The Pan Continental Curling Championships wrapped up in Lacombe on Nov. 2 - a milestone event for the city fuelled by the solid support from array of community quarters, officials say.
"Overall, I think the event went really well," said Peter Villers, who co-chaired the event along with Chantelle Bowman.
"We had nothing but good comments from the players, and from the World Curling representatives. We also had great ice, great venues, and awesome volunteers. I can't say enough about the efforts and the dedication of our volunteers. The rink staff and and the help of the city was tremendous as well," he said.
"Also, a huge thanks to our sponsors, and for the support of our community in making the event a success, and making the competitors and the World Curling staff feel welcome. It was a lot of work, but well worth it to show off Lacombe and Central Alberta to the world."
Canada's Team Rachel Homan edged out South Korea’s Team Eunji Gim with a 6-5 victory on Saturday, while in the men’s competition, Team Brad Gushue of Canada fell short in a close 10-8 bronze-medal game loss to Team John Shuster of the United States on Nov. 1.
This was Team Homan’s debut at the Pan Continental Championships, marking the first time Canadian women have taken gold since the event began in 2022.
After her victory, Canada’s Rachel Homan said in a release, “it’s amazing. It was exciting to be in that gold medal game and what a game for the fans to watch. It’s been a strong week for the team and we’ve had a lot of fun."
Wendy Buyar, Lacombe and District Chamber of Commerce executive director, said that bringing in so many teams from around the world has a tremendous impact on the local and surrounding economies.
'Visitors are staying here, eating here, and so those dollars are being spent here,' she said. "It has an impact for not just the days of the event, but also for weeks afterwards, too. Employees get extra hours (through the event), and there are then those extra dollars to spend. Those extra dollars circulate, and have an impact," she said.
For Lacombe City councillor Don Gullekson, seeing the event as a whole come to the community was a joy.
“It was very exciting, and it was cool to watch. We had athletes here from all over - it was just amazing,” he said, adding it’s was also a tremendous opportunity for Lacombe to showcase on a global level what it has to offer
“Before every game, when they (were) broadcasting around the world, there was be a video for 30 seconds showing Lacombe,” he said.
Gullekson is also an avid curler himself, heading to the local rink five times a week.
“I love the game. There is the strategy to it, the reading of the ice - all of those things are involved,’ he explained. “The social side of it is big, too.”
To wrap up the championships on a high note, there was also a wind-up banquet social event on Nov. 2.
