SUBMITTED
By Joanie Veitch,
Trident Staff
Registration is open at the CFB Halifax Curling Club and after a disrupted and challenging season last year due to COVID-19 restrictions, manager Floyd Otto is looking forward to welcoming new and returning members to the club.
“Last year was hard, as we were either shut down or our capacity was reduced four or five times. We’re looking forward to starting up again and to see more people come out.”
Open ice begins October 1 and will include morning, afternoon and evening sessions. While returning members find their way back into regular league play, an instructional program to introduce new and inexperienced players to the basics of curling and rules of play will start in November. People who sign up for the instructional programs can either go on to play on a team in a recreational league or continue to play socially.
“Curling is a great activity for anybody to do… it’s a sport for all abilities, no matter if a person is a beginner or more experienced,” Otto said. “It’s very social; you can take it slow or advance into competition.”
A junior program for youth will run on Saturday mornings as well, he said.
“We have a lot of military families and their kids who come here. It’s fun and it’s one of the least expensive things to do recreationally,” said Otto.
The club, which is located at Windsor Park, has a mix of civilian and military members and offers a variety of membership options. Current CAF members and DND employees receive a 20 percent discount and retired CAF members receive a seven percent discount on membership.
For the upcoming season, Otto is hoping to see more local units and ships get back into booking ice slots and bonspiels as restrictions ease. In past years, the club has had good participation from the Base.
“It’s a great team-building activity,” he said.
The club is also looking forward to planning a bit of a birthday celebration in the next couple of months. On January 15, 2021, the club marked its 50th year in operation, but the ongoing pandemic made for a muted celebration.
“We’ve got 50th logos in the ice but we’re planning to do something more to celebrate,” Otto said. “We’re just waiting to see how everything goes and what we can do.”For more information go to cfbhalifaxcurling.com or phone 902-455-1444.
