Despite fewer teams participating, the annual Bearskin Airlines Hope Classic has raised more than $155,000 this year.
The annual curling tournament concluded at the Fort William Curling Club on Sunday. The money raised goes towards the Linda Buchan Centre. The tournament raised about $177,000 last year and has raised more than $2.3 million since it first started 17 years ago.
More 250 curlers made up the 50 teams that competed in this year's event.
Committee member Sue Childs said normally there are 64 teams. Despite the drop in teams, Childs said everyone still had a lot of passion to raise a lot of money.
“We were down 14 teams and we raised $155,000,” Childs said. “Losing the teams didn’t really mean that we lost that much. I think the word is spreading about the event. I think more people want to get involved. We had a team this year where all four women had double mastectomies. They’re not hesitant to talk about it or anything else.
“That’s what’s so special – women aren’t afraid to talk about it.”
Childs believes the reason the Hope Classic has lasted so long is because all the money raised stays within the community. And they have a plan to mix things up a bit in 2014.
Next year's Hope Classic, which normally falls on the Family Day weekend, will instead be held on the Feb. 7 weekend.
Childs said most of the participants liked having the Monday off, but they felt that having the event early in the month would attract a younger audience.
“We feel we’re losing some of the younger women who are spending Family Day with their families,” she said. “We thought if we went off Family Day weekend that they would be able to attend. It’s the younger ones that we want. I’m not saying the older ones can’t be there but it’s the young ones that need to be aware of this disease and the importance of screening and being checked.”
