SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
It's not often Yellowknife gets to host a national sporting championship, but the Canadian Curling Association (CCA) is putting its trust in the NWT Curling Association next March.

Steve Moss, hurling a rock during the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship earlier this year. The curler is expected to take a shot at qualifying for the 2014 Canadian Seniors Curling Championships, which will be held at the Yellowknife Curling Centre and the Yk Arena in March. - Claudette Bockstael photo

The Yellowknife Curling Centre and Yk Arena will both be playing host to the 2014 Canadian Seniors Curling Championships from March 20 to 29. Even though it's still three months away, the planning is in full swing.

NWTCA president Maureen Miller is serving as the host committee chair, and she said this is the first time a CCA-sanctioned event will make its way to the NWT.

"In the late 1970s, we bid on the Canadian Junior Championships and we were awarded it, but it was then re-awarded to Victoria, B.C.," she said. "Since then, we've never bid on anything else for the NWT."

The NWTCA had bid once again last year to host the Canadian Juniors in 2013. However, there were issues which came up in regards to logistics, namely the Deh Cho Bridge not yet being finished and issues regarding television coverage. In exchange for not getting the junior nationals again, the CCA offered up the senior nationals, which Miller said was great.

"It's a double-national, and we decided to take that championship. The seniors didn't come with television, and they said they would work with us on the seniors," she said. "It will show the CCA what we can do as host."

The plan is to have action at the Yellowknife Curling Centre, with three sheets in play, and five sheets of ice next door at the Yk Arena for the duration of the tournament.

Miller said the tournament will have a decidedly NWT flavour attached to it and she's asked the other major curling clubs in the territory to help out.

"We've asked Fort Smith, Inuvik and Hay River to host nights during the event and they are organizing themselves," she said.

Of course, the event will need plenty of volunteers to make it go off successfully. Miller said the host committee is looking for between 150 to 175 people to help out at some point during the week. Those volunteers are needed for timing, running scores, helping out with ice maintenance and other duties.

Kyle Kugler, the NWTCA's executive director, said no experience is necessary in order to help out.

"You don't need to be a curler to volunteer at the event," he said. "There's a job for everybody. For timing, you just have to be in the seat and pay attention to the game, and you'll get all the training that's required before it all begins."

The relegation round will begin on March 20, and that will determine the two teams that will join the main draw for the men's and women's competitions. All provinces and territories are eligible to enter a team, but the NWT, as the host team, won't have to worry about that as they have been given a direct entry into each division.

If all goes well, Miller said there will be the possibility of getting bigger and better events coming to the NWT for the future.

"You just have to look at next year's seniors and they've been awarded to Digby, N.S., and they were just there in 2011," she said. "It's been to Summerside, P.E.I., three times in the past nine years. So there are chances to host this one again, or other ones."

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