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WOOD: ‘Amazing’ response saves Saskatchewan’s Scotties Turned out, in fact, it was the result of a young worker attempting to thaw frozen pipes with a blow-torch. Nevertheless, a state of emergency was declared in Kindersley. Officials immediately began evacuating local residents one block in all directions from the arena complex. The local ambulance service provided shelter and medical aid due to the extreme cold temperatures. Two adjacent schools were evacuated. Several vehicles and homes were damaged from broken glass and paint damage. The original arena, built in 1955 as the home base for the Kindersley Klippers hockey team’s fitness/training area, storage areas plus a local figure skating club and the town’s minor sports offices was levelled in 40 minutes. “The curling and new hockey rink were OK,” says Larry McGrath, the man bearing Kindersley’s most famous curling name. “The old building was all wood. A lot of memorabilia, and an old kitchen and seating area were lost. But there was a huge firewall between the buildings that saved the ice plant, the new hockey rink and curling club. There
was some smoke damage which will keep the facilities closed until next fall.” You may recall McGrath, who resides in nearby Dodsland and skipped Saskatchewan’s champ in the 1974 Brier and three teams in the national mixed, winning twice. He was a driver during the championship that was moved 50 kilometres south to the Eston Curling Club. “It was costly for the community in terms of ice usage, hotels, restaurants,” says McGrath. “They had to kill the big Oilmen’s bonspiel in late January. That brought a lot of money into the district.” Within three hours, eventual champion Amber Holland of Regina, who also is the executive director of the Saskatchewan Curling Association, was embroiled in an emergency meeting with a SCA executive, the association’s head coach, and members of the organizing committee. “It was amazing how the host committee from Kindersley just walked into the Eston Curling Club and did the best they could . . . . and it was a great job,” recalls Holland. “I’m sure the community
in Eston had more pies and soup made on that Friday to be ready for us on Saturday. You walked into the rink and everybody was bending over backwards to make it happen. It was amazing.” Players whose equipment remained at the smoke-damaged Kindersley club retained every glove, broom, shoe and jacket. Some teams chose to stay in Eston and volunteer drivers from Kindersley continued despite the 40-minute drive. Ice technicians worked on the ice all day Friday and were able to give the curlers conditions very similar to those in Kindersley with the emphasis on curl. And the championship concluded a mere two hours later than originally scheduled. “The ice was a little keener in Kindersley,” recalls Holland. “Probably six-to-eight feet heavier but good curl, good rocks, no problem. “Hey, we may be losing a few clubs and members but the communities we have in Saskatchewan are strong.” In this case, everybody for miles around pulled together. Just another example of good old Prairie pride holding forth.
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