When we walked through the doors for our first game last fall we were greeted with a freshly painted main floor area that also featured new flooring and new chairs. The Eight Ender Lounge’s new grey tabletops were the final touch in making our second level the envy of many. Then we went out into a brightly lit ice shed thanks to new, energy efficient LED lighting. Our facility is really something to be proud of!
Some highlights from this past season include:
- Hosting a MCT (Manitoba Curling Tour) event where we saw some of Manitoba’s best curlers compete.
- Hosting a very successful Stick Curling Bonspiel which brought in teams from all over the province.
- The Manitoba Open opted for more draws at CurlESP than ever before. This is a testament to our good ice, clean and comfortable lounges, great food service and ample parking area. We are also the only club outside of the Winnipeg Region that serves as a host club for the Open.
- Our 3 new leagues (Monday Masters, Monday Stick & Saturday Night Casual) flourished and will continue into next season. We may also be adding a second Saturday Night Casual league.
- Club Champs week went off without a hitch. Friday finals saw some very good games and the Eight Ender Lounge was hoping!
- Several CurlESP teams represented us at the Provincial level. We cheered you on and are proud of you all.
None of this could be done without Garth Reimer and his ice crew, Matty Haworth and The Eight Ender Lounge staff, Bernie Madsen our maintenance man, Crystal Blais our facility cleaner, John Molloy (aka Grrumpy’s), our league conveners, and of course, our Board of Directors. A huge thanks goes out to each and every one of you.
Now for some exciting news!
As the number of leagues, rentals and instructional curling clinics continues to grow, running this first class facility is becoming increasingly challenging for a volunteer Board of Directors.
Because maintaining the level and quality of service we want to offer our curlers and the community is very important to us, we have decided to actively pursue the hiring of a Facility Manager. We strongly feel this is the right direction for CurlESP at this time. A posting for the position will be coming out within the next month.
In closing, we want to thank each of the almost 700 curlers who have chosen to make CurlESP their place to curl. We appreciate your loyalty and your friendly sense of community. We sincerely hope you will join us again next season and maybe even encourage a few friends to give ESP curling a try!
Have a safe, warm, healthy spring and summer!!
Debbie Palson and the CurlESP Board of Directors
(Added: Apr 21, 2024)