Fredericton curlers achieve new Guinness World Record; set higher goal for fundraising efforts
A group of curlers in Fredericton, N.B. who recently beat the Guinness World Record for the longest curling game are now setting a new goal for themselves.
The ten players from Capital Winter Club – a curling club in Fredericton – achieved their worldly goal on Friday, after being on the ice for 120-hours.
The previous world record was held by a group in Ontario where they played for 105 hours, 6 minutes, and 51 seconds.
"It's been a little bit of a roller coaster ride. Like you said, we had only wanted to raise $120,000 and when we got going with all the media coverage of the attempt it really kind of snowballed," Steven Burns said.
Now, the group is turning their attention to their fundraising efforts, which they hope will help reduce wait times for youth mental health services.
So far, they've raised $210,000.
"For Family Enrichment, it means that we are going to be able to help so many kids for quite a long time. It's amazing. It's very emotional,” said Leentje Deleuil, executive director Family Enrichment and Counselling Service, Inc.
“We apply for grants from the government and unfortunately, there was not a lot of results there, so this initiative is a miracle."
To sweeten the pot, the Fredericton curlers planned a 24-hour curling event for this weekend.
They say if they can bring the $210,000 they raised up to $300,000, they have another guaranteed $100,000 coming from two foundations.
“We're asking to bring 30 teams from all over to donate or raise $1,000 each,” Burns said.
A committee will be organized to manage the funds.
"Everybody that does something like this opens up some new mental capacity for themselves and that is what we're trying to do for kids when we talk about mental health. Mental health is really, what is your capacity to handle and cope with difficult things," curler Chris Schnare said.
It could be weeks, even months before the Guinness World Book of Record's adjudicators confirm their record status, but thanks to the money they've raised, the group already feels like winners.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.