The curling season is a mere two months old and already there seems to be a new attitude and excitement at the club in Gibsons.
New ice technician and club manager Owen Hayward moved here with his family at the end of the summer. Hayward has been curling for 11 years and been an ice man for three, working previously at the Royal City Curling Club in New Westminster and the Valley Curling Club in Cloverdale. When he arrived on the Coast, he saw a club with a lot of untapped potential, a vision shared by the club's board members.
"I was given a mandate by the board to promote the game of curling, revitalize the youth program and expand the membership base," said Hayward. "This is a great club and can be a social gathering place for many in this community. It was a shame to see the numbers drop down the past couple of years and to see the place empty during the day. We just needed to revitalize the place and get things back on track a bit."
Right from the start, Hayward has brought the board's vision into focus.
He contacted teacher Clint Fox at Elphinstone Secondary School to see about the prospects of getting the PE classes involved in curling. Now all the PE classes from grades 8 to 12 are visiting the club three to four times a week.
"We've introduced them to the game, given them instruction and time on the ice. It's been going pretty well. Not all the students have been enthusiastic, but for the most part, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves," he said. "The program will continue into January and by the time it's all done it will amount to about 160 visits. I would consider the high school program a success."
A call was put out for junior curlers and 14 high school aged boys and eight elementary school aged girls and boys are now curling every Wednesday afternoon.
Besides Hayward, volunteers from the club, including Kathy Lesik, LC Watson, Tony Todosychuk and Carol Hickman, have all stepped forward to help instruct and offer assistance with both youth programs.
"The junior program is going very well - we have a very enthusiastic bunch of curlers," Hayward said. "It bodes well for the future of the club. It keeps the club alive and vibrant for most of the day."
The junior program will continue until the end of the season in March.
And the new programs don't just start and stop with younger players. A successful learn-to-curl program on Friday nights has really taken off as well.
This program is open to novice curlers of any age who want to come out and try the game in a non-competitive environment. The club provides all the equipment and instruction, with nine sessions for a $90.
"Acting president Juan-ita Wannamaker came up with this idea, and she deserves a lot of the credit," Hayward said. "Right now we have 26 curlers who are part of the first cycle of sessions that will last until Dec. 14, then the second nine-week session starts Jan. 11. It's been great to get so many new people out and learning the game. Hopefully they will all stick with it and improve enough to maybe join a regular league."
Hayward said interested curlers can still come by the club on a drop-in basis until the first intake ends in December or wait until the second intake starts in January.
The club's regular leagues continue to flourish with the competitive men's/women's league on Mondays, the women's league Tuesdays, the mixed league Wednesday nights and the men's league Thursday nights. There is also senior men's curling on Tuesday and Friday afternoons and open mixed curling on Thursday afternoons. The Special Olympic program on the Sunshine Coast is also active with the club, taking to the ice on Saturday afternoons.
"Everyone seems happy. Overall the numbers are up, we have more people enjoying the game, the ice has been pretty good, and the reviews have been favourable," Hayward said. "Last week we had our senior women's bonspiel and everyone said they had a great time. It was my first bonspiel here at the club and I was pleased with the event. This is a volunteer-based club and many people contribute time and energy to keep the club healthy and vibrant."
To find out more about the club, leagues or other details, call Hayward at the Gibsons Curling Club at 604-886-7512.
