Canada’s future curling stars will converge on Timmins, Ont., next year for the 2021 Canadian Under-18 Boys and Girls Curling Championships.
And, thanks to the generosity of donors to the Curling Canada Foundation, many of the teams that had qualified for the 2020 Canadian U-18 Championships, which were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will have the opportunity to compete at the 2021 championships, which are scheduled for Feb. 7-13 at the McIntyre Curling Club and the attached McIntyre Arena — a facility known locally as The Mac.
The field will be expanded from 14 to 27 teams in each gender for the 2021 event only to give many of those young athletes who qualified for the 2020 event the chance to compete for the national title.
“We’re very excited that support from the curling community has made it possible for an expanded field of young athletes to compete at the 2021 Canadian Under-18 Championships in Timmins,” said John Shea, Chair of the Curling Canada Board of Governors. “This is another example of our ongoing investment in the future of our sport, and we know this event will be in good hands in Timmins, which put together a solid bid to host the 2021 Under-18 Championships.”
For the 2021 event only, the 14 Member Associations, a host team representing the Northern Ontario Curling Association, and 12 additional teams based on combined rankings of the Member Associations from the 2018 and 2019 Under-18 championships will comprise the field.
The qualifying Member Associations can send their 2020 champions if they choose; age and residency rules for the selected 2020 championship teams would be waived for 2021 only. To be eligible, three of the four members from the 2020 championship must return, and if a replacement player is required, the spare would have to be eligible under the 2021 age and residency guidelines.
“The City of Timmins is elated to be hosting the 2021 Canadian U-18 curling championships,” said Timmins Mayor George Pirie. “This tournament will see some of the best competitors from across the country and the City of Timmins is looking forward to hosting these athletes. Congratulations to the McIntyre Curling Club for their hard work in securing this opportunity.”
The 27 teams will be split into three pools and will play an eight-game round-robin within their pool (all games will be eight ends).
The top three finishers in each pool and the team with the next best overall record will advance to the 10-team single-knockout playoffs. Players from the non-playoff teams will compete in a new singles competition.
“The Canadian Under-18 Championships are an amazing opportunity for curling fans to see our future Canadian, World and Olympic champions, and we’re thrilled that Timmins will have the opportunity to host this event,” said Leslie Kerr, Executive Director of the Northern Ontario Curling Association. “I know that the City of Timmins and the McIntyre Curling Club will provide the teams and fans with a great Northern Ontario experience.”
The Canadian Under-18 Championships first took place in 2017 at Moncton, N.B., and have since taken place in 2018 in Saint Andrews, N.B., and in 2019 in Sherwood Park, Alta. The cancelled 2020 event was to have been played in Sudbury, Ont.
“We are honoured to host the 2021 Canadian Under-18 Curling Championships,” said Steve Meunier, who will serve with Tony Chilton as co-chairs of the Timmins Host Committee. “Timmins is known as the City with the Heart of Gold. Come and rock the house with us at the 2021 Canadian U18 Curling Championships. The Mac is an icon and a place where the community gathers. Come out and curl up in our house.”
You can read the official Curling Canada press release here.
