A new season of curling is coming to Twin Rivers Curling Club in North Battleford, and with it will be a new icemaker, new rocks and new events this year.
The club’s registration night took place Monday, but anyone can join between now and when curling starts Oct. 13.
There will be some new items for curling participants to enjoy at Northland Power Curling Centre this fall. According to Colleen Voinorosky, president of the board, a set of new rocks are coming in direct from Scotland.
Kays of Scotland is the manufacturer of the rocks. They are the same company that manufactured stones for Olympic Games in Vancouver and Sochi.
The curling stones incorporate Ailsa Craig granite. “We are the only club in western Canada to get these rocks from Scotland,” Voinorosky said.
The company’s representative, Hans Wuthrich, will be at the curling club Oct. 8 from 7 to 9 pm for the celebration of the new rocks’ arrival, and curlers are encouraged to come and try them out.
BATC CDC sponsored the new rocks through a donation of approximately $70,000.
“We are very privileged to have them and they are very needed in our curling club,” said Voinorosky.
A new icemaker is also joining the club. Ian Naismith, from the Elrose/Rosetown area, will be joining and is a Level 1 ice tech, and the club is welcoming him to the community.
Season highlights include the Superannuation Bonspiel taking place Nov. 2-4 and the women’s tour will be coming up as well Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.
Jan. 27 is Curling Day in Saskatchewan and there will be an event on that date. Club playdowns are Jan. 29-31.
There are also provincial senior women’s and men’s championships happening Feb. 24-28.
The 2015-16 league schedule includes Monday Night Open League at 6:30 p.m. The Tuesday Open Competitive League goes at 6:30 p.m. and 8:45 pm, the Thursday Open League runs at 7 p.m. and the drop in and fun leagues run Wednesday and Friday evenings.
Voinorosky indicated that if enough people are interested, they would try some mixed doubles formats Friday nights.
The club’s annual general meeting is scheduled for Oct. 21.
The curling club is welcoming new people to the club. That includes new people to the community, as well as users of the former Saskatchewan Hospital Curling Club, which has closed down.
There is a 30 per cent discount on fees for those who haven’t curled at Twin Rivers before.
“One of our targets as a board is to build our membership up,” Voinorosky said.
Another promotion is a discount to all curlers if they bring a new curler into the club.
There is also an active junior program at the curling club for Tuesday and Thursday for 10 to 16 year olds.
The season will end with the annual awards banquet April 8, followed by the second annual Steak and Lobster Dinner scheduled for June 3.
There are changes on the way for the restaurant that are not finalized, yet. An announcement on that is coming soon.
Voinorosky points out the Northland Power Curling Centre is in fact a year-round facility. During the summer months it was the location for the Battlefords Roller Derby League matches, and also was host to “two big weddings,” she said.
“We’re not just a curling rink,” said Voinorosky. “We can serve other functions as well.”
For more information about the new season, including the complete schedule visit battlefordscurling.com.
