Curling is seeing a resurgence among Calgary high school students

The Huntington Hills Curling Club was active over the weekend at the Calgary High School Curling Championships.

Sixteen-year-old Cohen Mann and his 14-year-old sister Reagan represent Heritage Christian School in the mixed division.

Cohen is a skip and says they've been waiting to play on the same team for a long time.

“We've been curling since we were little at the curling club and we were always put on different sheets because of our age,” he said.

“Now we get together and it's fun because we've been around each other and watching each other.”

Curling is great

More than 20 teams competed in four different divisions: men's, women's, mixed and open.

The winners of the men's, women's and mixed divisions will represent Calgary at the provincial high school championships Feb. 22-24 in Drayton Valley, Alta.

Reagan says curling is great again.

“There's been less interest in curling in the last few years,” he said.

“Many people from our school decided to come this year. We had four teams this year and one last year. It's very interesting.”

Over 20 teams competed in the Calgary High School Curling Championships. (Glenn Campbell/CTV News)

From the football field to the ice

Seventeen-year-old Jonathan France skippered William Aberhart's team in the men's division.

France says this is his and his team's first year of curling.

“My soccer coach told me he was coaching the curling team and he was like, 'You should come out,'” he said.

“I thought, 'That would be a lot of fun,' so we went out, and for some reason, it's a lot of fun.” I mean really boys, you know the rest of the kids, they really come to work. I'm yelling at them from behind.”

Good times

Obviously, winning is the main goal, but for those competing in city championships, it's all about the fun.

Ava Brayton, 16, has qualified for Joan Cardinal Schubert's women's team. He says everyone can have a little fun in this sport because there is less pressure.

“Curling is such a big sport to be positive about all the teams,” he said.

“No team has negative energy. Even if you were to face them in a gold medal match, you would never see anyone trying to take each other down.

The Manns and their Heritage Christian team won the gold medal, so they head to Drayton Valley later this month.

Despite being their first year in curling, France's William Aberhart won the bronze medal in the men's division.

Brayton and her rink, Joan Cardinal Schubert, won the silver medal in the women's division.

Westmount Charter won the gold medal in the open division.