Moose Jaw as a host city is getting rave reviews from out-of-province curlers taking part in this year’s Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships. 

About 36 athletes from outside of Saskatchewan are competing at the Moose Jaw Curling Centre as part of the championship this week. 

Teams include two teams from Alberta, two teams from Ontario, and single teams from British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland/Labrador and Quebec. 

Newfoundland skip Doug Dean compete at the Canadian Wheelchair Championship last year in Moose Jaw representing Northern Ontario. He said Moose Jaw always puts on a great event. 

“Moose Jaw has always been very good to Northern Ontario even though I’m playing for Newfoundland now. We’ve always enjoyed Moose Jaw and all the volunteers, the ice has always been great, good and fast,” said Dean. 

Even during mid-week games, hundreds of fans could be seen cheering on the athletes as the sport picks up steam in Moose Jaw. 

“I was surprised by the amount of people up there already. Even for round robin play, people are getting interested. Word gets out and they come out and see,” said Dean. 

An event like the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships has its own unique challenges, especially when it comes to accessibility. 

However, the athletes have nothing but good things to say about the facilities and the Moose Jaw Curling Centre. 

“It’s a very nice facility and that’s been no issues with accessibility. I like that the ice is the same level as the walkway to get on to it. That’s very nice,” said Mike Fitzgerald, skipping the New Brunswick rink out of the Thistle St. Andrews Curling Club from Saint John. 

The championship continues all week and tickets to watch are still available at sasktix.ca. The event wraps up on Saturday with the semifinals at 10 a.m. and the finals at 2:30 p.m. with the hometown Gil Dash rink looking to repeat as champions.