It’s all coming together for the 50th annual Canadian Firefighters national curling championship which will be played at the Charlottetown Curling Club March 27 to April 4.
All the provincial teams have been declared and are on their way to PEI The host committee is putting the finishing touches on everything from the opening ceremonies to the presentation of the storied Hydrant Trophy.
Photo – Team PEI (L-R): Brian Burke, PEI Provincial Director Canadian Fire Fighters Curling Association; George Koke, lead; Tommy MacLeod, second; Mike Clarey, third; Jeff Nelson, skip; Lyle Wiebe, National President CFFCA. Missing from photo: Dusty MacLure, fifth.
The Team PEI foursome is from the Montague Fire Department and is skipped by Jeff Nelson, with third Mike Clarey, second Tommy MacLeod and lead George Koke. In all there are twelve provincial and territorial teams from across Canada competing.
Winston Bryan is co-chair of the event. “This year’s opening ceremonies will be special,” he says. “We will be projecting historic pictures on the walls of the curling club as the teams are introduced and march in accompanied by the Belfast Pipes and Drums.”
The opening ceremonies start at noon on Friday, March 27. The public is invited to attend.
The first draw will be at 3:00 PM Friday, with round robin play continuing through the following Friday morning, with tiebreakers, if needed, and a Page playoff round later on Friday. The semi-final goes Saturday April 4th at 9 am, with the final following at 1 pm.
The Northwest Territories won the championship last year.
For the first time in the 50 year history of the event, fans at home can also follow the action all week, with live results on the website: www.curlingresults.com/firefighters
The curlers will also be working all week to raise $10,000 for the fight against Muscular Dystrophy.