For the first time ever, the Grand Slam of Curling (GSOC) is making its way to Steinbach.
At a press conference held at the Southeast Event Centre (SEC), organizers unveiled the exciting details of the event.
Scheduled for January 6 to 11, the GSOC promises to bring world-class curling talent and a major spotlight to Steinbach.
Among the special guests were Mayor Earl Funk, MP Ted Falk, and Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Jones. Manitoba curling star Reid Carruthers also made an appearance, expressing his enthusiasm for the bonspiel’s return to his home province.
“I think it's going to just be fantastic. And I'm just so, so thrilled that Steinbach was picked to host, and we've got such a wonderful team here, and I think we've got a facility that will truly do justice to this event,” says Mayor Funk.
He notes that SEC was built to host major events, unite the community, and draw in people from all over the province.
“Plus, we're looking at 100 curlers plus coaches, plus families, there will be a lot of people coming through this Event Centre during that week. We're just so excited that we got chosen and that we can be here to facilitate this event.”
Beyond the excitement, Funk points out the economic benefits the event will bring to the area.
“People have to eat, they got to sleep somewhere, they're going to shop. And I think it's going to showcase our community, the retail part of our community as well. Which I'm very, very excited about.”
Jeffery Bannon, General Manager of the SEC, shares that the initial inquiry from GSOC came about four months ago, and it almost felt too good to be true.
“To have Jennifer Jones here, sometimes you have to pinch yourself, but I'm just so happy for the community, and then I can't wait for the party that's going to be accompanied by curling.”
Bannon is also eager to see the transformation of the facility for the event.
He says that this will be a ‘Neil Armstrong’ moment for SEC.
“This is when we're putting a flag down and letting the entire world know who we are, and where we are, and to us, that's very important because this centre was built by the community for the community and it's time the entire world knows about our community.”
Like Funk and Bannon, President of the Steinbach Curling Club, Cody Bergen is very excited to be part of hosting an event of this calibre.
“The Event Centre is going to do an incredible job, and as a curling club, we're here to support in any way we can, and we look forward to getting a number of our volunteers to step up and help out with this event. We know it's going to do great things for the community and great things for our club.”
He is especially thrilled about what the event will mean for local curling fans.
“Right now as we speak, I'm watching some of our junior curlers talk to Jennifer Jones and to see the excitement on their faces and I know that a lot of the kids that are going to be in attendance at the Grand Slam are going to have that same look on their faces as they watch their heroes curl.”
Members of the Steinbach Curling Club will contribute their passion and expertise to help.
“Our club has offered up any support we can with the Event Centre, and I know that we're going to have a lot of our experienced curlers out there as officials and helping behind the scenes on the curling side of things.”
Tickets are already available, with day, weekend, and championship passes now on sale at the Southeast Event Centre website.
With files from Dave Anthony