Update: The St. Paul Curling Club has received confirmation it will be hosting the 2024 Ladies Provincial Curling Championship.
ST. PAUL - For a week in January of 2024, the Clancy Richard Arena could be turned into a curling rink, following a decision by the St. Paul Curling Club to apply to host the 2024 Ladies Provincial Curling Championship.
St. Paul Curling Club representatives Troy Bohn, president, and Andrea Austin, secretary, spoke with Town council on April 24 during the last regular council meeting, requesting use of the community's largest hockey rink from Jan. 20-28, 2024. The club has applied to host the provincial event, and is now waiting confirmation from Curling Alberta.
In order to host the event, the hockey/figure skating ice will be transformed into sheets of curling ice.
"The arena is required to host an event of this magnitude as the arena ice would quickly be transformed into curling ice. In addition, this would allow for a larger capacity for spectators," reads a letter signed by Bohn, sent to Town council ahead of the delegation.
"Our club currently boasts a strong membership, including a core group of senior members that would allow us to access a strong volunteer base," according to Bohn. The St. Paul Curling Rink would still be used in an alternate capacity during the event, showcasing the strong curling community that exists.
"The provincial championship would provide a positive economic boost for our town and our community and could lead to the possibility of hosting future curling events," said Bohn.
Winners of the ladies' championship would be moving on to compete at the national level at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The curling club would be working alongside the AB Curling Series, a management group that helps with hosting the event.
St. Paul is recognized in the curling community as a host that goes above and beyond, said Austin. She referred to the Alberta Schools' Athletic Association (ASAA) curling provincials that were held in St. Paul in early March.
"We have a strong club... and a community that works together," said Austin.
Bohn explained that in the past, other communities have realized an approximate $500,000 economic boost in tourism from hosting similar events, with athletes and spectators staying in local hotels, eating at local restaurants and visiting other local businesses. He also noted that hosting the event is a great way to build relationships.
Attending virtually during the Monday night delegation was Scott Hiebert with AB Curling Series. He offered council information on the technical aspects of placing curling ice on top of the regular hockey/skating ice that would already be in the arena. He explained that the group normally takes possession of the arena at about 12:01 a.m. on a Saturday, and it takes about two days to get the ice ready for curling.
When the event is over, the Zamboni will go over the ice for a few hours, getting it back down to the regular arena ice. The last rock is usually thrown on the Sunday evening, and the ice would be ready to be used by hockey and figure skating groups by Monday night.
Following the delegation, council was presented with community grant funding requests from the curling club, specific to hosting the provincial curling event. Council first approved a facility request for the Clancy Richard Arena, as per the municipality's new policy, which is a 50 per cent discount for use of the arena from Jan. 20 to 28. The discounted cost will be $8,112.
CAO Steven Jeffery noted that there has been discussions with the figure skating club, and they were in favour of the event being hosted at the arena, despite the disruption to the skating schedule. Jeffery noted that there could be some push back from minor hockey, but adjustments could be made at the nearby CAP Arena to accommodate teams. Jeffery noted that the St. Paul Junior Canadiens were also in favour of hosting the event.
The curling club also requested a $1,000 contribution to help with hosting the Alberta Women’s 2024 Provincial Curling Championship, as per policy. Coun. Nathan Taylor made a motion to approve the request, with funds coming from the 2024 budget.
*This story was updated on April 29 at 11:40 a.m.
