgary legend Shannon Kleibrink.
The packed arena during the Scotties shows what a great curling city Calgary is, and we're excited that we'll be coming back here so soon.
EXTRA ENDS
The 1 vs. 2 qualifying games kicked off Friday's curling, with Manitoba's Jennifer Jones (7-2) defeating Alberta's Selena Sturmay (7-2) 8-4 and Ontario's Rachel Homan (9-0) knocking off Canada's Kerri Einarson (7-2) 8-4 ... While the winners of those qualifiers moved into the Page playoff on Saturday, the losers got a second chance to advance later Friday in action against the third-ranked teams of each pool — Manitoba's Kaitlyn Lawes (4-4) and Manitoba's Kate Cameron (5-3) ... Saturday's Page playoff pits 3 vs. 4 in an elimination game (noon MT) and 1 vs. 2 in a non-elimination game (6 p.m.) ... The winner of the 1 vs. 2 game then awaits the winner of Sunday's semifinal (noon MT) in Sunday's final (6 p.m. MT).