On January 24, the Weyburn Curling Club will once again host the world's oldest international curling competition and the Strathcona Cup curlers from Scotland.
"They were our guests in 1993 and 2003," said Weyburn's own Harry Plemel. "I had the personal good fortune to be one of 40 Team Canada curlers who spent the month of January curling over there in 2009."
Since 1903, Canadians and Scots have engaged in friendly rivalry as they compete for the prestigious trophy known as The Strathcona Cup, named after its donor, Sir Donald Smith, Lord Strathcona. Smith was a Scottish immigrant to Canada, who rose from the position of Hudson Bay Company clerk to become a governor of that company, a Canadian member of parliament, Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and a leading figure in the building of the CPR. It is Smith who is shown driving the last spike in the famous photograph taken at Craigellachie, B.C.
In spite of its long history, the Strathcona Cup is not well known in Canada, but according to Plemel, it remains an important and relevant competition because, more than any other curling competition, 'it emphasizes fraternity and friendship among curlers'.
"That's not to say we don't try to win but at the end of the day (or month) the journey is more important than whose name gets inscribed on the cup," said Plemel.
On January 9, 60 Scots arrived in Canada to renew the challenge for Lord Strathcona's cup. Altogether in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario they will play 88 games at 17 curling clubs in 11 communities.
The Weyburn event will take place at the Weyburn Curling Club on January 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
