Organizers cancel Springfield curling tournament

The NTPRD Chiller hosted its first curling tournament last year, drawing teams from across the U.S. and Canada, as well as an Olympic athlete. Bill Lackey/Staff

The NTPRD Chiller hosted its first curling tournament last year, drawing teams from across the U.S. and Canada, as well as an Olympic athlete. Bill Lackey/Staff

A curling tournament that brought visitors from across the United States and Canada to Springfield has been cancelled.

The Champion City Bonspiel, which was held last May at the NTPRD Chiller ice rink, 301 W. Main St. near Curl Troy curling club, won’t be held this year, according to a release on the organization’s website.

The decision was made earlier this month for several reasons after careful consideration from its board, the release states. No detailed reasons are listed, but the release states all teams will be refunded.

MORE: Chiller adds curling lanes at Springfield ice rink

The organization will continue to host its spring and fall leagues and learn to curl classes at the Chiller. Curl Troy did not return calls seeking comment on Friday.

Chiller building manager Chris Routzahn had not heard of the cancellation when reached by phone Friday afternoon.

Last year, the 24-team event attracted teams from Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and as far away as Ontario, Canada.

“It’s usually a big deal for us because it’s here all weekend,” Routzahn said.

About 300 people participated in the event last year, including a large group of spectators, he said.

“They were just making there way around and seeing what was going on,” Routzahn said.

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Curling is a Winter Olympics sport in which players slide stones on ice towards a target area, similar to shuffleboard. Four-person teams slide 40-pound granite stones across a pebbled ice surface to land on the target in the center of the house, according to Curl Troy’s website. The Chiller added curling markings on its rink surface in 2015.

Curl Troy, a non-profit organization, was founded in 2010 to bring curling to different venues in the region. The organization also hosts leagues at Troy’s Hobart Arena and the downtown Dayton RiverScape MetroPark.

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