OLDS — The annual Didsbury Farm and Ranch Bonspiel is a go, but in the Olds Curling Club instead of the Didsbury Memorial Complex.
It will run from Jan. 6-10.
The Didsbury Memorial Complex shutdown was announced Dec. 19 after an ammonia leak was discovered during routine maintenance. It’s not expected to be back in operation until later this year when a new condenser can be installed forcing an end to the curling, skating, and hockey season there.
Rick Phillips is chair of the Didsbury Farm and Ranch Bonspiel and manager of the Olds Curling Club.
During an interview with the Albertan, Phillips said he and other members the bonspiel organizing committee found out about the shutdown the day it was announced, just a couple of weeks before the ‘spiel was scheduled to be held at the curling rink in the Didsbury memorial Complex.
That forced the committee to hold an emergency meeting and scramble to find a new location.
Phillips said they considered relocating it to Carstairs but approached the Olds club because it has more ice.
The Olds club board approved that idea and plans got into motion.
“I redid the whole bonspiel schedule in my head in about two hours after I found out,” Phillips said, adding that it remains full with all 32 teams participating.
Fortunately there wasn’t a whole lot of curling scheduled to occur at the Olds Curling Club in early January.
“There’s some daytime curling. We just had to move their start time up; like instead of starting at 10 (a.m.) they had to start at 9 (a.m.),” Phillips said.
“And then their evening draw, they usually start at 7 (p.m.); they might have to start at 7:30.”
He said junior curling will likely have to be re-jigged as well.
Another goal is to find a way to accommodate Didsbury and area stick curlers.
“They’re frantically trying find a place for all their members to finish up the year as well,” he said.
Speaking in his Olds Curling Club manager’s role, Phillips said the club was pleased to help the Didsbury curlers.
“I mean, we’re just trying to be good neighbours and everybody just wants to curl through the winter,” he said.
Phillips agreed that this will be one Didsbury Farm and Ranch Bonspiel that organizers and participants will remember for years to come.
He’s relieved it didn’t happen next year, because that will be the ‘spiel’s 30th anniversary.
“We really want to have that in Didsbury for our 30th anniversary, for sure,” he said.
