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Mixed doubles curling provincials coming to Humboldt

HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt Curling Club is getting ready for some great curling with the Mixed Doubles Provincial Championships coming up at the end of February. Twenty-four teams will come to Humboldt on Feb.
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HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt Curling Club is getting ready for some great curling with the Mixed Doubles Provincial Championships coming up at the end of February.

Twenty-four teams will come to Humboldt on Feb. 27 to March 1 to earn the right to represent Saskatchewan at the Mixed Doubles Nationals Championship from March 17 to 22 in Portage La Prairie, Man. So far there will be a few local curlers joining the mix with Braeden Fleischhacker and Dustin Kalthoff both bringing teams to compete at their hometown rink.

Teams are coming from all over the province with teams being eligible to compete based on Saskatchewan and Canadian Mixed Doubles tour rankings, as well as four teams coming from the U18 Mixed Doubles league.

Mixed doubles is growing in popularity, said Kevin Kalthoff, the curling club’s ice technician,  with games having a faster pace than a four curler game. Curlers play eight ends with only five rocks thrown per team per end and two rocks placed in play at the start of each end. Even though fewer rocks are thrown, with mixed double rules more rocks stay in play because it is illegal to take the first four out

It is amazing when all sheets are going at once, Kalthoff said, and all the rocks are in the houses.

As a two-person team, they have to do everything from skip to throw to strategize to call the rocks. It’s a lot of work for two people when normally it takes four people to do all that, Kalthoff said, adding that to him, it’s amazing to watch

This isn’t the first high-quality competition hosted by the Humboldt Curling Club and it won’t be the last, said Bev Kaip, the curling club manager. Humboldt is central for a lot of curlers which makes it a great option to host tournaments, especially with a facility like the Uniplex, she said.

Everything is here and with the concession and the hockey rink, people can take in both curling and hockey at the same time, she said.

“We take this facility for granted,” Kalthoff said, “but we’re so fortunate to have a curling rink and arena like this.”

The Humboldt Curling Club still has a lot to do before the weekend, Kaip said, especially finding volunteers for the four-day event. They are in need of people to run the clock and man the doors, she said. The more support the curling club receives, the more likely the club will be able to host future curling events, Kaip said.

For everyone who enjoys curling and those who want to come for some exciting action, she said it is a well-priced event for a weekend of high-quality curling.