Curling

The leaves are turning colour, the temperature has dropped, the golf clubs are being prepared for storage, and the final ball games have been played. The blades are being sharpened, the uniforms pulled from the crawl space, and the brooms cleaned of the summers cobwebs. The ice arenas with artificial ice continually expand the shoulders of the expanded hockey season however the ice in the Curling Rinks seems to appear about the same time each year signalling the beginning of the Curling Season. Yes, the season's change heralds the change of sporting activity in our clime and it is time once again to move those rocks, get sweeping and tone up that flabby summer body. As I as a young student on the Prairies I was introduced to the game of Curling by a caring and sharing adult population. The same is true today. With the help of the Canadian Curling Association local clubs are encouraging young people of all ages to learn the game. And they make every effort to ensure that we do. At the start of each season each Curling Club offers clinics where newbies join those that just want to hone their skills. Instruction starts with rudimentary knowledge, on ice practice and helpful hints from the pros. The Penticton Club held their clinic on the 14th and 15th of October attracting sixty people from the ages of seven through seventy. The clinic was very well received and attracted two Seattle residents who had been on holidays in Osoyoos. The two Americans were so thrilled with the game and their opportunity to participate that they came back to observe and participate in the CCA Rockin the House events. That is where the South Okanagan got lucky this year. In addition to local clubs conducting curling clinics on a regular basis the CCA is the sponsor of the Guy Hemmings Rockin' the House tour which is scheduled to stop in more than forty Canadian communities from the Fall of 2006 to the Spring of 2007. The tour visited the South Okanagan in mid October where Mr Hemmings conducted clinics in Osoyoos, Oliver, Summerland, Princeton and Penticton. The tour offered up-close and personal appearances of Guy Hemmings and other curling greats. In the case of Penticton Hemmings was joined by another curling icon and resident of Kelowna, Rick Folk. The Penticton Tour schedule incorporated all the flavour of the curling experience from the instruction and practice, to the requisite celebrity game, and of course the after hours socialization in the beautifully appointed Penticton Curling Lounge. Selected through a draw to curl the celebrity game were Dawn Everest, Cindy Curtain, Susan Flint, Cy Gladish and Ron Hyndman. Filling out the teams and drawn from Pentictons Own Giant FM radio call in show was Michelle Pratt. According to Mr Hyndman, Guy Hemmings was the consummate professional curler, an engaging speaker and a lot of fun to be around. Ron encourages anyone who has the opportunity to take part in the Rockin the House tour if it should ever appear in their area. For more information about how you can get active in the social sport of curling and about your local Curling Club go to the Curling websites at: http://www.curling.ca http://www.curlbc.ca For information on the art of 'Stick Curling' go to: http://www.stickcurling.ca/ See also the attached box for the curling Club near you.

 

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