The Portage Curling Club was a busy place to be Wednesday afternoon, as eight teams took to the ice. The Wednesday Afternoon (Mixed) Burnside League is open to all ages and is a for-fun league that got underway as of October 26th.

Mervin Hawaleska was all smiles, saying he is always eager for the curling season each year.

"I've been doing this since I was 12 years old, across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and B.C.," says Hawaleska. "I just love the game and these people here are a lot of fun."

Office Manager Rae Trimble-Olson says they are welcoming curlers of all ages back to the club. She says Little Rockers registration is Thursday at 4 p.m. at the club. The limit is 40 curlers, and she would not be surprised to hit that limit this season.

"The Little Rockers are curling lessons that we offer for kindergarten to grade 5 kids," says Trimble-Olson. "There are 10 weeks of lessons and they start next week."

Those lessons will start on Thursday, November 17th at 4 p.m. 

Trimble-Olson says they're also recruiting teams for the Friday Night Mixed League that starts on November 18th. She says it's open to all skill levels and they'll play five weeks prior to Christmas, with another five weeks or so after the break. Along with other evening leagues that are starting up, there are plenty of opportunities for curlers to get involved by contacting the club. 

"It's good. We were open all of last year, just with some vaccination restrictions," says Trimble-Olson. "It's good to see everybody back."

When asked whether or not you should consider joining the tight-knit curling community, Mervin was quick to answer.

"Oh, please do. It's a lot of fun."

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