ESTEVAN - The Estevan Oilfield Technical Society (OTS) will once again have four events for those who work in or support the local oil and gas sector.
The first event, the 63rd open bonspiel, will happen March 24 and 25 at the Power Dodge Curling Centre. OTS president Tony Sernick said they already have considerable interest for the event.
Eight or nine teams signed up in the first couple of days of registrations, which Sernick said is a pretty good start.
“That might not seem exciting, but it actually is, considering we’re still over a month away yet,” said Sernick.
In the past couple editions of the bonspiel, they have been anywhere from 22-28 teams. They hope to have 24 this year.
A supper for the curlers will be held on March 24 at the curling rink. Sernick said they stagger the timing of the supper, so that some people will be eating while others are curling.
“It keeps everybody at the rink, which means less driving and more fun,” said Sernick.
Winners will be crowned in the A, B and C events at the end of the bonspiel.
The next event will be the Top Gun Trap Shoot on May 12 at the Estevan Wildlife Federation’s range along Boundary Dam. Then the OTS will host its biggest event of the year, the 66th annual golf tournament, from June 2-4 at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course.
The slate of events will wrap up with the second annual mixed two-person scramble at the Hideout Golf Course at the Hidden Valley RV Resort on July 8.
The OTS had enough volunteers to pull off four events last year. And they have a different chairperson for the curling bonspiel, the trap shooting event and the two golf tournaments.
“At the end of the day, we all have our duties, and last year we were looking at each other and we were thinking we’re definitely all volunteers, but at the same time, we all turned into event planners,” said Sernick.
They also have a lot of help from organizations, such as the oilwomen’s club and representatives of the host venues, to help make the events a success.
These events are also great social functions for the participants, Sernick said.
“It brings everybody together having the four events,” said Sernick. “And we’ve diversified things as well. For the curling bonspiel, you’ll have a different crowd than the trap shoot or the golf tournaments.”
They also like to help out the organizations that allow them to use their facilities, and these are the biggest events of the year at the curling club, the trap range and the Woodlawn golf course.
It’s good to give people the opportunity to come out and support the oil and gas sector.
Sernick said last year was a good opportunity to get back to normal with their events. The OTS has met, they’ve evaluated what they did right and how they could improve, and they’re looking forward to seeing everybody this year.
