Winnipeg's arena curling in a club project seen as start of cross-country expansion

WINNIPEG -

A Winnipeg pilot project offers arena ice and rocks in a curling club to top teams in the area.

Two sheets at the eight-sheet Heather Curling Club are prepped and clipped by leading ice maker Greg Ewasko, who has repurposed provincial championship rocks for use.

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A cabinet containing a TV for video analysis, speed trap equipment for weight control and smart brooms to track pressure, speed and power is rinkside.

When Dave Murdoch accepted the job of Curling Canada's high-performance director two years ago, he envisioned regional training hubs across the country to serve the nation's top curlers and teams, plus the next generation in the sport, in those geographical areas.

Winnipeg's hub that's been up and running since Oct. 8 is a step toward his vision.

The Saville Community Sports Centre on Edmonton's University of Alberta campus and Calgary's Glencoe Club had National Training Centre designations predating Murdoch's arrival.

Winnipeg is a test case for what he hopes will be expansion across Canada.

"We've got a couple of centres in Alberta, but how can we create a network across the country that's really going to not only help our national team program, but has somewhere for our NextGen to evolve?" Murdoch said.

"We have a lot of interest in this model, and I'd like to think that come season 2025-26 we'll have a few more in place."

Olympic and two-time world champion Jill Officer oversees the Heather operation as Curl Manitoba's high-performance director.

"The biggest thing about it is, while we are using an existing facility, we have two dedicated sheets that are probably 85 per cent of the time for national team and NextGen athletes," Officer explained.

"The difference is the consistency and quality of the ice. Recreational curlers playing on that ice might have a difficult time managing it because it's so much more similar to arena conditions. It is curling a lot. The speed is really nice.

"I've had a lot of players say 'thanks so much for doing this. It feels good to be excited to go to practice again."'

Mike McEwen, Kerri Einarson, Kaitlyn Lawes, Kate Cameron, national under-25 men's champion Jordan McDonald and the NextGen mixed doubles duo of Mackenzie Arbuckle and Aaron McDonnell are among curlers training with lively ice and rocks that mimic Grand Slams, national and world championships more than regular club ice and stones.

"We went to the Heather because I run some youth programs there, but I also knew they had enough hours for us to be able to offer it," Officer explained. "A lot of clubs in Winnipeg typically are quite full up or they're booked. It's maybe a little more challenging to provide us with two sheets that would be for us 85 to 90 per cent of the time.

"The big idea came from David and we've been talking about his idea of wanting to have these regional hubs across the country because Canada is so large and we have athletes spread out everywhere. It would be great to have these sort of setups and conditions in more places than just Alberta."

Winnipeg's hub is a joint venture of Curling Canada, Curl Manitoba, the provincial government, Sport Manitoba and the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba.

"The biggest piece we were missing was funding to make it happen," said Curl Manitoba executive director Craig Baker. "Curl Manitoba couldn't go at it alone and Curling Canada couldn't go at it alone, so how do we make it happen?

"There was a bunch of different pieces and for us this year the biggest one was the province coming on board. The province of Manitoba came to Curl Manitoba and said it's something they wanted to support."

Neither Murdoch nor Baker would give the price tag for the project stating it was the sum of funding from multiple partners.

Existing rocks and technological equipment were brought to the facility, and a nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach at the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba were already working with athletes.

Athletes pay a fee to use it, either as individuals or as a team.

"We're trying to do it as economically has possible," Baker said. "If we're able to provide a venue where athletes can say they love to train, then I think we're doing something right."

   This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2024.