It was the second Ryder Cup to be hosted by the Langley Curling Centre at George Preston rec centre since the name of the annual men’s bonspiel was re-branded to reflect sponsorship by The Horse & Ryder Pub, located in the same facility — and the first in a post-pandemic environment.
Sixteen rinks competed over three days, from Friday, Nov. 11 to Sunday, Nov. 12.
Regan Taylor, a member of the curling club board, rated it as an “average” turnout, which, given what the club has been through, represented an an encouraging sign of things returning to a post-COVID normal.
“This is the first one [men’s bonspiel] coming out of the pandemic,” Taylor told the Langley Advance Times.
“Last year was a mess.”
Taylor didn’t go into detail, but like most sports groups during the pandemic, the club had to operate under sometimes-severe COVID guidelines that limited attendance and required masks with social distancing at the height of the pandemic.
Winners of this year’s Ryder cup was the Brower rink from Vancouver.
Upcoming events at the club include a three-hour “Slide into the 80’s Funspiel” on Saturday, Nov. 26, with players invited to bring their best 80’s “ice-friendly” duds, a “Mixed Doubles Bonspiel” Dec 10 and Dec. 11, with $2,000 in prizes based on 16 teams and the Langley Master’s 60+ Bonspiel Jan 26-28.
To register and get more information, visit langleycurlingcentre.com/index.php/events/bonspiels.
Another encouraging step on the path back to normal will see the Langley club host the Connect Hearing BC Senior Curling Championships next year.
About 125 participants, including teams from the Kootenays, Okanagan, Cariboo, Vancouver Island, and Lower Mainland are expected to attend the six-day event, running from March 21 — 26, along with families, officials, and volunteers from outside Langley.
READ ALSO: Provincial senior curling championships are coming to Langley Curling Centre
In 2023, the women’s and men’s events will begin with a triple knockout preliminary round, leading to a playoff format based upon the number of entries as of the registration deadline of January 21.
Winners of the BC Senior Curling Championships will represent the province at the 2023 Everest Canadian Senior Curling Championships Nov. 27 — Dec. 3.
More photos from the Ryder Cup can be viewed online at the Langley Advance Times Facebook page.
READ ALSO: Believe it or not, now could be the best time to learn how to curl
Is there more to the story? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.