BIENFAIT - Another season of curling is underway at the Bienfait Curling Club, and it's still not too late to join for the 2024-25 campaign.
The first rocks for league play were tossed on Monday night. Bienfait has an open league that meets on Monday and Wednesday nights, starting at 7 p.m.
"All ages, all levels of curling experience [can join]," said club president Mike Miller. "The best way to put it is we're a fun, inviting, slightly competitive atmosphere, but the slightly competitive is few and far between. Most of us are just out there curling for fun."
The league currently has 12 teams, but some are still looking for a fourth curler. New teams can still join. Miller believes they could accommodate up to 16 or even 18 teams at the three-sheet facility.
"Right now, we're only two nights a week because of the number of teams. We'd be more than happy to go three nights a week with the right number of teams, obviously," Miller said.
Curlers would be accepted in December or even January if they can't play until then. Most of the teams only curl once a week. Miller said he would make the schedule work for the curlers. At the end of the year, there is a club playdown and a championship, but again, it's a fun event.
"That's kind of the way it's been for quite a while, because we know everybody has busy lives," said Miller.
Later in the season, there will typically be a couple of bonspiels, and they will have a wrap-up event for the open league at the end of the season for all of the teams.
Miller said people who are curling in Bienfait enjoy the sport, and the curling rink is an important part of life in the community during the fall and winter. He's always happy to see plenty of cars parked in front of the rink.
"It's great to get out," said Miller. "When it's really cold out, a lot of curlers, when they're driving there, they're thinking they have to go curling, but when we get there … they're thinking 'Am I ever glad I came.' For the curlers especially, it's a break for winter. We're slowly getting people in watching, especially bonspiels. We'll get a lot of the town of Bienfait coming out."
