CURL: CW Championships take to Victoria ice this weekend

By Brian Swane, special to CW

There is perhaps no greater testament to the prestige of the Canada West Curling Championships than the extraordinary efforts of the hosts of this year’s tournament.

Just for the opportunity to compete on the pebbled ice at the Victoria Curling Club from Feb. 24-26, Victoria’s men’s team has pounded the pavement to help cover expenses.

“There’s quite a bit of financial impact to them … but they took it in stride and just said, ‘You know what, let’s come up with the money,” said their coach, Cody Hall. “Any fundraising we can do, any sponsors we can get, let’s just make sure we can compete, because they believe in themselves.”

A terrific field of men’s and women’s teams will be going for gold, with the top two teams in both draws earning a berth at the upcoming 2023 U Sports/Curling Canada Curling Championships. Alberta is seeking a fourth-straight title on the men's side, while on the women’s side Regina looks to defends it championship form 2022.

With their inspiring commitment, the student-athletes representing Victoria will be the sentimental favourites. The Victoria men only assembled at the outset of the school year, and the Canada West championships will be their first competition as a team.

“These are students who essentially have a (full-time job as students), and some of them are also working as well as training, and then fundraising too, so this is a super mature group that I’ve got here,” Hall said. “Their dedication is amazing and the way that they communicate and work together is incredible.”

The 2023 Canada West Curling Championship features a single round-robin for men and double round-robin for women. Since opening 70 years ago this month, the venerable Victoria Curling Club has been home to provincial champions, national champions, and world champions, but has never hosted the Canada West championship.

“It’s huge for us. This is definitely going to be our marquee event of the season,” said Hall, who also serves as head ice technician of the eight-sheet facility. “it’s going to showcase the ice quality that we have, the lounge that we have, the hospitality, the great food.

“We’ve got a rich history of quite a few competitive curlers, we’ve hosted some amazing events and we’d love to be able to show it off to those that might not have ever come here before.”

To stay up-to-date on the weekend's events, visit CW Curling Championship Central.