Assiniboia gearing up to welcome curlers in 2025 (audio)

For the third time in four years Saskatchewan will host the Canadian Mixed Curling Championships. Curling Canada has announced Assiniboia as the host community for the 61st edition of the championship November 2nd to 8th, 2025 at the Assiniboia Curling Club. This will mark the first time Assiniboia has hosted a major curling event and the ninth time Saskatchewan has hosted the championship since 1978.

“We first heard about it through our town. We proposed it to the Assiniboia Curling Club, who, in fact, said absolutely let’s try and host this huge event for the community,” explained Sharon Schauenberg, Mayor of Assiniboia.

Not only will the event attract hundreds of curling fans from across the province, but the community expects it’ll be a major economic boost for the town.

“For people coming to shop in our stores, to visit our community, to stay in our hotels, it’s a huge economic driver for the community and we welcome everybody to our community as we always do,” stated Schauenberg.

The Assiniboia curling rink is located in the Prince of Wales Centre, downtown Assiniboia which also houses the town’s library, a college campus, and a movie theatre.

“It’s a great place. We’ve got an indoor space where you can watch, we’ve got an upstairs lounge, we’ve got the outside stands, and there’s going to be a kitchen set up with lots of delicious food being served,” Schauenberg said. “It’s just going to be a great event. I’m so excited for this.”

The championship has been around since 1964 and involves men and women alternating in the various curling positions. Shannon Kleibrink of Alberta was the first female skip of a mixed team to win a national championship in 2004. The winner of the event then moves on to World Mixed Curling Championship, representing Canada.

Over the years, teams from Saskatchewan have done very well at the mixed curling championships, winning 11 times starting in 1967 by Team Larry McGrath. The McGrath mixed foursome would win again two more times in 1968 and 1974. The Rick Folk team won twice in the 70’s and 80’s, Team Yuzdepski in 1978, Team Woytowich in 1984, Randy Bryden in 1996, Jason Akerman in 2012, Team Kirkpatrick in 2015, and Team Meachem in 2023.

This year’s Canadian Mixed Curling Championship will run from Nov 3rd to 9th in St. Catherines, Ont.

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