What is believed to be the largest-ever seniors bonspiel in Alberta begins today at the Cochrane Curling Centre.
Coordinator Doug Cambell says they have 41 teams taking to the ice from Wednesday to Sunday in the 14th annual Super Seniors Square Spiel.
"We have 164 curlers coming from as far away as Edmonton in the north to Lethbridge in the south," says Campbell.
They've painstakingly accommodated the schedules of the curlers and that's likely one of the charms of the spiel. The biggest draw, though, is how its designed to match up curlers of similar ages and skill levels.
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Campbell says of the 41 teams, about 25 are from the Cochrane area. About a quarter of the teams finish playing by Saturday night and the rest hit the ice for the final time on Sunday.
The curling lounge will be packed for the Saturday night banquet which includes live music and a silent auction
Campbell says people are welcome to watch the play and socialize with the curlers throughout the spiel, other than during the sold-out banquet.
"The (curling) lounge is open from 9 a.m. to midnight each day from Wednesday through Sunday. There's good viewing at the ice level, and there's good viewing from the upper lounge, so we definitely encourage colleagues, parents, grandparents, and grandchildren to come down and watch.'
Super Squares was created by Campbell as a way to re-ignite a failing local seniors bonspiel.