St. Catharines Golf and County Club offers inclusive curling

Inclusive efforts are being made to bridge curlers together in Niagara. The St. Catharines Golf and Country Club is raising awareness that league play is everyone by offering a beginners program at its curling rink.

Peggy Humber, an amputee, curls in the rookie league at the St. Catharines Golf and Country Club and says others in wheelchairs can play too.

Humber says, “when I was at the rehab centre, a lot of people didn’t continue on with their exercise program when they left the program.”

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Prior to her joining Humber made a push to raise awareness which resulted in a six-week Learn to Curl program last year. Which is a crash course on the game including how to draw a stone and make a takeout shot.

Former Canadian Paralympian Linda Hamilton picked up curling this past fall and plays three times a week at the rink, “I would like to see it grow, where we have at least two teams, we need to make them gender balanced as well.”

The country club is looking to improve accessibility at the rink. They say in May, an electronic sliding door will be installed and they hope it will be ready for the fall season.

Club coordinator Chris Poulouski says there are only three members out of 325 others who are in wheelchairs. He says with major tournaments like the Scotties currently underway he hopes it will inspire others to join.

Poulouski says the club is planning another open clinic for newcomers on Mar. 11.

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