"Maryfield Loves Curling."
The sign hangs with pride in the lounge at the curling facility in Maryfield. It is obvious that truth lies within those words as curling greats not only come from Maryfield, but visit the community as well.
Maryfield welcomed Team Holland to their community on Dec. 10 as part of the Saskatchewan Curling Association Tour of Champions. The community, which had applied for the contest and won, was one of nine communities to receive a visit from World silver medalists.
When the contest was announced on Aug. 15, the community of Maryfield got busy forming their application. With the entry deadline looming as Sept. 15, the community was given a month to develop and submit an application that they hoped would land them as one of the winning communities.
"Our entry was one of nine communities selected from 26 entries," said Barb Swallow, one of the organizers of the event. "We were awarded with a visit from Team Holland. Janet Lemon and I spearheaded the application with input from Cindy Thompson, our Rec Board President. Janet put together a scrapbook and I made a PowerPoint [presentation]. The two complimented each other."
The application outlined several components of curling in Maryfield including the numerous successes that have come from the community, improvements that have been done to the rink, fundraisers that have been organized for the club, as well as the offering of high-level clinic opportunities to the curlers in the community and providing them opportunities to meet [curling] champions.
"We stressed the love Maryfield people have for the sport of curling as well as our desire to promote curling to one and all. Our application included a chant performed by the school students [which was] recorded and shown as a part of the power point."
It was during the second week of October that the community was informed they had been selected with the official announcement taking place on Oct. 17.
"We were all very excited to be chosen to have Team Holland visit our community," said Swallow. "The community was very supportive of the Russ Howard event we hosted, and we were happy to provide another opportunity to meet, learn from and curl with a champion. Our first thoughts were about how great it would be have a second champion in our community and how we could celebrate their successes, and yet keep it different from Russ Howard's visit. We still wanted to maximize the opportunities people had to take part in the day and meet the team."
With that, the community set to organizing the Dec. 10 event which included a pancake breakfast and a novice curling clinic for grades three to six, followed by an autograph session at the rink and a visit to the Sunrise Villa. Those in attendance were then invited to lunch at the Arlington Hotel in Maryfield.
The afternoon of events kicked off with a youth curling clinic for grades seven to 12, followed by an adult curling game against Team Holland and social time at the rink lounge for spectators.
Happy hour kicked off at the Lower Auditorium, followed by a community supper where entertainment was not only provided from community members, but also included a presentation by Team Holland.
In total, 28 novice curlers took part in the morning clinic from the communities of Maryfield, Wawota, Kola, and Elkhorn. In addition, 24 youth curlers were able to participate in the afternoon clinic with Team Holland where they had the chance to practice and gain feedback from the curling icons. The youth participating in the novice clinic included curlers from Maryfield, Wawota, Kola, Oxbow, Stockholm, and Esterhazy. Curlers participating in the adult curling game came from Maryfield, Hamiota, Elkhorn, Carlyle and as far away as Regina and Brandon.
"Bringing successful curlers to Maryfield gives our young curlers an opportunity to learn from the best," said Swallow. "As a community, we get to celebrate Saskatchewan successes in a sport we love. Over the years we've been home to many very successful curlers, and we want to give our youth a chance to hear from successful curlers, as well as to learn what it takes to get to the championship level."
But the community of Maryfield wasn't the only ones excited about the Tour of Champions. "The SCA decided to capitalize on the success of the three teams from Saskatchewan who won National championships," said Team Holland skip Amber Holland. "They asked if our team could commit to three days to tour selected communities, and we were very excited to do that."
As for Holland's favourite thing about visiting communities? "That everyone wants to meet you and talk to you. It never ceases to amaze me that everyone is so excited to meet you and wants to spend time with you. We are just ordinary people who curl."
"The community [of Maryfield] seems very committed and involved in their curling rink. They have great support from people of all ages which is very healthy for the sport of curling in the community. As always, smaller community hospitality was great to be a part of. For me who is from a small town, it feels like coming home."
"I think the event went tremendous. The day went very fast. I hope our visit provides the opportunity for the community, and especially the younger children, to get excited about curling, and stay involved through playing, volunteering or supporting the club."
The day was fun-filled with so many events that it was hard for both Team Holland and the community of Maryfield to pick out their favourites. There were "so many highlights that it is hard to pick one," said Holland. "I would say working with the older kids with their delivery and seeing improvement in a short period of time [and] the local entertainment at the banquet. I laughed a lot."
From a community perspective, "Different people appreciated different events to varying degrees," said Swallow. "For the young curlers, the highlight would be the clinics. For the adults, it was great to curl against the Holland team. The evening supper and program was very enjoyable. Team Holland really enjoyed the ride to the rink with Santa, as well as the chants performed by the school curlers and the oldie goldie curling choir."
"Events such as these take one or two to get the project started, but a whole lot of people digging in to bring the event to a successful end. Thanks to the many, many volunteers and the many generous supporters, our community can enjoy special opportunities such as these.
Team Holland was impressed with the quality of the day organized. "A huge thank you from the team for the great day in Maryfield," said Holland. "I know all the organizers worked hard to make the day the best for our team and the community. We will remember our visit fondly."
As for Team Holland, they will continue their tour by visiting the remaining communities of Moosomin on Dec. 16, and Melfort on Jan. 21. And for all those young curlers out there, Holland recommends to "Keep playing and enjoy the moments. Whether it is recreational or competitively, the sport provides so many opportunities from meeting friends to travelling to places."
As for Maryfield? "Winning a visit from Russ Howard and then within six months a visit from Team Holland has ignited a fire within our young curlers. The future of our curling rink is with the youth and perhaps more importantly with the volunteers in the community who work hard to encourage everyone, young and old, to take an interest in the sport. There are many people in Maryfield who love the sport and want to see it continue in our community. By giving curlers, young and old, opportunities to meet and learn from those who are not only successful in the sport, but who also love the sport as we do, the higher our chances to maintain and hopefully increase the membership and interest in this lifelong sport."
