ASSINIBOIA — It might still look and feel like summer, but curling season is on the forefront again for the Assiniboia Curling Club as it prepares to celebrate nine decades of rich curling history and host the upcoming Curling Canada Mixed Championship.
The club recently posted on social media asking people to share names, stories and photos to help honour those who made a difference, including volunteers, coaches, presidents, ice makers, event organizers and title-winning curlers.
Earlier this year, the Assiniboia Times carried stories on notable contributors and local curling personalities Bobby Corman and Cy Walters.
Curling Canada offered these words: “For 90 years the Assiniboia Curling Club has been the heart of its community and bringing people together. Congratulations to the community for all of its contributions to continue its success. As it celebrates its milestone, hosting the 2025 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship is a fitting tribute as it will welcome teams from across the country to experience its hospitality.”
Curling acknowledgement must include the name Bill Batty. In addition to his passion for the sport, he was dedicated to keeping Assiniboia’s curling facilities viable, leading to their update into the new Prince of Wales Centre, which houses the curling arena.
Many memories have been shared about the success of the Bob Ellert rink, which captured the Saskatchewan championship and went on to the 1981 Canadian Curling Championship, known as the Brier, playing as Team Saskatchewan. The Assiniboia foursome reached the Brier semifinal in 1981, gluing viewers to the CBC broadcast and generating curling camaraderie, hometown pride and inspiration for dozens of new curlers.
Assiniboia has always been proud of—and benefited from—its volunteers. These key contributors have been central to the continued success of the club, supporting the sport, the venue and the town itself. The economic spinoffs from multiple events and activities held at the rink each season have created a full circle of benefits.
In addition to committees hosting numerous major curling events over the years, Assiniboia is counting down the weeks until it hosts its first-ever Canadian championship event when Curling Canada’s Mixed Championship arrives in November.
