Penticton loved Scotties

As the eyes of the curling world turned to Penticton for a final time Sunday, one of the women behind the drive to get the Scotties Tournament of Hearts here was almost at a loss for words as the teams prepared to go out on the ice for the championship game.

“It’s amazing. It really is a dream come true,” said Kim Kirkham, who co-chaired the organizing committee that brought the national women’s curling championship to the South Okanagan Events Centre.

“And to see so many tickets sold, people in the stands, it’s awesome.”

The all-Manitoba championship match capped 10 days of action and featured provincial entry Jennifer Jones and her No. 1-ranked rink throwing against Kerri Einarson and her Team Wild Card for a berth in the Ford World Women’s Curling Championship next month in North Bay, Ont.

Michelle Pratt, who served as a vicechair on the host committee alongside Kirkham, pointed to the action in the HeartStop Lounge as one of the highlights of the event, which she said received rave reviews from the curlers.

“They loved it,” Pratt said. “Loved the event, the facility, the city. They really enjoyed Penticton.”

Total attendance – including paid and complimentary sponsor tickets – through all but the championship draw was pegged at 51,298 by Curling Canada.

That left Penticton within striking distance of the 56,804 recorded at the 2017 Scotties in St. Catharines, Ont., and nearly double the 36,854 seen in 2016 in Grande Prairie, Alta.

The effort to bring the Scotties here began in March 2016, when organizing committee leaders Kirkham and Charlie Cohoe began asking fans to put down $100 deposits on ticket packages to demonstrate community support to Curling Canada.

Three months later, city council got behind the effort and freed up $4,000 to help with bid preparations, plus made a $200,000 financial commitment to the event.

In October 2016, Curling Canada announced Penticton had earned the right to host the tournament.