Organizer says encouraging new immigrants to curl might be key to keeping sport alive in P.E.I.
A group of P.E.I. newcomers have enthusiastically taken up curling and the organizer thinks this is one step toward keeping the sport alive in the province.
The PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada had previously held learn-to-curl nights in past years but it was difficult to keep people coming back.
So this year the organization launched a team.
“I’m not even sure if any of them had seen the sport, maybe on television but they really didn’t know very much about it,” said organizer Craig Mackie, the association’s executive director — and a curler for 50 years.
“So they are starting at zero and they’ve come a very long way in such a short period of time.”
Amy Zhang, who has been on the Island for six years, says curling is the first winter sport to stick for her.
“I [tried] other Canadian sports like ski and skate but I found I couldn’t balance on the skis or the skates.”
Getting new people into the sport, like his team, is one key to keeping curling alive on the Island, said Mackie.
“We’re all getting older and we need to start bringing younger people into the sport who will, we hope, have the same enthusiasm for it,” he said.
More learn-to-curl nights for newcomers will take place at the Cornwall Curling Club the next two Sunday evenings.