Drayton Valley has been chosen to host the RME Alberta Summit of Champions from January 11 to January 17, 2027, at the Nelson Bros Arena.
The event will showcase the top 12 men’s and top 12 women’s teams in Alberta, competing for the chance to represent the province at the 2027 Montana’s Brier and the 2027 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
“This is only the second time that Curling Alberta has run [this tournament] as a combined event,” says Bill Birnie, the vice president of the Drayton Valley Curling Club.
“Before, they would have the men’s played out in one town and the women’s played out in another.”
Initially, the curling club was approached to host the event in 2024 after successfully hosting the U20 Provincials in 2023. However, they ultimately decided against it in 2024 due to concerns about costs and uncertainty about recovering their expenses. When they learned that Curling Alberta planned to combine the events, they opted to wait for that opportunity.
“Why I think Drayton is going to be so successful is the support in Drayton all the time from businesses and people,” says Birnie.
“It’s going to be 175 to 200 volunteers to put it on and the community spirit in Drayton, I think, is going to help make this a success.”
Though it’s too early to tell which teams will be at the Summit, people may see Team Bottcher, Team Van Amsterdam, or Team Koe, which includes former Drayton Valley resident Aaron Sluchinski.
For more information on the tournament, click here.
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