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The Eastlink Curling Centre in Oliver is going to be buzzing with activity this coming week as the 2025 AMJ Curl BC Mixed Curling Championships promise four days of outstanding curling action.

Marilyn Reimer, the co-chair of the organizing committee, said the provincial mixed championships will bring 12 teams from across the province, all looking to claim the provincial title and move on to the national championships in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, in November.

“Things kick off Thursday (March 27) at 2 p.m. with our opening draw, and the curling continues every day until the finals on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.,” said Reimer.

There will be 12 teams competing at provincials, including five from the Okanagan Valley, she said.

“There are two teams from Oliver who have qualified and one team from Osoyoos,” she said. “There is another team from Penticton and another team made up of players from Penticton and Summerland. There’s also one team coming in from Kelowna.”

Rounding out the bonspiel are teams from Victoria, Vancouver, Kimberley, Duncan, Cloverdale, Delta, and New Westminster.

“Curl BC puts out a list of events for the upcoming season, and then different clubs submit proposals based on what they would be interested in hosting,” she said. “Then it goes to Curl BC, and they make the final decisions. They like to try and spread out the different towns and cities that get to host these big provincial tournaments, and fortunately, we were lucky enough to be successful in our bid to host the provincial mixed tournament.”

Langley hosted the mixed provincials last year.

“The members of the club are excited, but it’s not just the members— the support from the community has been absolutely fantastic in regards to sponsorships,” said Reimer. “Curl BC has its own corporate sponsors, like AMJ, sponsoring this event. As an organizing committee, we can reach out locally and pull in local support, and the response has been amazing.”

There are gold, silver, and bronze corporate sponsors on board, as several local businesses want to be part of this prestigious event, she said.

“The support from the community and up and down the valley, as far as Okanagan Falls, has just been fantastic,” she said.

Host cities have the option of charging fees to watch provincial championships, but the organizing committee has opted to invite all curling fans to watch the action over four days, free of charge, she said.

“It’s all free to the public,” she said. “We want members of the public to come out and enjoy this opportunity as much as the curling community does. We decided not to charge. We do have limited seating, so we do ask people to arrive early before each draw and that sort of thing. We want the community to come out and enjoy.”

With five of the 12 teams curling out of the Okanagan Valley, there’s a good chance one or two of the local teams will make the semi-finals and perhaps the final, said Reimer.

“We would sure hope a local team does well,” she said. “If not, the experience alone in this kind of competition is just fantastic. We do have some great local curling talent, so it will be interesting for sure.”

The Coast Hotel will be the host hotel for the event, and the bonspiel itself should provide a nice economic boost over several days, she said.

Carol Sheridan, the longtime recreation director for the Town of Oliver, said the fact that Oliver has outstanding facilities like the Eastlink Curling Club is a big reason the organizing committee was successful in landing the provincial championship bonspiel.

“The organizing committee did all the work to secure the event with Curl BC,” she said. “They’re all looking forward to welcoming athletes from all over the province. It’s great to have an event of this caliber happening at this time of the year, for sure.”

This article is published through the Local Journalism Initiative.