It's a big job, but somebody has to do it.
That somebody is Dave Rommann, chairman of the facilities committee for the SaskPower Scott Tournament of Hearts which gets underway in exactly one week. Beginning tomorrow, Rommann will be supervising the transformation of the Weyburn Colosseum into an appropriate venue for the provincial women's curling championship, and every day is going to count.
"It's a fairly major undertaking," he said. "My role is to kind of see that things get done."
Rommann is heading up a corps of about 10-15 volunteers and other specially-trained personnel who will begin working early Thursday morning with Colosseum staff on the immediate task of levelling the ice surface.
Once the high spots have been taken off - the result of an uneven rink floor - a brand new surface will be installed by putting in approximately three-quarters of an inch of ice on top of that. It will then be painted and sealed with additional flooding.
"It's time-consuming," Rommann said, adding that a team of professionals will be assisting with every step of the process.
"We've got a crew from Rosetown hired to oversee it. This is what they do for a living."
This combination of local and out-of-town expertise is from essentially the same group that worked together to prepare for the Tankard held here in 1996. As such, the massive job will be more of a matter of routine than anything else.
"We just gotta go and do it. It'll be a few late nights, but she'll be ready," Rommann said.
Other preparatory work will include removing the plexiglass along the boards to allow spectators a better view, the addition of extra bleachers on the ice surface at the east end of the rink, and the creation of four separate curling sheets with a four-foot carpeted walkway.
The opening ceremonies for the Scott will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 27, followed by the opening draw. Subsequent draws will take place throughout the day and evening on Thursday and Friday with the final draw and possible tie-breakers scheduled for Saturday. The semifinal and final will take place on Sunday.
Event passes for are $40, day passes are $10 and admission for each draw will be $6.
As the eight teams from across Saskatchewan compete for the right to represent the province at the national women's championship in Charlottetown next month, they can expect to do so on a top-quality curling surface.
"The quality of the ice at the Tankard was first-rate," Rommann said. "I think it's going to be the same thing."
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