Athletes are gearing up for the 2025 Wheelchair Provincial Championship in Cambridge, Ont.
“It’s a small community of curlers, so you get to see familiar faces and friendly people,” said Hill Hopkins, lead for Team Joseph. “There’s always a lot of really good competition.”
The Galt Country Club is hosting the event for the second time.
“We hosted this event about 10 years ago and it was a huge success,” said Dana Schoales, curling committee member for the club. “When we were asked if we would consider doing it again, we said yes, we’d be honored.”
Teams from across the province are vying for the title, including Sherri Roberts, an alderman for the City of Cambridge who plays for the Toronto Wheelchair Team.
“I kept saying, no, no it’s not my thing,” said Roberts. “I hate being cold. And then I went out and threw rocks once and I was hooked.”
The sport looks essentially the same as any other curling match, but accommodations are made for athletes using wheelchairs.
“Wheelchair curling is actually more challenging,” Roberts said. “In stand-up curling, you have sweeping, which can help change the trajectory or the speed of a rock, which can help get it into places, where we don’t have that. We have to be very precise. Our throw is our throw, so wherever it ends up, that’s where it ends up.”
She’s hoping there’s enough interest to eventually form a Waterloo Region team in the future.
“I would love to have a Cambridge team. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get enough players here to have our own team,” Roberts explained.
The winners of championship will head to the nationals next month in Quebec.
The bonspiel is happening throughout the weekend and the public is encouraged to stop by the Galt Country Club to support the teams. The action wraps up on Sunday afternoon.
