A decade after the late Sandra Schmirler's team brought home Canada's first Olympic gold medal for curling, the Canadian women's curling championship is returning to Regina.
The Saskatchewan city, which last hosted the championship in 1998, was named the site of the 2008 Scotties Tournament of Hearts on Thursday.
Back in '98, Schmirler and teammates Jan Betker, Joan McCusker and Marcia Gudereit returned from the Olympics in Nagano just in time to compete at the event as defending champion Team Canada. It was also the last time Schmirler, who died of cancer in 2000, competed at the national championship.
That's a fact that hasn't been lost on Bernadette McIntyre, who was chair in 1998.
``Absolutely magical is what I think of every time I think of that event,'' McIntyre said. ``It was the most magical event I have ever been involved in because of the huge Schmirler factor and all the other women's teams that were out there and part of it.''
Quebec City and Moncton were also bidding for the 2008 event.
The 2007 Scotties Tournament of Hearts will be held in Lethbridge, Alta.
McIntyre, who led the bid committee this time around, said the surviving members of the team will be honoured at a special ceremony and be named honourary chairs of the event.
``That will be something we will work our theme around and we'll be focusing on that,'' she said.
The tournament will be held Feb. 16-24, 2008 at the Brandt Centre at Ipsco Place. Regina has had a long history of success with major curling events said Warren Hansen, manager of event operations for the Canadian Curling Association.
``Certainly the building and the layout for this size of event is perfect,'' he said. ``There's no better building in the country.''
The 1998 championship set the all-time attendance mark of 154,688.
``We understand the event in 1998 was a very unique set of circumstances but it's still the biggest and most successful Scott Tournament of Hearts that was ever held,'' Hansen said.
Regina also hosted the first-ever Scott Tournament of Hearts in 1982, which was won by six-time Canadian women's champion Colleen Jones of Halifax.
Scott Paper had hoped to return to Regina for last year's 25th anniversary but was unable to do so because the city was hosting the Tim Hortons Brier.
Despite Scott's desire to return to Regina, the bid wasn't a slam dunk, said McIntyre.
``We put an awful lot of effort into this bid,'' she said. ``We were aware there were two other cities interested.
``So when you want an event that coincides with the 10th anniversary you put everything into it.''
Returning the event to Regina simply makes sense, said a senior official with Scott Paper.
``We are thrilled to be returning to Regina where Sandra Schmirler and her team came on to the ice to a sell-out audience who stood on their feet and cheered for 10 minutes,'' said John McClelland, corporate vice-president, Scott Paper Limited. ``Regina is the heart of curling and this is the first venue we have returned to for a third time.''
