The first few nights at the Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre in the 2020-2021 curling season are out of the way, with most curlers now having gotten used to the new protocols.

“There’s a lot of protocols probably within the curling lobby itself just with the flow in and out, and the chairs, keeping six feet apart,” said curling programmer Rhonda Wenarchuk. “That’s a lot. Probably the first night was the first test on Monday night, and they got it. Once they all figured out which sheet they were going to, and that’s where their seating was, they figured it out. It doesn’t take much.”

Curlers can only enter and leave onto the ice through specific entrances, and six feet of distance needs to be maintained in the lobby. Masks were worn by spectators, with a small area upstairs available to people as well as in the lobby itself.  

But Wenarchuk said curlers are accommodating, but there was an adjustment made on the fly.

“We didn’t have the scoreboards the first couple nights, but we brought them back, which makes them a lot easier,” Wenarchuk said. “Sometimes you get involved in the game and then you forget what end am I on, or what’s the strategy? You forget, so it’s good to have that back. And everybody really enjoys having them back already.”

Most curling leagues have started this week, and this is how it’s anticipated curling will look like at the curling centre for the next few months.

“The limit may change, so we’re going to have to leave it as is and then we’ll make changes as we go.”