I was very saddened to learn that one of Canadian curling's most venerable curling clubs, Avonlea, is shutting its doors for good.
Apparently the club was sold to developers a few years ago and they want to use the land for a more profitable purpose. That's their right, but it still sucks. Members apparently didn't see this coming and were shocked at the news. Plans were already being made for the upcoming season.
As a former Avonlea member and a die-hard partisan of curling, I hope the new owners will reconsider their decision. Aside from being the home club of Ed Werenich, I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) Avonlea is the last remaining 16-sheet facility in the world. (Another 16-sheeter in the Toronto area, Humber Highlands, closed a few years ago.) It was also a very accessible club financially. They were working hard to bring new people to the game, especially from Toronto's multicultural communities, which is an essential thing for curling to continue to grow.
This is a sad day.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 3:37 PM
