Local volunteers rock Stride Place

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This article was published 04/01/2018 (2302 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Colourful official jackets worn by volunteers were everywhere in Portage la Prairie’s Stride Place on Jan. 3.

Many of the 245 people who signed up to volunteer at the Canad Inns Canadian Mixed Doubles Olympic Curling Trials from Jan. 2 to 7 were busy with tasks ranging from checking entry passes to selling 50/50 tickets to helping Curling Canada with time keeping.

Co-chairs of the volunteer committee Dean and Dawn Moxham said after the call went out for volunteers a few months ago, all the positions were filled within two days.

Dean, who’s won the Canadian senior men’s curling championship and placed second in the 2016 world senior curling championship, said that Portage volunteers have helped host other large curling events in the community, such as the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, junior hockey’s RBC Cup in 2015 and the 2017 Viterra provincial men’s championship.

“Many of the same people have volunteered at these major events. We’re experienced – been there and done that,” he said.

The Moxhams are pleased that some younger people, including their son Brett, signed up to volunteer as it’s a sign that the local volunteer base is expanding.

Facilities co-chair Tracey Taylor was putting in long volunteer hours at Stride Place. She said she worked from about 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on the first day of the trials.

“I unlock the doors,” she said.

She and husband Andy were joined by son Richard in volunteering for the mixed doubles trials.
Brenda Moorhouse was staffing the media table while husband Jim was in the timing booth on Jan. 3. She said it’s her love of curling that fuels her passion for helping host major curling events in Portage.

She and transportation co-chair Rob Gemmell were thrilled to have the chance to meet some of Canada’s leading curlers. “I picked up Brad Gushue at the airport at 1 a.m. on New Year’s Day,” Gemmell said.

A member of the Portage Curling Club board, Gemmell said many of the same people volunteer year after year. “There’s a good volunteer base.”

Moxham said the local volunteers’ professionalism and the Stride Place facility impressed the curlers who came from across Canada to compete. “We’ve heard nothing but good things from them,” he said.

Host committee member David Sattler said about 1,000 attended the first day of the trials, but he expected the number to grow to fill the 2,200 seats in the Stride Place arena.

Chris and Anita Goertzen, with son Bradley, 14, and his friend Ethan Leefe, drove in from Forrest, Man. on Jan. 3 to take in the day’s action. The Goertzens are hardcore curling fans who have attended many major Canadian championships.

Their passion is reflected in Anita’s baseball cap which is decorated with pins she collected since 2008 at the various curling competitions as well as autographs of noteable curlers.

While the prestige of hosting the Olympic curling trials has cast a positive light on Portage, the event also reaped financial rewards for the community. Volunteers were busy selling 50/50 tickets with two draws held daily. On Jan. 2, the day’s total raised was approximately $1,500, which was destined to grow through the week as more people attended.

Shaunna and Garth McCormick were the 50/50 committee co-chairs. Shaunna  said after half of the funds are paid to the winner of each draw, 35 per cent goes to the Portage Curling Club.

The remaining 15 per cent is split between administration costs and the Portage Terriers hockey team as it was the team’s ticketing equipment that was being used.

Portage Terriers president Stan Killam also praised the hundreds of local people who signed up to volunteer at the trials.

“We see the same faces year after year. They’re wonderful volunteers,” Killam said.

The volunteers will be able to don their commemorative jackets from the curling trials when they cheer on the pair representing Canada in mixed doubles curling at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February.

“It’s great to know that you had a little part in that,” Moxham said.

As of press time, the winners of the trials hadn’t been decided.