For the first four days of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian women's curling championship, Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre has looked and felt empty.
Scotties chairman Chris Atchison is not about to push the panic button as he says the crowds will pick up.
"Traditionally the Scotties has a slow start,'' said Atchison. "It seems to pick up steam as the event goes on. Right now, we are ahead of the attendance at Brandon and St. John's and just slightly behind Lethbridge. In 2002 at Brandon, 62,124 people attended the event and 72,999 in 2005 at St. John's. Two years ago in Lethbridge, the final tally was 79,975.
"I would absolutely love to see more fans in the seats. We are averaging about 2,900 per draw and there are tickets available. You just never know when you are going to get another event of this calibre so it is time prove that Victoria is a walk up city. Every day, we've had some walk up business.''
One of the biggest problems heard around Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, is the lack of parking. Usually during the morning draw, the pay parking lot by the arena is full. That means trying to find somewhere else close where you can stay for most of the day without receiving a ticket.
Vehicles have been towed from Quadra Street during rush hour and some from residential areas.
"The city has been working with us not to be too overzealous in ticketing,'' said Atchison. "Every day parking is a topic with us. With our limited parking, people have to be resourceful. We encourage them to take the bus and to walk.''
All of the volunteers were issued bus passes for the event.
"The local media has just given us tremendous support and coverage. Hopefully that will also help us put some more people into the stands.''
Two things that have hurt the Scotties' attendance has been the downturn in the world's economy and the wall-to-wall television coverage of TSN.
"I'm sure that a lot of people are staying at home to watch it on TV,'' said Atchison. "With 80 hours of curling coverage, TSN does an excellent job of showing the event. What the people who stay at home are missing out is the entire experience. The HeartStop Lounge has been busy and from all reports, the food service has been good.
"We've had a few minor hiccups but nothing too serious. We haven't had any complaints from the Canadian Curling Association, TSN or the curlers. When we started this journey, our goal was to have 100,000 fans and that is what we are still shooting for.
