As the Arizona sun set in late October, MoPac debuted its long-awaited 25 & Under Spiel! Planned to debut in the fall of 2020, the pandemic forced a shelving of this long-awaited event until our members felt safe enough to begin traveling again. Finally, after two long years of waiting, the first stones started sliding from October 21-23, 2022 in Tempe Arizona. So what happened? The spiel saw the return of camaraderie among the teams from seven clubs as they played for a chance to win unique medals inspired by our host, Coyotes Curling Club.
In addition to the spiel, the 25&U event held a Hot Shots contest allowing teams of two to use their experience to perfect three difficult shots. Winners walked away with a cash prize and a celebratory cactus! Coming out of a two-year pandemic period, many curlers were eager to use the event to reconnect with old friends and mingle with the newer curlers. 25&U committee member and attendee of the event Stefan Brems said, “It was such a blast to see long-lost friends, meet new ones, and finally get back down to Coyote’s beautiful facility. Everyone had a really great time, and our host did the most amazing job helping us make this new event a success!”
The planning committee hopes to hold the 25 & Under in future years as a traveling spiel where clubs can visit the various club facilities in the region. What makes the 25 & Under so different from, say the 5 & Under, is the eligibility to play: the team must have 25 years or under in curling experience in total OR a 20+ year veteran can have new curlers that total 5 or less years (20 plus 5 = 25) play as a team (provided the veteran cannot throw skips stones. The eligibility rules allow for a variety of teams to enter. Plans are already being made for next year’s 25 & Under event and the planning committee has begun planning for more activities and amenities, including live streaming, for 2023. If you have any feedback on the event, please feel free to reach out to the planning committee at: 25U@mopacca.org
For a glimpse at the 25&Under event, please visit our photo gallery: https://www.facebook.com/MoPac25U/photos
