Medford to host Canadian curlers in Can-Am tour stop
International curling will be coming to the city of Medford on November 8 as the Medford Curling Club hosts the Can-Am Tour.
The Medford Curling Club will host 16 curlers from across Canada in friendly competition. Four local rinks will face off against the Canadian curlers as part of the points series for possession of the Inch Lepping Trophy which will be presented at the end of the series tour. Team United States are the defending champions of the tour trophy.
Formally called the 2024 Canadian Men's Curling Friendship Tour to United States, this is the second Can-Am tour. The first took place in 2019 when curlers from the United States toured many Eastern Canada curling clubs.
The Can-Am tour was created in 2018 by the President of the United States Curling Association Rich Lepping and the President of Canadian Curling Association Peter Inch whom, together, commissioned a Sterling Silver trophy to be awarded to the Tour Champions at the completion of the tour. The Can- Am Tour was created from a shared vision of promoting the sport of Curling and strengthening relationships between members of curling clubs in the respective countries. The Tour takes place every four years rotating between Canada and the United States.
The 2024 Can-Am Tour will take place over a three-week period in November 2024 and includes stops in many major cities throughout the region in addition to Medford.
This year, the Canadian curlers will visit curling centers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan, playing a total of 107 games. The final match will be held Nov. 19 at the Detroit Curling Club.
Scoring is cumulative, meaning scores from all games throughout the tour are totaled, with winners scoring the most points overall. In 2019, the U.S. team was victorious, 623 to 613.
The 2024 Canadian team includes curlers from Alberta, British Columbia, NW Territories, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, PEI, Ontario, and Quebec.
Community members are invited to come and watch the local rinks compete agains the Canadian curlers. Competition is set to begin at 3 p.m. on Friday, November 8.
The Medford Curling Club will hold a steak feed fundraiser that evening showing off the club’s signature fireplace.
