Next January, world-class curlers from across the province will be coming to Drayton Valley for the 2027 RME Summit of Champions to try to qualify for the Brier and Scotties.
Bill Birnie, the vice president of the Drayton Valley Curling Club, says there will be 24 teams curling on the ice in the Nelson Bros. Arena from January 11 to 17. Both women and men will have 12 teams vying for a spot at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the Montana’s Brier.
“This is only the second time that Curling Alberta has run [this tournament] as a combined event,” says Birnie. “Before, they would have the men’s played out in one town and the women’s played out in another.”
There are 1,200 seats in the arena, and Birnie says they are also planning to sell seats on the ice for sponsorship.
“The whole one side will have 12-14 VIP box seats that will be sold,” says Birnie. “At the end will be an Original 6-themed bar with a VIP section and chairs and tables.”
There will also be a social house in the curling rink lounge. Along with homemade lunches, the space will serve as a meeting place for teams.
“After the last game there will be a meeting place, where we’re just going to have some snacks for the whole week,” says Connie Zorn, the co-chair of the Summit of Champions Committee.
Originally, the curling club had been approached to host the event in 2024, after successfully hosting the U20 Provincials in 2023.
“With the job we did on that, Curling Alberta encouraged us to put in for an event like this,” Birnie says.
Zorn says the club also hosted the Kia Cup in 2007, where Kevin Martin’s team beat out 11 others for a spot in the Tim Horton’s Brier.
Ultimately, they decided against hosting it in 2024 because they felt it was cost-prohibitive and weren’t sure if they would be able to recoup their money. They had heard Curling Alberta was going to combine the event, and they decided to wait until that time.
Though it’s too early to tell which teams will be at the Summit, Birnie and Zorn say there is a possibility that people will see Team Bottcher, Team Van Amsterdam, or Team Koe, which includes former Drayton Valley resident Aaron Sluchinski.
Birnie says this event is important in that it not only provides a fun community event, but it can introduce people to the sport and it will give an economic boost to the area. He says Curling Alberta has estimated the economic impact on other similar-sized communities that have hosted the event to be around $500,000 to $600,000 during the week-long tournament.
“It’s going to bring a lot of people,” says Zorn.
They estimate that between spectators, competitors, and volunteers, about 5,000 people will be coming to the community over that week.
Birnie says they are confident that the community can pull this event off.
“Why I think Drayton is going to be so successful is the support in Drayton all the time from businesses and people,” says Birnie. “It’s going to be 175 to 200 volunteers to put it on and the community spirit in Drayton, I think, is going to help make this a success.”
Birnie says those who can’t make it to the tournament can watch the draws and games on CBC Sports and CBC Gem.
Currently, the club is still looking for volunteers for the Summit. Those who are interested in registering to volunteer can visit www.albertacurling.ca where they will find the registration link under the news updates. The Summit committee can also be reached at dvsummitofchampions@gmail.com.
Early bird tickets are on sale on the Curling Alberta website until October 31, adult tickets go for $200 for a full-event pass that covers all 18 games, and seniors, aged 65 plus, can get their tickets for $125 for a full-event pass. Children 12 and under don’t require tickets if they are accompanied by an adult. Starting November 1, prices will increase by $50.
Birnie and Zorn also want to encourage anyone who is interested in joining the Drayton Valley Curling Club can find more information on their website at www.dvcurling.ca.
