[The Gibsons BC Curling Club explains why you should give curling a try]
“HURRY HARD”
By: Ed Hill, Gibsons Curling Club
Some of you reading this story have never curled before. You’ve watched it on television and marveled at their skill level of those playing the game at the elite level but you’ve never considered just trying it yourself. I hope this short article entices you enough to at least come and have a look. You might just find out what many of us already know. Curling is a great social pastime to wile the grey winter months away and you’ll make new friends while you’re at it.
First of all, let’s take care of some myths and forgotten “traditions”. For those of you old enough to remember or to have heard the stories, it’s been well over 30 years since a cigarette has been seen dangling from a player’s mouth out on the ice. Our socializing takes place in the clubhouse after the game. I’ve curled when the drinks and the cigarettes were a part of the game on the ice. Those days are long gone.
You see, curling is a game for EVERYONE young and old. If it’s a friendly, social and active winter pastime you’re looking for, curling can fill the bill for you. If you have never curled before and would like to learn, the Gibsons Curling Club provides teachers, curling brooms, footwear and of course we even supply the ice and the rocks. If your excuse is that you can’t bend down to manage one of those forty-pound rocks, we’ve got that covered too. Many curlers now push their rock, with great skill I might add, using a stick. We supply those too.
If you’re of the younger, very active and fit set, don’t be mistaken. Curling can be surprisingly physical for those who want to curl the game at a level where physical strength comes into play.