The 2014 edition of the B.C. Scotties was a roaring success.
Organizers say the provincial curling championships, hosted at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club Jan. 6 - 12, went beyond expectations.
"The dedication of the volunteers, the fan turnout, the high level of curling... everything, it's all been fantastic," said Vonda Hofferd, co-chair of the host committee. "The feedback from the teams was the friendliness of Prince George, how accommodating we were, how great our hospitality was and they were impressed with the whole organization of the event."
It was a full house as more than 5,000 fans (or about 300 people per draw) took in the action on the local sheets of ice over the course of the seven-day event that featured 59 games, including four tiebreakers Friday to clear up a five-team logjam to determine the fourth and final playoff team. That number of tiebreakers was unheard of at a provincial event.
"Throw in the five-way tie for fourth place and it was an adventure," Hofferd said, who was also the chief umpire for the bonspiel. "Everybody who had to play in those tiebreakers will remember it. We weren't worried about the fans at all. When you have local teams (Patti Knezevic and Tracey Jones), you have a fan base."
The B.C. Scotties was a test event for the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, slated for just more than a year from now, Feb. 13 - March 1.
Every aspect of the curling club was tested during the Scotties - the ice, scorekeeping, officiating, medical services, the kitchen and the beverage area.
Hefferd, who also holds the title of Sport Leader for Curling for the 2015 Games and is in charge of the field of play (anything that happens with the actual game on the ice) explained because everything went so well, there's not much else to do in preparation for a year from now.
"We are more than confident going into 2015," she said. "It's just a matter of tweaking a few things, such as we won't require as many bleachers with so many sports in town."
The boys teams, as many as 13 of them from almost every province and territory, will step onto the ice in the first week of the 2015 Games, and the girls will follow in the second week.
While Hefferd served as chief umpire at the Scotties, she won't be in that role at the 2015 Games. Those officials will be designated by the Canadian Curling Association that will draw from a national pool to maintain fairness and an equitable field.
Jamie Mould, the venue co-ordinator for curling at the 2015 Games and a board member of the Golf and Curling Club, was impressed with how smooth delivering the Scotties was.
"The feedback from the 2015 Canada Winter Games (administration) was very positive and they were impressed with how the event ran," he said. "We will see what has to be fine-tuned but it won't be a lot. The facility worked out very well."
Mould added setting up the venue for the Scotties required a lot of hands-on work, and the same amount of work and more will be required to get it set up in a year's time for the 2015 Games.
