Peterborough to Host International Curling Fellowship of Rotarians From April 6 to 12

The Rotary Club of Peterborough and Peterborough-Kawartha and Bridgenorth-Ennismore-Lakefield (BEL) are hosting the 27th World Championships of the International Curling Fellowship of Rotarians from April 6 to 12.

In 1956, Rotarians from Scotland, Canada and the USA organized a curling tour to Scotland. Scottish Rotarians visited Canada (Quebec and Ontario) and the USA (Utica and Schenectady, NY) for curling events the following year. Since 1978, this tournament has been bi-annually hosted by Scotland, Canada or the USA. Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Peterborough,

The tournament is being held at the Curling Club of Peterborough, hosting 21 teams from across Canada, England, Scotland, and the United States who will participate in Friendship Division and Championship Division draws.

The general public is welcome to attend to spectate throughout the event.

The Rotary’s committee has worked hard over the past two years to create a fantastic week of unforgettable moments, friendship, and exceptional curling performances, according to a press release and statement by tournament organizer Ken Seim of the Rotary Club of Peterborough.

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Peterborough Curling Team Clinches Rotary CanAm Curling Championships In Wisconsin

The Rotary Club of Peterborough Curling Team has captured the Rotary Can-Am Curling Championships hosted by the Rice Lake Curling Club in Wisconsin from last Thursday to Saturday.

(Top row, Team USA) Paul Matzke, Rich Lepping, Jim Sirianni and Mike Pfiffner. (bottom row) Ken Seim, Nick Avlonitis, Joe Kapron and Bill Crins. Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Peterborough,

Peterborough defeated the USA team (representing Madison, Wa.) in the championship match to capture the title.

The winning team consisted of Ken Seim (skip), Nick Avlonitis (vice), Joe Kapron (second) and Bill Crins (lead).

The team's victory allowed them to qualify for the Rotary Worlds Curling Championships in Scotland in 2026.

The Rotary Club of Peterborough Curling Team now plans to attend the 27th Rotary World Curling Championships which will take place at the Peterborough Curling Club from April 6 to 12.

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Hometown PTBO: Curler Toula Pappas On Qualifying For the 2024 Canadian Under-18 Championships In Ottawa

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with curler Toula Pappas about winning the provincial championships with Team Vivier to qualify for the 2024 Canadian Under-18 Championships in Ottawa from Feb. 4 to 10.

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Registration For the Ennismore Curling Club Is Open

Registration for the 2023-2024 season of the Ennismore Curling Club is now open.

Photo courtesy of the ENnismore Curling Club.

Curlers can register online for League Curling, Learn to Curl and Friday Drop-In Curling.

In-person registration and a club social is taking place on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. at the club, located at 555 Ennis Rd. in Ennismore. Participants are invited to get a drink and catch up with their friends during this night.

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Ontario Investing Over $200,000 Into Campbellford and Norwood Curling Clubs

MPP David Piccini announced a combined $200,900 of funding for the Norwood and Campbellford Curling Clubs on Saturday at Norwood Curling Club’s annual Maplefest event.

photo courtesy of the office of mpp piccini.

The grants, funded through the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), will replace the roof of the Norwood club and improve accessibility at the Campbellford club.

“This funding is big news for the Trent Hills and Norwood area and will ensure that members of our community have plenty of options to stay active and engaged,” said MPP David Piccini. “Our government will continue to support important projects like these in rural areas as we build a stronger Ontario.”

The Norwood Curling Club received a $86,200 Capital grant from OTF to replace the roof on its century-old facility. The building hosts the annual Norwood Fair and is available to the public for community events. The Norwood Curling Club is run by volunteers and is open to everyone, offering multiple recreational, educational and competitive curling leagues. Additional information is available online.

"This Ontario Trillium Foundation grant will allow the Club to replace the roof and thereby significantly extend the life of this vital community building and ensure that it remains available for years to come,” said Denton Curry, President of Norwood Curling Club.   

At the same time as the Norwood Club learned of its grant, the Campbellford Curling and Racquet Club received the good news that it was receiving a $114,700 Capital grant. The Club is making a series of accessibility upgrades to its building, including the addition of new automated, touchless doors, installing a wheelchair lift, widening doors to the locker room areas and squash courts, adding ramps where needed and more, ensuring that the building is even more accessible in the years to come. The Club provides recreational activities for people of all ages living in the Trent Hills community and surrounding areas. It provides a welcoming and accessible space to keep active and stay connected with the community. For more information, visit the website. 

“The Campbellford and District Curling and Racquet Club is truly the hub of our community,” said Carol Currelly-Burnham of the Campbellford Curling and Racquet Club. “We foster a sense of belonging which is a vital component of our community’s overall health. Thanks to the generosity of the Ontario Government and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, we are able to make our site truly accessible to all.”

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations celebrates 40 years of grantmaking in Ontario and making a lasting impact in communities. Last year, OTF invested nearly $209M into 2,042 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund. Visit otf.ca to learn more.

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Fleming Knights Men's Curling Team Competing in National Championships in Sudbury

The Fleming Knights Men’s Curling Team is heading to the Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA) Curling Championships in Sudbury running from Wednesday to Sunday.

Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

They qualified after coming fourth in the Ontario College Athletic Association (OCAA) Curling Championships at Niagara College.  

The Knights are led by skip Nolan Galardo and teammates Cameron Fraser, Michael Duffy, Finn Duffy and Ben Potter. They will face off against the top curling teams from across Canada’s collegiate ranks.  

Coaches Todd Freeman and Tara Welbourn are guiding the team to return to the podium since Fleming won it all in 2015.

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Trent University Hosting 2023 Ontario University Athletics Men’s Curling Championship Feb. 10 - 12

Trent University is hosting the 2023 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men’s curling championship at the Peterborough Curling Club (PCC) from Feb. 10 - 12 announced on Wednesday.

(From left to right, back row) Chris Inglis, Matthew Mayede, Zachary Harrison, Mack Quick, coach Brad Robinson. (From left to right, Front Row) Maxim Tandon, Edward Bridger. Photo courtesy of Lexi Thivierge and Trent University.

“We’re thrilled to be hosting the OUA Championships for men’s curling and grateful for our collaboration with the Peterborough Curling Club that has allowed us to use their facilities,” said Sarah Batley, Trent Athletics & Recreation assistant director of sport and student Engagement. “This will be a great opportunity for us and the community to cheer on our Excalibur athletes at home as they chase an OUA championship title.”

The weekend features 16 Ontario universities competing for a spot in the gold medal draw held on Sunday at 2 p.m. This includes a strong Trent men’s tear as they brought home Trent’s first-ever OUA championship curling banner.

“Playing host to Ontario's top young curlers is a great honour and we are very excited that we get to compete against them in our hometown,” said Brad Robinson, Men’s Trent Excalibur curling head coach. “The curling community in Peterborough and the surrounding area has always been strong and we look forward to having their hometown support throughout the event. Our squad is a mix of veteran and rookie talent that we are excited about. I know they will represent Trent with great talent and class as the host team.”

Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal, Batley and the rest of the Trent Athletics Department welcome competitors and spectators to the bonspiel during the opening ceremony at 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

The first draw of the tournament will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Friday as is free to all spectators. This is a free event, open to spectators. Full weekend schedule available at Trent Varsity’s website.

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Trent Excalibur Volleyball and Curling Weekend Recap

Trent’s volleyball and curling excalibur teams competed in a number of different championship games this past weekend, recapped below.

photo courtesy of Trent excalibur.

Excalibur volleyball faced the York University Lions during a home game on Feb. 3. The women’s team put up a good fight, with a slow start and very competitive 2nd and 3rd sets. The Lions ultimately won the match 3-0.

The men’s team fell to the Lions as well with a score of 1-3.

Excalibur volleyball will play their final home games Feb. 18 and 19 against the Brock Badgers.

In curling, the excalibur women’s team competed in the OUA Championships hosted by Ontario Tech University.

The women went undefeated in round robin play and entered playoffs as the overall number one seed and with the best LSD (last shot draw) score out of the undefeated teams.

Trent lost 4-3 in a closely contested quarterfinal game against Laurentian University. The game came down to the last rock in the eighth end.

Trent men’s curling will host the Men’s OUA Curling Championships at the Peterborough Curling Club Feb. 10 to 12.

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Ladies Curling Team Go Undefeated In Runback U18 Curling Championships; Qualify For Provincials

Team Langford finished off 2022 on a winning note as they went undefeated at the Canadian Junior Cup U18 Runback Championship at the Oshawa Curling Club in Oshawa in a three-day tournament concluding on Sunday.

(From left to right) coach Dave Levecque, Jordan Graham, Hillary Brown, Toula Pappas and Katelin Langford. Photo courtesy of Dave Levecque.

Coached by Dave Levecque, the team consists of Jordan Graham, Hillary Brown, Toula Pappas, Katelin Langford (with the latter two from Peterborough).

They won their first and only match of Tuesday against Team Sone in an 8-3 win, scoring three points in the fourth and sixth end.

The team steamrolled Team Barrack in their second match on the second day in a 15-1 blowout win, scoring five, two, four and four points in the first four ends.

Team Wrigley made it close as Langford’s next opponent of the day, with the former, holding a 3-1 lead after five ends. Langley came back with three points in the sixth end and capped an insurance marker for one more point in the seventh for the 5-3 win.

Their final opponent before the playoffs was a close one as Team Leung tested Langford’s poise with a 4-4 tie into the eighth and final end. Langford was able to escape with a point to win 5-4.

Their semifinal playoff matchup against Team Sone was another rout, winning 7-1 to advance to the finals.

They finished off their undefeated tournament, defeating Team Leung in an 11-2 convincing fashion with five points in the seventh end.

The team is competing next in Cornwall for the Ontario Winter Games Last Chance Qualifier from Friday to Sunday. They’ll return to Oshawa for the Ontario Provincial Championships from Jan. 12 - 16. The winner of that event will represent Ontario at the National Championship in Timmins on Feb. 5 - 11.

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Ennismore Curling Club Hosts Try Curling Day

The Ennismore Curling Club is inviting anyone that wants to try their hand at the sport to join them at their Try Curling Event on Sunday from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Photo courtesy of the Ennismore Curling Club.

Photo courtesy of the Ennismore Curling Club.

A group of volunteers from the curling club will be at Sunday’s event to help newcomers step onto the ice for the first time and to offer tours of the club.

“We’re hoping that people who might think it fun to try curling will perhaps step on the ice, hold a rock, slide down the ice,” said Peter Gardiner, vice-chair, Ennismore Curling Club. “This would be an opportunity for them to understand how it works.”

After the event, participants are able to sign up for the Learn to Curl Program, an eight-week program that will begin Oct. 24.

After the Learn to Curl Program participants are welcome to join a social league that will begin in January.

“We find that in the middle of a dark winter’s night, it’s fun to get out to a social event and a physical activity,” said Gardiner. “It’s mostly to come out and meet with good friends, meet new friends and also to stay active.”

Participants are asked to bring clean running shoes that have not been worn outside. Anyone under 19 is required to wear protective headgear, though it is suggested that anyone stepping onto the ice to wear a helmet.

Sunday’s event is free and open to all ages.

For more information on the Ennismore Curling Club and their Try Curling Day click here.

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