A trip to Calgary is on the line with the Viterra Provincial Scotties
getting started on Wednesday in Tisdale.
Twelve rinks will compete for the prized Saskatchewan green jackets.
The first eight squads that qualified for the Scotties were Team Nancy Martin (Martensville), Team Skylar Ackerman (Saskatoon), Team Michelle Englot (Regina), Team Sherilee Orsted (Moose Jaw), Team Sherry Anderson (Saskatoon), Team Jessica Mitchell (Saskatoon), Team Robyn Silvernagle (North Battleford) and Team Penny Barker (Moose Jaw).
Last month, four more rinks qualified with victories in the Last Chance Event in Assiniboia. Team Jana Tisdale (Regina), Team Brooklyn Stevenson (Regina), Team Amber Holland (Kronau), and Team Mandy Selzer (Balgonie) claimed the remaining spots to determine the provincial championship.
Lori Kidney, Co-Chair of the Scotties in Tisdale, says a lot of work has gone into the event since the town was named the host site in the fall.
The Scotties will be held inside the Recplex in Tisdale, with four curling sheets installed inside the arena.
Kidney hopes the Provincial Scotties can serve as a fundraiser for the Tisdale Curling Club.
“We are hoping to generate some money to keep our curling club functioning for a little bit of a longer term like 3-5 years.”
There are around 20 people who preside over the organizing committee, according to Kidney, adding that there will be over 200 volunteers who will be helping with the event throughout the week.
Tisdale has hosted provincial curling events, including the 2014 Scotties and the 2017 Tankard. Kidney says the personnel who contributed to those events are back trying to make the 2024 Scotties a success.
“We have a group of folks that are getting pretty good at this,” said Kidney, “fortunately we have a lot of the same people coming out to volunteer, they have experience with the dos and don’ts, of running a bonspiel of this magnitude.”
Kidney noted they received tremendous support from Curl Sask with the event.
The opening ceremonies will be held at 5:30 on Wednesday, before the first draw. Dignitaries speaking will include Kelvington-Wadena MLA Hugh Nerlien and Councillor Amanda Nelson. Local junior curlers will also lead in each team with a sign.
There will also be a ceremonial first rock thrown by Stacy Lair, who has competed on the national stage and is now the local Director of Education.
Besides the curling, there will be other forms of entertainment at the Scotties, including a “Patch” featuring food and live music. Former Saskatchewan Roughriders Wide Receiver Chris Getzlaf will be a guest at a luncheon on Thursday. Kidney says not only will people get the chance to hear from Getzlaf, but they will get the opportunity to ask the former Roughriders questions in a Q&A format.
Draw #1 will get underway at 7:30 on Wednesday night. The 12 teams will be divided into two pools. On Sunday, the Scotties will wrap up with the final at 3:00 to determine the Saskatchewan representative for the Scotties.
Last year, the Scotties was in Estevan, with the Silvernagle rink defeating the Martin rink in the final.