Nicole Goldsworthy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SASKTODAY.ca
Two junior curling champions are visiting Melfort and Hudson Bay this January to promote the sport of curling to youth.
Kirk Muyres, former Canadian Junior Champion and Laura Walker, National Junior Champion will be at the Hudson Bay Curling Club on Jan. 23 and Melfort Curling Club on Jan. 24.
“We designed these events to advance grassroots curling and increase participation in the game that has given us so much,” Muyres said. “We wanted to find a way to give back and grow the game that has allowed us to travel the world, win championships, and challenge ourselves every single day.”
Kerri DeGooijer, board member for the Melfort curling club said they hope to have as many kids come out as possible.
“This is such a unique opportunity, Laura and Kirk are world-class curlers, and they are coming to Melfort. They are huge community supporters and will have lots of great stories to tell. We encourage as many youth from surrounding communities to attend.”
Mitch Zurba, Hudson Bay Curling Club president said, “this event is great opportunity for young curlers to come out a try something new. Curling is such a great winter activity, ingrained in the roots of rural Saskatchewan. Our club is focused on youth and new curlers so this event is a great fit for our community.”
The events are free for anyone under the age of 18 and everyone is invited, regardless of curling experience.
Kirk Muyres told SASKTODAY.ca that they started the tour 12 years ago. The focus was to drive participation in curling at the youth level in rural communities, as they found growing up in small towns that rural communities did not get access to a lot of these types of events. The goal of each event is to get as many kids aged 6-17 out to the club, whether they have experience or not, teach them some curling basics, but more importantly, have fun, instill work-ethic and confidence in the next generation.
The CORR Grain Community Rocks Tour sees Laura and Kirk visiting rural communities throughout Saskatchewan and Alberta promoting curling, sport, hard-work, dedication, and teamwork to the youth of the province. Kirk has been involved with the program since the beginning and Laura started two seasons ago.
The tour have visited 37 communities in Saskatchewan and this year we will be adding three more.
Melfort was also awarded Curling Day in Canada and Canada Festival, being held on Feb. 24, 2024
