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Westlock Curling Club sweeps to a keen start

The Westlock Curling Club will have its calendar full in 2017 with several bonspiels and a provincial championship booked for ice time at the Westlock Curling rink and Rotary Spirit Centre.

The Westlock Curling Club will have its calendar full in 2017 with several bonspiels and a provincial championship booked for ice time at the Westlock Curling rink and Rotary Spirit Centre.

“The next few months are going to be really busy,” said curling club president Paula Clark. “We’re getting anxious excited for the Boston Pizza Cup. Once it gets started, I’ll be good.”

The club is kicking of the new year with the Town and Country bonspiel Jan. 6-8. The bonspiel has already registered 28 teams and any other interested teams are asked to contact Clark to sign up.

“I’m hoping to get some more, but 28 is really good,” she said. “That’s the same as I had last year, so hopefully I can grab a few more.”

The highlight of the local curling season will come in February when the club hosts the Alberta Boston Pizza Cup at the Rotary Spirit Centre Feb. 8-12.

The nationally-televised event is one stop on the road to the Tim Hortons Brier in St. John’s, Newfoundland March 4-12.

“It’s the first time Westlock’s had anything that big, not just the curling club, but for the town. Sportsnet is televising the finals and semifinals on TV, so we’re just getting that all underway.”

The club has held several volunteer drives in the fall, which means there will be plenty of helping hands over the five-day championship.

The following month, teams will be back at the rink for the Men’s Bonspiel March 10-12 and the Mixed Bonspiel March 17-19.

But there will be plenty of practise team at the club’s two weekly leagues, who have been on the ice since November. Each week on Tuesday nights, 12 teams from the mostly men’s league get together, while Thursday night’s recreation league has eight mostly mixed teams so far.

“We could probably make it work for Thursday if somebody wanted in,” Clark said of any teams that wanted to join.

For the youngsters, senior high students sweep the ice in an afterschool league Tuesday afternoons, and junior highs get their turn Wednesday afternoons.

“We’ve got more afterschool (teams) this year,” Clark said. “The leagues have held their own. I’ve lost some but gained some back, so that’s good. I have new curlers, so that’s good too.”

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