Team Saskatchewan hopes that what they accomplished at the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships is just one more step in the growth of the sport in Moose Jaw and across the province.

And with the success of local competitors in last week’s tournament at the Moose Jaw Curling Centre, it looks like it could be a possibility.

The Saskatchewan 1 foursome passed Gil Dash, Marie Wright third, Darwin Bender second, leading Moose Gibson and coach Lorraine Arguin to win the national championship Friday afternoon when they beat Northern Ontario’s Douglas Dean in the gold medal game.

Throughout the week, dozens of fans turned out to see the action, and that number swelled to hundreds as Saskatchewan won a medal.

“Some fans said they had never seen a wheelchair curling game before and they went out and saw it for the first time and loved it,” Wright said of the play. “Some say they even enjoy it more than watching a physical game, so it’s really good exposure to our sport.”

They might even get players just from watching the event.

“There was actually a girl here from Saskatoon in a wheelchair, and she was attracted to Lorraine and I went and worked with her the summer after the ice came in,” said Wright. “That’s exactly what we want to see happen.”

Dash was also impressed with the support Saskatchewan provided throughout the event, especially during the tournament.

“It’s amazing how many people are talking about it, watching it, looking at Facebook and all,” he said. “When I opened my phone before the game there were so many messages of support, it was amazing to see and so much appreciated.”
Gibson wore a pair of hats at the tournament, as he also served as event chairman leading up to the event. He pointed to growing the game as a key part of the entire week.

“My whole goal here is to expose south Saskatchewan to wheelchair curling,” says Gibson. “We have so many national team players here, and some of the shots are phenomenal. And they can say what they want about Moose Jaw, we may be the Most Famous City, but we are definitely the Friendly City.”

Of course, things wouldn’t turn out the way they did without the small army of volunteers helping to put things together. Gibson would like to thank everyone who helped, especially the Moose Jaw Events Center staff who made things go as smoothly as possible, from day one.

“They were all real gems to work with, all were amazing and I can’t thank the Moose Jaw Events Center enough,” he said.

Now, they are getting ready to do it again. The 2024 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships will return in Moose Jaw next March, and you can count Bender — who joined Dash and Wright in winning their fourth national title together — among those who fancy the idea of ​​returning in a year’s time.

“Two years in a row it works really well because you know the amenities,” he said. “This is a facility that is completely wheelchair accessible and knowing that and how it all works is amazing. We’ll be looking forward to coming back and trying to win it all again.”