The 2020 Tim Hortons Brier was a smashing success — everyone is raving about the nine-day curling event.
Players, spectators and officials at Curling Canada — even local organizers — were thrilled beyond belief. The Canadian men’s championship might be over, but the memories will last a lifetime.
“It’s amazing how the city came together, how the fans came out from not only Kingston but all over the country,” said Ken Thompson, the event’s chairperson.
“It was a fantastic event and I couldn’t be happier.”
Less then 24 hours after Sunday’s championship final, things were returning to normal at the Leon’s Centre, the site of the Brier. The ice was being scrapped and the curling rings were slowly disappearing.
Meanwhile, outside the arena, the Brier Patch is just a skeleton of itself as the big party tent was being dismantled.
Some of the finest curlers in the world helped pull in some large crowds, and Thompson says everyone involved was more then pleased.
“Curling Canada measures these events on how successful they are,” Thompson said, saying that matters in financial terms as well as how good the event looks on TV.
Al Cameron is with Curling Canada, the sport’s governing body.
“The attendance has been spectacular. We beat our budget so that’s great news for the host committee here in Kingston,” Cameron said.
“From an artistic standpoint, the level of curling was absolutely outstanding, I think. You ask any of the players and I think they’d tell you that this is probably as good a Tim Hortons Brier as they’ve ever seen for the level of shot making and certainly for just the location and the way the city embraced it — a success on every level.”
Location was a key to the tournament’s popularity, having the Brier Patch right next to the venue itself, but according to Cameron that wasn’t the only thing that was done successfully.
“The fact that Kingston pre-sold a lot of its seats which was … a huge idea that certainly sent a powerful message to Curling Canada, so I recommend that other host committees look at that way.”
Brad Gushoe and his rink from Newfoundland and Labrador won the Brier beating Alberta, marking Gushue’s third Canadian title.
The team will now represent Canada at the Worlds in Scotland that get underway later this month.