Published in The Calgary Herald, Saskatoon Star Phoenix and National Post on March 15, 2009.
CALGARY — The 2009 Tim Horton’s Brier was the best-attended curling event in the history of Calgary, surpassing previous highs set at Briers in 1997 and then 2002.
As 12,929 curling fans took in the action for Sunday’s national men’s championship final between Alberta’s Kevin Martin and Jeff Stoughton of Manitoba, the total number of attendees over the 10 days jumped to 246,126. That bettered the previous mark set in 2002 when 245,296 fans turned out, and is now the third-best attended Brier on record.
“It was a good event, a good week all around,” said Ian Henderson, chairman of the Calgary host committee. “And it’s been good for the sport of curling in Calgary. After 2002, we saw an uptick in participation in junior curling and recreational curling in the city. And this time around, we’re seeing a lot more young people than we’re used to seeing in the Brier patch. It’s good to see them adopt the traditions of the game. And so the future of the sport is looking strong.”
Hundreds of young, fresh-faced fans took in Sunday’s championship event, a number of them saying they’ve grown up around the sport.
“You pick it up from your parents,” said Evan Dow, 23. “They take you out to the rink when you’re a kid, and it slowly gets ingrained in you. And so it’s been a pretty good event. I’ve enjoyed it.”
The 2009 Brier marked the sixth time Calgary has hosted the event since its inception in 1927, the third time in the past dozen years alone. All three have been strong successes. Only Edmonton’s Brier in 2005, which drew a record 281,985 fans, and Saskatoon’s Brier in 2000, which drew 248,790, have outdrawn Calgary’s 2009 event.
“We’re really impressed,” said Heather Hall of Edmonton, a recreational curler who also attended the 2005 Brier. “We haven’t missed a draw this week. And I’d say the Calgary event is at least on par with the Edmonton event.”
The 2009 Brier was expected to have boosted $35 million into the local economy, with hundreds of curling fans from across the nation spending money at local hotels, restaurants, bars and retail stores.
The Brier now travels east as Halifax hosts the 2010 edition.
But Henderson says Calgary curling fans shouldn’t have to wait too long before the event returns to their hometown.
“It’ll be back here sooner than you think,” he said. “It was too long between the last stretch, seven years, and so it’ll be back before then because we know we can make this work.”