I’m back on the “band wagon” again, saying curling is a must in our community.
Curling is a sport which has given me great pleasure in the past Living in an isolated northern community with my husband and young family, I found the winter months long and confinement to the house tedious.
The curling club became my salvation. For the 10-year period I lived in this community, I discovered a sport that was enthusiastically played by most of the community members, on the ice and off.
Let me give you some sound reasons why a curling club would be so beneficial in our community.
It is a sport activity that can be enjoyed by all age groups. Curlers are ageless. They start at 10 years old and up. It is a family sport There is no nicer way to beat the bulge. It starts long before you reach the curling rink. Getting ready, wondering how you will play the shots and reading the ice become your thoughts at the breakfast table. I he actual playing of the game involves bending, stretching, swinging, sweeping, sliding and running back and forth on the ice.
It is a clean sport played with strategy and team effort. Much like skiing and tobogganing, it’s an outdoor sport which brings you into contact with fresh air.
For a beginner, you need to know two main things only: how to throw a rock and how to sweep.
The cost is minimal. Once the curling rink and equipment are bought, there is only the maintenance to worry about. The curlers themselves need to purchase a curling broom and a slider for the tip of their one boot. For 10 years I used the same broom and slider.
Curling is a popular sport in other northern communities. Once it is established, it remains a regular sport in their community.
It will give you a new meaning for words like “crossing the hog line,” “through the house,” “coming out of the hack,” in-turn and out-turn, tap back, house weight, guards and bites.
Last but not least, it’s fun!
