Curlers in the 2020 Sentinel Storage Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts can focus on getting their rocks in the house and not about getting home.
That's no problem, the army of around 160 volunteers for the event on Jan. 22-26 at the Murray Arena in Okotoks will get some of the best women curlers in the province to where they are staying.
“We’re providing transportation for the teams,” said 2020 Alberta Scotties co-volunteer co-ordinator Ron McLaren. “The teams will have their own drivers while they are here and they will be driven around in a Murray Chrysler van.”
While things will go smooth as ice for the curlers and patrons, behind the scenes Scotties volunteers will be busy to ensure things don’t go more sideways than a picked rock.
"We have a pretty strong base as far as curlers and people who enjoy the game and people who just want to help the community,” said McLaren, who is co-ordinating the volunteers with 1998 Olympic Winter Games gold medallist Atina Ford Johnston.
The Okotoks Curling Club started to establish that base when it hosted a Pinty’s Grand Slam event in 2016, he said.
“We have a real good group for this kind of elite event,” McLaren said. “One of the important things is the need for on-ice officials. You need between 20 and 30 and all these people all have to be accredited. Fortunately, we have a real good base of those in Okotoks and the surrounding area.”
Although the head official gets a small stipend, all the rest of the on-ice officials are volunteers. Those duties range from keeping track of where the rocks are on a magnetic board to scoring to timekeeping.
At the recreational level, keeping time isn’t an issue, but with a paying crowd of knowledgeable fans, the goal is to keep the action flowing at the provincial Scotties.
“Timing is very important,” McLaren said. “Curling has gone in that direction where they don’t want games dragging on. Players have to adhere to certain times or else they won’t get to throw anymore.”
Veteran curler Lloyd Nelson is the co-ordinator for the on-ice officials. As a Level 2 official Nelson will be servicing the timing and helping to measure rocks and things like that.
The goal is to shorten “thinking time” between shots. If a team uses up more than an allotted time in a 10-end game — 38 minutes typically — it can no longer throw rocks. (There are two 90 second time outs).
“The time-keepers have to be really on the ball,” Nelson said. “People who are timing a game, you don’t even watch the game you are timing, you’re just watching what is going on in regards to who is throwing the rock and who is surrendering the house.
“If you are not sharp, you can make a mistake.”
It’s an important job. At the Pinty’s Grand Slam, Nelson was timing a match in which Kevin Koe had just four seconds to throw his final rock.
Koe was able to do it.
Perfect practice, makes perfect for the on-ice officials.
“We have hosted a number of events, the U21 last year, the Juveniles the year before so I have got to know a number of people and have worked with them,” Nelson said. “We get involved in this because we love curling.”
Possibly the largest contingent of volunteers is needed for security.
While watching women’s curling is about as far away from taking in an Oakland Raiders home game while wearing Broncos’ jersey as possible, because patrons can enjoy a beer or two security personnel is needed.
“Anyplace where you have large crowds and alcohol is being served I think you have to have something on the premises of one for every 50 guests — it’s usually a pretty big security group when you have five days for the event,” McLaren said.
All eight teams have qualified for the 2020 Alberta Scotties. The first five are Scheidegger, Kelsey Rocque, Kayla Skrlik, Laura Walker and Jodi Vaughan.
The other three teams — St. Albert’s Krysta Hilker, Edmonton’s Nicky Kaufman and Lacombe’s Marla Sherrer — qualified through playdowns at Jasper Place in Edmonton Jan. 10-12. The 2020 Alberta Scotties run Jan. 22-26 at the Murray Arena in Okotoks.
For more information go to okotoskcurling.com.
For stories on the Alberta Scotties and during the event go to https://www.okotokstoday.ca/2020-alberta-scotties