1982 BRIER — Part 5: The Archives — ‘82 Brier was really huge success
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/08/2022 (1166 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
This article originally appeared in the October 22, 1982 edition of the Brandon Sun
The 1982 Labatt Brier for the Canadian men’s curling championship, which was held in Brandon from March 7-14, raised $65,867, general chairman Don Pottinger revealed on Thursday.
And, it’s all gravy as far as he’s concerned.
“If our aim and object had been to make money we could have made more,” explained Pottinger. “Our philosophy was to stage a good show. And we spent a lot of money.”
The Brier committee pumped $120,541.71 into entertainment and another $57,698.27 into souvenirs.
But preparing the Keystone Centre for a world-class curling competition took the biggest chunk from their assets. A total of $171,146.99 was spent, including $41,271.21 on a media tower for television cameras and announcers and an additional $39,649.35 on the press bench.
“If we had skimped we would have made more money,” said Pottinger. “But it all worked out.”
The Brandon Brier set a new attendance record of 106,394, breaking the old mark of 93,185 set in Calgary in 1980.
Ticket sales reached $317,478.50, with about $100,000 of that coming from advance ducats sold before April 1981. In addition, the money from early sales sat in the bank for a year and earned $32,130.74 in interest.
“Interest rates were at a high level when we had most of our money in the bank,” said Pottinger. “ It was a real bonus.”
The casino and Brier Patch lounge also proved a pleasant surprise bringing in $41,906.67 and $79,618.75, respectively.
Brier pins rang up sales to the tune of $27,440 and increased the money gleaned from souvenir hunters to $83,165.05.
Pottinger said the Brier profits will go to the newly established Westman Brier Foundation Inc., which was formed to promote the game of curling. Its role and structure will be explained at a Nov. 4 meeting at the Royal Oak Inn.
The Foundation will be administered by members of the ‘82 Labatt Brier Committee until January of 1984, at which time officials of local curling clubs and associations will take over.
And, hosting another major bonspiel is just one of many options that might generate interest in the sport.