The 2024-2025 curling season has officially wrapped up at the Steinbach Curling Club, and President Cody Bergen says it was one of their strongest years in recent memory.
Junior and stick curling leagues see major growth
“We had a very good season this year,” says Bergen. “Most of our leagues were up. Our junior leagues and our stick curling leagues did very well this year.”
Bergen highlighted the junior program as a major success. “It’s been the largest it’s been in a long time,” he says. “We have a really good team of coaches and parent volunteers that come out every Wednesday, and another group of volunteers and coaches that travel with our bonspiel teams. It's been really exciting to see how well that program has come along.”
In Bergen’s mind, one of the top highlights of the year was the incredible growth of the junior program.
Hosting events and community highlights
In addition to strong league participation, the club also hosted several notable events, including a stick curling bonspiel and the curling portion of the Manitoba 55 Plus Games.
“By all accounts, it went really well and everybody had a good time,” says Bergen of the 55 Plus Games.
He notes the facility is serving them quite well. “Oh, it's a beautiful facility. And anytime we have new curlers or fans come into our building, they're always shocked and amazed at how beautiful it is. And we do a lot of work to with upkeep, but it is really a premier curling facility in the province.”
The club closed out the season with its annual funspiel, which features four-end games open to players of all ages and skill levels.
“It’s always a very successful one and a great way to wrap up the year,” says Bergen.
Volunteer support still needed
Despite the club’s strong programming, Bergen acknowledged an ongoing challenge with finding enough volunteers.
“We did struggle with (getting) volunteers this year,” he says. “However, we made it work and we're looking at new ways to entice people to come out and give us a hand.”
He notes the club is open to get help in any form—whether that’s general maintenance or serving on the board of directors.
Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond
Although the ice is out, planning is already underway for next season. Bergen says they’re hoping to introduce a second funspiel earlier in the season, possibly in October or November.
He also sees exciting opportunities on the horizon as the adjacent Southeast Events Centre continues to take shape.
“We're hoping that we can bring world-level curling to Steinbach,” he says. “There's even potential for a national Scotties or a Grand Slam of Curling.”
Anyone interested in getting involved with the club—whether as a curler, volunteer or coach—can visit steinbachcurlingclub.ca or email steinbachcurl@live.ca.