(by Lisa Shamchuk)

It was announced at the banquet last night that this will be the last year for the Optimist U18 Curling Championships. The Optimist U18 Steering Committee has been working with Curling Canada for many years to establish a U18 national championship. It has been agreed upon at the executive level, and will be voted on by member associations at the AGM this summer, that Curling Canada will henceforth run a Canadian U18 Curling Championship. Upon approval, Curling Canada will take over organization of the event, which will become the national level U18 championship for all Canadian Provinces and Territories. It is hopeful that a World U18 Curling Championship will also be approved shortly.

The Optimist U18 Curling Championship has been a much loved event, and has not only been a fantastic time for all the organizers and followers, but a truly awesome and memorable event for all the junior curlers who have participated. Everyone is sad to see it go, but we are happy to have under 18 curlers recognized at an official national level. We are all excited to continue to provide opportunities for junior curlers to develop and have fun with the sport of curling!