Thousands of curling fans made it down to Penticton’s South Okanagan Events Centre to take in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts over the last nine days. Many fans said they haven’t missed a game.
“I’ve been to every single one of them. Every single one. I’m a big fan,” Penticton resident Isabel Smith said.
The nine-day event saw nearly 60,000 spectators, according to Neil Houston, Scotties event manager.
“It won’t be the highest because there were a couple of Scotties that were super well-attended in big cities, so they had an advantage that way. But for a centre this size — that’s a very good number,” Houston said.
Curling fan Robert Bruce said he enjoyed being able to watch the Scotties in person.
“It’s totally different live,” he said. “You learn to see the personality of the players.”
Pat Sanders won the Scott Tournament of Hearts in 1987 and said she enjoyed watching the tournament from the sidelines.
“It’s just an amazing level of curling. It makes me want to be out there,” she said.
“The calibre of shots being made is excellent and the quality of the teams is really, really good.
Two Manitoba teams are battling it out in the final.