The City of Brandon is providing an update regarding the re-opening of Brandon’s Community Sportsplex Pool. On December 3, we announced that construction was nearing completion, with several milestones to complete prior to re-opening. Those milestones have now been completed, and the pool will reopen on December 31st, 2021. A soft opening over the holiday season will be implemented, with a return to full programming on January 8, 2022. A complete listing of the holiday schedule, and winter 2022 schedule can be found here. The Sportsplex Return to Play, which now includes Covid-19 protocols for the pool can be found here. The City of Brandon thanks all patrons of the Sportsplex pool for their patience and support throughout construction and looks forward to seeing everyone return to the facility. More information on Parks & Recreation Services programming can be found at mycommunity.brandon.ca or by calling 204-729-2471. (City of Brandon PSA)

Dave Rawlings has put together an impressive skating rink (Rawlings Barn) inside an old unused sheep barn on the family farm in Hamiota. In conversation with bdnmb.ca earlier today, Rawlings said this is the second season for the rink in this format, noting previously they had a smaller, less elaborate setup. He wanted to build the rink for his two children (Sam 8, Matt 5) who now spend their evenings skating inside their very own hockey arena. This year Rawlings said the rink was first skated on November and tonight marked the boy's 18th skate of the year. Last year the boys carved up the ice 58 times. The ice surface measures 24'x36' and it has taken 100's of hours of time/labor to get the rink to it's current state. Rawling's was quick to point out that he has had a tremendous amount of help and support from his father (Eric) along the way. The rink board advertising is all hand painted, featuring all the different businesses the family has owned over the years. While his two boys are the primary tenants, the rink has also played host to weekly family suppers and social gatherings with friends. As with all similar projects, upgrades are a common practice. This year's edition included painting in the lines and creases. As far as future plans, Rawlings was unsure of what was next on the table but did mention there would be upgrades for sure.

In light of the evolving health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 Omicron variant in Canada, and the Manitoba Provincial government imposing a 250-person capacity limit on indoor events, the 2021 Stars on Ice “Holiday” show scheduled for Wednesday, December 29th at the Westoba Place at the Keystone Centre will be postponed to a date later this winter. After consulting with local officials, a decision was made that assures the best scenario to guarantee the safety of tour staff, skaters and attendees, as well as ensuring a performance date that will not significantly decrease the number of fans permitted to attend the show. The new date and time will be announced as soon as possible. All Stars on Ice tickets purchased from www.starsonice.ca or www.tickets.keystonecentre.com for the 2021 Stars on Ice “Holiday” show will be honored and automatically transferred, with the same seat locations, to the new show date. Additional ticket information is available by contacting the original ticket vendor. Stars on Ice continues to be a pioneer in figure skating by offering fans throughout North America the rare opportunity to witness some of the world’s most accomplished and artistically gifted champions performing together in both individual and ensemble routines.

A rise in positive tests for COVID-19 among athletes who were scheduled to attend, along with the risks associated with travelling, have forced Curling Canada to cancel the 2022 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials. The event was scheduled to begin on Tuesday at Stride Place in Portage la Prairie, Man., and was to decide Canada’s mixed doubles team for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. But the increasing numbers of Trials-bound athletes testing positive for COVID-19, along with the rise in cases across Canada, made it impossible to stage the event in a safe, responsible manner for athletes, staff and volunteers. Unlike the Calgary bubble, which had months of preparation time and allowed athletes to self-isolate at home, and get tests done prior to their departure for the events, the dramatic rise in positive cases related to the sudden emergence of the Omicron variant across Canada in the past week made those safety precautions impossible to carry out. Curling Canada’s High Performance staff will consult with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Own the Podium to decide the best process to nominate a Canadian mixed doubles team that will compete in China. An announcement of the nominated team will be made when the process is complete. Curling Canada is continuing to consult with local, regional and national health authorities for the remaining events in the 2021-22 season, and remains optimistic that its championship events can be staged safely and responsibly. At this time no further comment is available. Arrangements are being made for ticket-holders to be refunded.

The Brandon Wheat Kings announced today that the recent Province of Manitoba update to large venue capacities will have no impact on current Brandon Wheat Kings ticket holders. The change does, however, limit future ticket sales for all games played between Tuesday, December 21, 2021 and January 11, 2022. All season ticket holders, suite level attendees, holiday hat-trick and santa pack buyers, and fans with pre-purchased single game tickets will be admitted to the game.  Please use your tickets as you would any other game. Fans not currently holding tickets for the following games are strongly encouraged to choose their seats online and buy tickets in advance. These games include the popular holiday break games on December 27th and December 30th and the New Year’s Day game. Sellouts are likely, please do not wait until game day to buy your tickets. Monday, December 27th vs Winnipeg – 7pm – Westoba Place – Buy Tickets Thursday, December 30th vs Edmonton – 7pm – Westoba Place – Buy Tickets New Year’s Day, Saturday January 1st vs Red Deer – 7pm – Westoba Place – Buy Tickets January 7th vs Calgary– 7pm – Westoba Place – 7pm – Westoba Place – Buy Tickets All fans in attendance will continue to provide proof of vaccination screenings and wear masks when attending Wheat Kings games. No other changes to attendance requirements, concessions, or other fan services have been implemented by the Province of Manitoba at this time.