The top 32 men's and women's junior curling teams in the province will descend on Altona this Christmas for the 2018 Canola Junior Curling Championships.
    
Event Co-chair, Keith Stoesz, explained this under 21 event has a history of producing some successful teams.

"We have records of people that have won in the past, they've got onto Canadian championships and international championships," he said and outlined examples such as Matt Dunstone, Braden Calvert, David Hamblin, Kaitlyn Lawes, and Jennifer Jones.

Eight sheets of ice will be in play during the championship event and in order to accommodate all 32 teams, Stoesz noted that the hockey arena a the Millennium Exhibition Centre will be transformed into a curling rink, essentially doubling the number of sheets the local curling club has to offer. This is something Stoesz said he's quite looking forward to.

"This is the second time we've done it in this arena, it's a very exciting process to get that changed."

He is also excited to see the young curlers appreciate the venue that's been set out for them, adding a buzz was created when the announcement was made that the event would unfold on arena ice. This is only the second time the provincial junior championship has been held on arena ice - a proud point for Curl Manitoba.

"When you get to the higher competitive levels you will curl on arena ice," he explained, adding it has a lot more curl than most club ice does. "So having this experience on the arena ice helps them when they go to nationals, it helps them when they move on to do the more professional curling later on."

Meantime, a push has begun to recruit about 200 volunteers to lend a hand during the event. Stoesz noted that experience with curling is not a requirement as people are needed for a variety of tasks over the course of the five days.

The list includes:
- Ice Maintenance
- Timer/Scorer/Observer
- Set up & Cleanup
- Bartender & Bar Tickets
- Banquet & Hospitality
- Security/Parking
- Medical
- Door & 50/50 Sales
- Decorating

And while volunteers of all ages are being sought, there will be a focus on including volunteers within that under 21 age bracket. "Wherever we can fit juniors in, we'll definitely be using them," said Stoesz.

The preferred way to register is to fill in the online form. Forms are also available at the Altona Curling Club and Town of Altona Civic offices.

Applications may be dropped off at WC Miller Collegiate, attention Derek Wahl; Altona Civic Centre; or emailed to U21curling@gmail.com.

Any questions may be directed to Keith Stoesz at skeith@mymts.net, Derek Wahl at derekwahl@gmail.com or Al Friesen at alfriesen55@gmail.com