Royal Kingston Curling Club to host 2023 Two-Person Stick Provincials
This weekend the Royal Kingston Curling Club is hosting the 2023 Two-Person Stick Curling Provincial Championship on behalf of the Ontario Curling Association (CurlON).
From Friday, Feb. 10 to Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, teams will compete for the Championship banner and a prize pool of $1,000, according to a release from Tourism Kingston.
Representing the host club are the teams of Tony Bush and Jim Rayner and Ron Cameron and Bob Helliar. Ron Scheckenberger, who won the provincial championship in 2019 and 2020, will be back to defend his title, this time with teammate Rick Thurston, both from the Dundas Granite Curling Club, Tourism Kingston said.
The games get underway on Friday, Feb. 10 at 4 p.m. at the Royal Kingston Curling Club at 130 Days Road. According to the release, the opening ceremony will occur at 5:30 p.m., when the curlers will be piped onto the ice and the first ceremonial rock delivered.
Tourism Kingston said that stick curling is a “fast-paced game in which curlers deliver the rock with the aid of a delivery stick. It requires the same degree of precision, strategy and shot-making as traditional curling, but without having to slide or sweep the rock end-to-end.” According to the release, the competition is unique in that it is open to everyone 18 years and older. Teams may be formed of any CurlON member athlete (not necessarily from the same club) and of any gender combination.
The winners of the provincial championship will earn a spot in the 2023 Canadian Stick Curling Championships taking place in Nanaimo, BC, from March 30 to April 2, 2023.
Tourism Kingston added that the motto of the Canadian Stick Curling Association is “Love the game again … 6 Rocks, 6 Ends & Making Friends!” and noted that stick curling is enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities and has been embraced particularly by people with joint or mobility issues, wheelchair curlers, Special Olympics athletes, brand new curlers and those who have been curling for decades.
Learn more about the Canadian Stick Curling Association on their website.