Bridgewater’s long running curling club might not open its doors for the season.
Due to the financial impact of COVID-19, the Bridgewater Curling Club is taking a look at its membership to see if they can open for the season.
The club is gearing up its registration early, and is aiming to get at least 100 members in order to feasibly open this year.
“We just want to make sure we have enough people joining before we put in the ice,” said Carole Ann Wiscombe, president of the Bridgewater Curling Club Executive.
Without solid membership numbers and fees, the club simply can’t afford to reopen, she said.
“The expenses continue on even if you’re closed,” said Wiscombe.
“You still have to pay the lights, the mortgage, and taxes if we are closed, so we would prefer to be open and I know our members would prefer we be open as well.”
Wiscombe said the pandemic has caused for the club to miss or cancel a number of events which would normally help fund the club.
“We’re having a yard sale and bottle drive, things like that, but we did miss out on raising a bit of money,” she said.
“We’ve missed out on rentals over the summer, and we usually have an auction, all things that bring a bit of money to help us.”
However, with last year’s membership peaking somewhere around 150 people, and more people sticking around this winter due to COVID-19, she remains optimistic.
Wiscombe said the club is open to anyone interested in curling, and even holds clinics for newcomers to try the sport to see if it fits their interests.
She said fees for those who register as members vary from person to person, as the club offers a variety of different memberships.
The club will be opening their registration on Friday, Sept. 4 and Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 7 pm and registration forms can be found here.
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