The biggest sporting event in Swift Current’s history came to a close Sunday when Germany defeated Scotland 8-6 in an extra end to claim the Ford World Women’s Curling Championships.
Event Co-Chair Barbara Walter said the event was a huge success.
“Absolutely, we had great curling, great ice, and a good facility. All the fans came out, we filled the stands for most draws, and they had fun in the Patch. Everything worked very well because we had a wonderful group of volunteers that made it all work very smoothly. We are very happy.”
Sunday's championship attracted a sold out crowd of 2,654, for a total of 52,305, an average of 2,274 fans per draw.
“It has been phenomenal. The host committee has been one of the best that we have ever had the opportunity to work with,” added Graham Prouse, the Canadian Curling Association’s Chair of the Board of Governors. “The way the community has got behind this event and supported it is really amazing. It really bodes well for communities of this size to be able to hold national and world events. It is tremendous.”
He added that a small community like Swift Current turned out to be an ideal host.
“We have had communities this size host before but normally it is larger ones. With our major events, the Brier, the Scotties, the World Championships, when they are in Canada they tend to end up in the larger centres. So to have one come here and have one as successful as this one has been, it speaks well to the community and the province.”
The province won’t have to wait long for world class curling to return as Regina is set to host the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship in April of 2011.
Prouse said it is a testament to the people of Saskatchewan, the popularity of curling here, and the province’s ability to host such events.
“Absolutely, there are a lot of positive things happening in Saskatchewan. The world knows about it and the country certainly does, and we know about it. Saskatchewan has always been a good host site for our events. We get a lot of events out west, Saskatchewan certainly gets their share and always does such a good job hosting them so we are always glad to come back,” explained Prouse, who is based out of Fort Nelson, BC, but is originally from Saskatoon.
For Walters the closing ceremonies invoked a combination of sadness, relief, and excitement.
“All of it, it has been wonderful. It has been an experience of a lifetime to host the world here in Swift Current. I have enjoyed every minute of it but we still have a few things to do yet. It has been a great success and I am just really happy.”
She said the event exceeded her expectations.
“For me and our committee, and I think for most of the town, it was even better than we had hoped. It has been a huge success. We have never hosted the world in this way before and I think that it was just fun for everybody. Southwest Saskatchewan just welcomed them with open arms. Yes I think that it has been a huge success.”
Jennifer Jones and Canada placed third with a 9-6 win over Sweden on Sunday morning.
“We had the most amazing time, Swift Current was awesome. We are going to look back on this with fond memories,” added Jones.
