Stephen Vance, Staff
They’ve been throwing rocks since 1984, but declining membership has meant that this is the final season for the Beaver Valley Seniors Curling Club.
“Unfortunately, our membership has been falling each year simply by attrition – people moving away, people dying, and so on. And we just have not been able to attract new members enough to make the club viable,” BVSCC member Karen Naish, told The Independent. “It will be a sad ending as we are such a congenial group of curlers. However, we look forward to meeting the large sector who belong to the Meaford Curling Club as we will be able to join their schedules and bonspiels.”
Naish says that while the club is ending, the existing members will continue to curl at the Meaford Curling Club.
“There were a few options that the membership discussed, but the one that was most feasible was that we each join the Meaford Curling Club as a member. We will have the same provision that we continue to have our same days of play – Monday afternoon and Thursday afternoon – and it will continue to function the way we hold things now – jitney style. Which means that whoever shows up the day of play is put on a team by a drawmaster. This way has been so beneficial for people who go away for several weeks during the winter without having to find someone to fill in for them,” Naish explained.
The club has used the remaining funds in their bank account to buy a set of rocks and rings for the Beaver Valley Community School in hopes that younger generations can be attracted to curling.
“Hopefully, it will inspire them to carry on this game into their lifetime of hobbies or beyond. Who knows, one of them, or four of them, could be Olympians,” Naish suggested.
The clubs wraps up their season this week, with their final game played on Thursday, and they will celebrate with a special party to be held this summer.
