Curling gold medalist Brad Gushue used the now-banned broom until recently
There’s a lot of buzz at the Mayflower Curling Club in Halifax over a ban on a new kind of curling broom that some say is taking away the integrity of the game.
The World Curling Federation announced this week it is banning for the rest of this season, the controversial broom some are calling “Franken-broom.”
Keep skill in players’ hands, skip says
Many of Atlantic Canada’s top men’s and women’s curlers are in Halifax this week for the Dave Jones Molson Mayflower Cashspiel.
- High-tech curling brooms banned for season
- Mary-Anne Arsenault calls for ban of new curling broom
- Top curling teams say they won’t use high-tech brooms
The ban means none of the teams in Halifax are using the new brooms that have very coarse fabric that can change the surface of the ice and the way rocks travel.
Several curling teams have already made adjustments to their brooms. (CBC)
After hitting his head and suffering a concussion three weeks ago in Truro, Brad Gushue played in Halifax this week. His Newfoundland rink [which includes PEI native Brett Gallant] has been using the now illegal brushes for much of this season, he said.
It’s going to be an adjustment over the next couple of weeks to go back, but it’s the type of equipment we’ve been playing with for years, so I imagine the transition will be pretty quick,” he said.