THUNDER BAY – The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is less than two months away, and ticket sales have continued to impress local organizers.
Diane Imrie, who co-chairs the local organizing committee, says Curling Canada has told those working on the ground in Thunder Bay that about 80 per cent of the tickets up for grabs have been sold, including most of the tickets for championship weekend.
It’s shaping up to be a loud and boisterous Fort William Gardens, Imrie said.
“There are some tickets available and we’re encouraging folks to get them while they can,” Imrie said. “They’re still one of the best tickets in town. For $20 you can see some of the best women’s curlers from all across the country.”
Already in the field are defending champion Rachel Homan, of Ottawa, along with three wild-card teams out of Manitoba, skipped by Chelsea Carey, Kerri Einarson and Kaitlyn Lawes.
The remainder of the teams will qualify through upcoming provincial and territorial women’s curling championships over the course of the next month, including the Northern Ontario entry, who will be crowned on Jan. 26 at the Port Arthur Curling Centre.The Scotties runs from Feb. 14 through Feb. 23.
Imrie said the numbers are encouraging.
“I don’t anticipate there will be an empty seat in the house,” she said. “Curling fans in Thunder Bay always show up. Even last time, when unfortunately we couldn’t have everybody there, with just the 500 that were there, it was rocking.”
The Scotties was last held in Thunder Bay in 2022, during COVID-19 restrictions, and for the most part fans weren't allowed to attend games at the Gardens. Volunteers were allowed in for championship weekend, when Thunder Bay’s Krista McCarville made it to the final, losing to Einarson in the gold-medal game.
Prior to that the Scotties was last in the city in 1996, when Ontario’s Marilyn Bodogh beat Alberta’s Cheryl Kullman, better known today as Cheryl Bernard.
“The buzz that’s going to be in that building? I anticipate sell-outs. It’s also going to be rocking with our school program, which is oversubscribed. The community is coming together, so during the nine o’clock draws, it’s just going to be fantastic,” Imrie said, adding the 50/50 draw will also add excitement for the over-18 crowd.
Of course, the Patch will also be a highlight for anyone in the community, featuring local entertainment at the Fort William Curling Club, located next door to the Gardens.
“It’s going to be the biggest party in town … and you don’t need a ticket to go to the patch, so we’re encouraging people to come on down and participate in that as well. We’re going to be having a lot of up-close-and-personals with a lot of the curlers.”
Tickets are available at www.curling.ca/tickets, or at the Fort William Gardens box office.
