MOUNT FOREST – The Mount Forest Curling Club (MFCC) is among the hosts for an international curling event.
On Jan. 14, this year’s Strathcona Cup Team from Scotland arrives at the MFCC to play championship curling for the Strathcona Cup, the oldest trophy in International curling.
“This is the grandest and likely the most valuable trophy in curling,” states MFCC ice technician Kim MacKenzie.
“It rarely leaves Scotland’s vaults and was specially commissioned by Lord Strathcona for the first Canadian tour to Scotland in 1902,” MacKenzie adds in a press release.
In 1921 the three Canadian curling divisions travelled to Scotland for the fourth championship matches featuring Canada versus Scotland.
The Central division/Ontario Branch team was headed by local business entrepreneur John Meiklejohn of Harriston.
His team consisted of 11 carefully-picked skilled curlers from throughout Ontario. In all, 35 curlers packed their curling rocks, boarded a ship out of Nova Scotia and headed to Scotland to compete in curling’s biggest event.
The Meiklejohn Team (Central/Ontario Branch) won the majority of their games, but in the end Scotland was able to claim the most points overall and keep the Strathcona Cup that year.
This year, Scotland teams will arrive at the Mount Forest Curling Club to compete against the area’s best curlers. The teams will face off in an eight-ender. Every point counts towards their own country’s success.
Ontario as the Central division, will host five teams from Scotland, as will both the East and West divisions… over 30 games/matches will be hosted by 30 clubs in each division, including Fergus and Elora.
From the 90 games played across Canada, every point from every end played go towards the total for each country.
To date, there have been 23 Strathcona Cup championships; 12 played in Canada, 11 played in Scotland.
The standings, as recorded by the Royal Caledonian Curling Club Scotland, stand with Scotland winning 11 cups and Canada winning 12.
This year’s championship will end in Ottawa, following which the total winning points will be announced before Scotland teams return home.
The Mount Forest Curling Club (est. 1880) has a special itinerary arranged for the Scottish group’s arrival, to include a bagpipers ceremony with Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae and Wellington North Mayor Andy Lennox involved. There will be a traditional pin exchange, toast to the championship, and the local club’s “special Mount Forest highland hospitality.”
Spectator tickets are on sale at the club.
