File photo from the 2019 Farmers Curling Bonspiel.
The Lacombe Curling Club is preparing to host the 2024 Pan Continental Curling Championships this fall.
The world curling international event is a qualifier event for the World Championships for men's and women’s teams from the North American and Pacific-Asia competition zones.
There are currently 37 teams coming from 21 countries to compete.
Chantelle Bowman, President of the Lacombe Curling Club explained that Lacombe was chosen as a host community because of the facility.
“Each division gets their own set of ice that is just theirs,” Bowman said. “We have extra room for players and the teams to truly have their own space, and all of the workers and the fans to have space to comfortably enjoy the event."
To prepare for the event, the 2024 Pan Continental Curling Championships host committee is seeking sponsorship opportunities and actively working to recruit volunteers.
“We're getting planning in place for a great opening ceremony,” Bowman said. “Right now, we're actively going out and getting the fundamentals of the event figured out.”
Not only will the event showcase Lacombe’s facility and passion for curling, but it is also expected to benefit the greater community.
“We thought it was really an amazing opportunity because curling is so strong in Lacombe, and we want to show that we have amazing facilities, and the amazing community around us,” Bowman said. “To put something on that's going to benefit not only our curling club but also the community at large by bringing in spectators and teams from all over, and showing off the amazing community we have.”
For Bowman, she is hopeful that Central Albertans will get involved, and transform the event from a curling event to a community event.
The event will run from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2 at the Gary Moe Auto Group Sportsplex.
The event is in partnership between the Lacombe Curling Club, the City of Lacombe, World Curling, Curling Canada, and Curling Alberta.
For more information on the event, or to volunteer, visit the Lacombe Curling Club’s website here.