There's plenty happening at the Whitehorse Curling Club this season.

The club kicked things off last night with a registration from 4 p.m.-10 p.m., and will continue this weekend with registration from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and an open house from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, when curlers can also take part in a learn-to-curl clinic, at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre.

Club manager Jon Solberg said the clinic will allow newcomers to learn the technical side of the sport and improve skills before the season starts on Oct. 11, offering leagues for inexperienced and competitive curlers of all ages.

A "tremendous” crowd of curlers came out last night, he added.

"This year is a lot more successful over last year – so far.”

Numbers for the club have increased over the past three seasons, up roughly 15 per cent.

"The exposure for curling here in Whitehorse is growing,” Solberg said. "We also seem to see a lot of younger people coming in; our Rockers and our junior programs are expanding.”

Throughout the season, Saturdays will see the Rockers, ages 6-12, curl from 9 a.m.-10 a.m. starting Oct. 16, while the junior league, ages 10-17, will run Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. until noon.

The club has put resources towards youth programs to help instructors create ideas to give the younger curlers a reason to come out, Solberg said.

This year, for instance, there will be draws for door prizes every week.

Also new this year, the club is offering a bring-a-friend promotion.

In February, the club will draw names of members who, well, brought a friend and got them interested in curling.

Two Air North return flight certificates to Vancouver, Edmonton or Calgary will be given away as a result of the draw.

"For our existing members, when they bring a friend in, they're name goes into that particular draw,” Solberg said. "That's a bit of a reward that we can offer the members for increasing and recruiting membership.”

In addition, the club has adopted a travel assistance policy which will allocate some $8,000 from a travel fund to competitive and non-competitive teams, open to all ages.

"We want to be able to provide the support to these different groups, both competitive and non-competitive, and we think this is the way we can support them,” Solberg said, noting that the club started the fund last year but made refinements this year.

Each individual can apply for that funding, so if they want to curl with several different teams each year, they can apply for funding themselves, rather than with one team.

"It's up to them to decide what they want to apply for,” Solberg said. "They can get up to $200 travel assistance through this program. Even if they go to Watson Lake, their travel and their hotel costs can be offset by the Whitehorse Curling Club. This is the way the club can give back to the curlers that come back each and every year.”

The club has also allocated prize money to each league to be spent on banquets, prizes, etc…

Last year, the open house and registration took place over two consecutive weekends in September.

The first weekend drew little interest, Solberg said, because it was held so early in the season. The second week a drove of people came out.

"We expect this weekend to be as busy, if not busier,” Solberg said.

"There's usually a lot of people that want to sign up for the sport, but they don't quite yet have a team together, so it gives us an opportunity as individuals, and then we partner them up with teams for the year.

"It's a great way for them to network throughout the curling season, create some friendships and have some fun.”