(by Alison Jenkins)
Heather MacRae joined her team from the direction of the ice, bouncing a bit on her toes in the clubhouse at the Crapaud Curling Club.
“Ice is keen tonight, they’re saying.”
Last winter they weren’t sliding at all – the ice plant was broken and curlers had to play elsewhere. Some members played in Cornwall. MacRae and teammates, Julie Mutch, Lindsay Moore and Terri Wood, played in Summerside. The Prince County club was welcoming, but they missed home.
Photo (L-R): second Terri Wood, skip Julie Mutch, third Lindsay Moore (throws last), lead Heather MacRae
The Crapaud club fundraised with a Chase the Ace and take-out dinner. The club kept the bar open and held trivia nights — planning for the day its own members would return. And return they did. Membership is up, said Mutch.
When the women played the provincial championships in Alberton last spring and won, they won it for Crapaud.
This Saturday they’re heading to Kingston, Ont. for a week to compete in the national Travellers Club Curling Championships.
The tournament is for club curlers who play for fun. Even so, they know there is a large pool of talent across the country.
Mutch is looking forward to the experience of competing at the nationals and to meeting other club curlers.
“You’re on fabulous ice – ice like you’d never see here,” said MacRae, remembering the last time she played nationals. “It’s just a higher level of competition. It’s just an achievement to get there.”