The grannies take to the ice at the Olds Curling Club this Saturday, Dec. 10.
It's called the Granny Spiel. Alice Shea, one of the coordinators, says 12 teams have registered for the event.
She stresses it's not a serious competition, just a kind of social occasion.
“It's just a bunch of older women who get together and have a bonspiel,” she says.
There are no firm age requirements, but in general, those who've signed up are expected to be in their 50s or older.
This is not the first Granny Spiel in Olds, but it's the first in several years.
“We kind of took a little lapse from it. Then a few of us ladies decided it was time to do it again, so we did,” Shea says. “About four of us ladies decided it was time to run it again so we decided to give it a try. We got a good turnout so we were happy.”
This year's event is smaller than previous Granny Spiels.
Shea says some years past had as many as about 24 teams, however, she's satisfied with 12 teams for this revived one.
The first draw takes place at 10 a.m. Another draw will be held at about 1:30 p.m. Once all the competition is over, points will be added up and winners will be declared.
Shea says because it's a fun event, “everybody else (in addition to the winners) will walk home with some sort of prize.”
There will be slight modification to the rules for this spiel. Participants will only curl six ends instead of eight.
"About four of us ladies decided it was time to run it again so we decided to give it a try. We got a good turnout so we were happy." ALICE SHEAA SPIEL COORDINATOR
