2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts opens doors for new youth to get involved

From meeting Canada’s top curlers to throwing stones on the arena ice, curling is becoming a more accessible sport on and off the ice. Curling Canada introduced new youth to curling at the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay, Ont., through multiple youth engagement programs and initiatives.  

Drills, relays, and team-building activities introduced curling to elementary school children with the Egg Farmers Rocks & Rings program presented by Curling Canada. The program transformed gyms in the area into iceless curling rinks and reached 11 schools and 2,288 students, for a total of 5,848 experiences, providing access to curling at a low cost. In the weeks leading up to the Scotties, students became experts in curling through lessons in terminology, scoring, and strategy.  

The excitement leading up to the Scotties gained more momentum from 29 of Canada’s top curlers and coaches visiting local schools the day before the first rocks were thrown. More than 900 students were given the opportunity to ask their favourite curlers questions and play floor curling together before the athletes stepped on the ice for the first time. Team Godsland, Team DiCarlo, Team Cameron, Team Galusha, Team McCarville, Team Weagle, Team Sturmay and Team Inglis gave students a memorable introduction into the sport, sure to encourage future participation and excitement around curling.  

Initiatives at the Scotties not only put young curlers in the stands to witness the best against the best but also brought 15 participants onto the championship ice to participate in the Northern Ontario Curling Association’s Hit Draw Tap provincial showdown. On Saturday morning of opening weekend, youth curlers aged 6-12 executed three shots, a “hit,” a “draw,” and a “tap” to compete for the best score in three age groups. 

More than 70 youth curlers had the VIP ice-level experience with Curling Canada’s Future Stars program. The selected curlers, aged 9-16, became honourary members of one of the teams and had an opportunity to experience how it feels to prepare to compete amongst some of the best curlers in the country by joining their chosen team to witness the pre-game practices and participate in the player introductions. 

Kids and parents entering Fort Williams Gardens for the Scotties enjoyed learning about curling in fun and interactive ways, with FloorCurl and other games around the concourse. Even in the stands, in-seat bingo-style game cards housing fun interactions to look out for on the ice kept youth engaged and looking for actions such as high-fives, a double takeout, or a blank end to fill their cards. Not only was this a fun way for youth to learn more about curling, but the enthusiasm from participants keeps the initiative coming back to other Curling Canada events. 

Finally, the school ticket program sold out quickly, with more than 3,300 students attending the tournament and cheering on their favourite teams. A highlight of the program was the Claude E. Garton Public School Sign Language Club signing “O Canada” as a part of the Wednesday morning draw’s opening ceremony. Curling Canada’s mascot Slider also encouraged an enthusiastic approach to the game with section visits and a surprise visit to École publique des Vents du Nord for the students who attended the Scotties, but missed seeing him in action. 

The Girls Rock program, presented by Scotties, put on a successful event at the Port Arthur Curling Club and hosted 60 girls between the ages of eight and 15 to try curling. Read more about the event here. 

The #ExperienceCurling initiatives at the Scotties opened doors for youth curling in the Thunder Bay community. To learn more about youth curling initiatives, click here, and visit this page for information on similar initiatives at the 2025 Montana’s Brier in Kelowna, B.C.!