‘It’s a game for life’: Sudbury celebrates 130-year curling history
A celebration of curling was held at Sudbury’s Northern Credit Union Community Centre on Friday.
It was the official grand opening of the centre, which recently adopted its new name.
Political figures, members of the curling community and Northern Credit Union workers were on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
It marked a three-year, $60,000 partnership between the Northern Credit Union and Curl Sudbury, which will go to facility improvements and new equipment.
“We’re really excited to work with them. It’s been in progress for over eight months and we’re so happy to see it come into fruition,” said senior vice president of member experience with Northern Credit Union, Liisa Woolley.
She added that Curl Sudbury supports bringing people together.
Tom Leonard, the general manager of the Northern Credit Community Centre, said the funding will help ease capital expenditures.
“We can focus on growing the game and diversifying the game and getting people who wouldn’t normally curl into curling,” he added.
Established in 1892, Curl Sudbury was also celebrating 130 years.
Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre said curling is an integral part of the city’s history.
“The people who created Sudbury back in the day, it was important to have a curling rink and share in that sport and share in that culture,” Lefebvre added.
“We’re celebrating 130 years and we look forward to the next 130 years.”
Leonard, who is an avid curler himself, said he wants the sport to grow and explained a key part of doing this is to diversify curling.
“We have too many people who look like me who curl. We need people who don’t look like me curling,”
He added that the sport encourages all to play.
“We want people from every walks of life,” Leonard said.
“We don’t care about race, gender, skin colour, age; we just want people to curl.”
He told CTV News he believes encouraging new comers to Canada will help curling grow in popularity.
He also said he enjoys the comradery and strategy behind the sport.
“It’s a game for life,” he added.
To celebrate 130 years, a 24-hour tournament will wrap-up Saturday, consisting of 52 local teams.
For updates on the 130 End Game Bonspiel taking place, visit the centre’s Facebook page.
A 24-hour and 130-end tournament is being held to celebrate 130 years of curling in the city. (Amanda Hicks/CTV News Northern Ontario)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.