CREMONA-DIDSBURY - With cooler temperatures it's time to head indoors for activities. One of the most popular sports for a wide range of ages and abilities is curling.
Both the Cremona Community Curling Club and the Didsbury Curling Club have started up all their leagues for the season.
Dave Whitlow, president of the Cremona club, said that registration went very well. The club has a total of about 200 members.
"We started play last week," said Whitlow. "We're very pleased with registration. We jumped seven teams last year in our square draw. So we're pretty full. We have 23 teams that curl each other all winter three nights a week."
Whitlow said they have all ages playing in the square draw from about age 10 up to people in their 80s.
"It's a family sport," he said. "It's a good sport to play with family and friends."
There is also a women's curling group that goes on Tuesdays during the day, said Whitlow.
"They have eight teams with about 10 spares," he said. "We have seniors who curl all day on Wednesday. We have 12 teams and 15 spares. The club's pretty busy. We have bonspiels on the weekend."
The first bonspiel coming up for the Cremona club is the open mixed one that goes from Nov. 16-24. The club's Town and Country Bonspiel goes Jan. 4-12, said Whitlow.
"We also have the ladies' bonspiel from March 3rd to 10th," he said.
Whitlow said the club plays on a two-sheet curling rink that was built in 1957.
"It's running good," he said. "We do little upgrades every year."
The Didsbury Curling Club has also started up and has leagues running during the week.
Julia Gregg, communications director, said that registration numbers for the club are about the same as last year.
Gregg said the juniors go Mondays and Wednesdays after school, mixed goes Monday and Wednesday evenings and sturling (stick curling) goes Tuesday in the morning and afternoon.
The club also has a number of bonspiels coming up with sturling on Nov. 22 - 23 and men's on Dec. 8 - 9, said Gregg.
In the new year there is a second sturling bonspiel on Feb. 14 - 15, Family Day Feb. 18, juniors' Feb. 21 - 23 and mixed on March 9-11.
"We will have free curl nights throughout the year and those are announced via our Facebook page," she said. "They generally coincide with Friday night Colts games."
