3rd time's a charm? Scotties Tournament of Hearts to return to Thunder Bay, Ont., in 2025
Pandemic disruptions impacted city's 2021, 2022 hosting duties
The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is returning to Thunder Bay and this time — fingers crossed — the curlers won't be contending with COVID-19.
Curling Canada announced Tuesday that the 2025 Canadian women's curling championship will be held in the northwestern Ontario city.
This isn't the first time Thunder Bay has been chosen as host:
- In 2021, the Scotties were moved from Thunder Bay to the Calgary bubble due to the pandemic.
- In 2022, the Omicron variant meant spectators weren't allowed in the Thunder Bay venue until the closing weekend, which was limited to volunteers, junior curlers and family members.
"We call that our dress rehearsal," Diane Imrie, vice-chair of the 2025 Scotties committee, said of last year's tournament.
"There's no disputing the fact we were disappointed that in 2022, we couldn't put on a full event, so we are thrilled that Curling Canada saw what they liked when they were here in 2022 and they're coming back again."
As Thunder Bay gears up for 2025, there's a whole year of competition first. The 2024 Scotties event is set for Feb. 16 to 25 at the WinSport Event Centre at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
The dates for 2025 are Feb. 14 to 23, at Thunder Bay's Fort William Gardens. The winner will move on to the 2025 World Women's Championship and qualify for the 2025 Canadian Curling Trials, where Canada's four-player teams for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy will be decided.
The 2025 Scotties winner will also return in 2026 as defending champion Team Canada.
'Centre of Curling Canada'
Northwestern Ontario has a long and decorated curling history; this marks the sixth time the Canadian women's curling championship will be hosted by the Northern Ontario Curling Association.
"This is a curling area. We like to call ourselves the centre of Curling Canada," Imrie said.
From the Iceman Al Hackner to Krista McCarville, the region has produced a long line of pros.
Team McCarville, which competed at this year's Scotties in Kamloops, B.C., is already setting its sights on the 2025 tournament.
"We're going to take it one bonspiel at a time," McCarville said during Tuesday's announcement.
Looking back on last year's playoffs, McCarville said seizing the gold at home would be "a dream come true."
"Just having a few of our family and friends come in for those last few games in the playoffs, it was an eruption," she said. "It sounded as if it was a full crowd, so I can't even imagine what it would be like to listen to a full crowd being there.
"I hope this is going to be our chance. We were so close a couple of years ago when it was here, but you know what? Maybe we're saving it for [2025]," McCarville said.
A surge in sports tourism
While Thunder Bay is a familiar venue for curlers, it's also drawn in a range of other professional sports lately.
The city held the Women's Baseball World Cup qualifiers this summer and will host the finals next year. Additionally, it will be the scene of the 2024 Ontario Winter Games.
"[The Scotties] brings over 3,000 visitors to our community with an estimated economic impact of over $7 million, proving to be a substantial return on investment," Jamie Taylor, chief executive officer of the Thunder Bay community economic development commission (CEDC), said in a news release Tuesday.
The CEDC board of directors and CEDC tourism investment committee unanimously approved the $400,000 hosting fee to secure the Scotties for 2025.
"Sport tourism is a major economic and social contributor to Thunder Bay's tourism sector and is a significant pillar within our tourism strategy to be a truly year-round destination," Paul Pepe, tourism manager for the CEDC, said in the news release.
The winner of next year's Scotties will play as Team Canada in Thunder Bay in 2025.
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