A big honour for New Brunswick’s curling community after the province declared the third week of January as New Brunswick Curling Week.
Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister John Ames says in a statement the week is intended to mark the important role curling has played in enriching the province’s heritage, athletics and community well-being.
David Burpee, president of the New Brunswick Curling Association, says it’s great to promote curling and show it’s a healthy sport anyone can take part in.
“We have programs that start at what’s called the Little Rock program, six, seven years of age … I know people that have been in their 80s and 90s and continue to curl,” says Burpee.
Third week in January declared New Brunswick Curling Weekhttps://t.co/ducyJiq9VQ pic.twitter.com/8gQkaDiCjg
— Government of NB (@Gov_NB) January 18, 2018
The association represents about 4,500 curlers who play at 28 curling centres, and Burpee says one of their key focuses is encouraging more younger people to pick up a broom.
He says the sport has become a vital part of rural communities across New Brunswick.
“Before there was really TV or radio, people would go to the curling centres and curling clubs and learn about what’s going on in the community, have social events and the like,” says Burpee, “and that still continues today.”
Burpee says declaring curling an Olympic sport has created a new opportunity to show what curling is all about, adding they expect to see increased interest in the sport during the 2018 games in South Korea next month.
