In Southwestern Ontario, curling isn’t quite as popular as it is in Alberta or Saskatchewan.
But with the Pinty’s Grand Slam Princess Auto Elite 10 curling championships headed to Chatham-Kent, the sport is about to get a boost in the region.
Kevin Martin, a four-time Brier champion and Olympic gold medalist, has been involved with the Pinty’s Grand Slam since its inception in 2001. As an ambassador to the Grand Slam, he was recently in Chatham to meet with coordinators.
“From the Grand Slam point of view, it’s great to see the event doing so well,” said Martin. “In the beginning, it only had one event, then expanded to four and then five and then seven. It’s become an excellent group of events across Canada.”
He says in every place the tournament stops, the area sees a bump in local league registrations.
“When these top curlers come to town, they’re really easy to get along with,” said Martin. “The curling youth get to watch and meet these curlers, it makes a big difference locally.”
The Princess Auto Elite 10 is the first in the Pinty’s Grand Slam schedule. The tournament features the top ten men and women teams from around the world, competing for prize money throughout the seven-round event. The Grand Slam’s other Ontario stops include Thunder Bay and Toronto.
“That’s a great thing about the Elite 10 coming to Chatham,” said Martin. “There’s an opportunity to grow the sport here and bring it to the mainstream.”
The Elite 10 is one of the first tournaments on the schedule for 2018-2019. While curling in September might seem a bit strange, teams participating already have their eyes on the 2022 Winter Olympics.
“The teams and conditions are very similar to the Olympics,” said Martin. “It’s very early in the season. We’re starting a new four-year cycle in curling so now you have new teams on the ice trying to find the magic elixir to get to the next Olympics.”
The Princess Auto Elite 10 is a match-style of play, featuring eight-end games that take about two hours to complete. Martin calls it aggressive.
“You need to be able to get two points with the last rock,” said Martin. “It’s a very aggressive style of play. It’s great to watch for the audience and the television audience too.”
Tournament and weekend passes are available for sale online. Single draw tickets will be available for sale on September 15.