Talkeetna Youth Hockey Association hosts annual curling tournament

Curlers from across the state came to Talkeetna this past weekend to compete in the 2025 Love on the Rocks Talkeetna Bonspiel. The event brought in a record-breaking twenty-two teams this year, only six of which were local. The other sixteen teams came from places like Fairbanks, Palmer, Anchorage, and the Kenai Peninsula.

The Talkeetna Bonspiel began in 2020. It was coordinated by Curl Alaska, a nonprofit that aims to grow the sport of curling through Alaskan communities.

According to the Vice President of the Talkeetna Youth Hockey Association Brian Robison, Curl Alaska helped them a lot.

He said, “We got hooked up with them as people that could help enable us to get into a sport that has a lot of barriers in terms of getting equipment and know-how.”

Since then, the Talkeetna Youth Hockey Association grew, getting their own equipment and more experience with curling eventually putting on the Talkeetna Bonspiel themselves.

The event raised money for the organization’s youth hockey program, making sure the kids have everything they need for the upcoming season.

Robison said he appreciated the welcome Talkeetna Curling has received statewide.

He added, “It’s really cool that the curling community comes out and supports Talkeetna and really makes us feel like we’re part of state curling.”