Why am I still doing this?
Last weekend marked the start of yet another curling season for me – my 41st by my count. That is a lot of curling. It’s a new season, and like all new seasons we are filled with hope and optimism.
Last year was likely my worst curling season, and I have had some bad ones. We did not win a lot of games, and we did not make Ontario provincials. My seniors team made it to provincials on a Hail Mary outturn runback, then sadly we forgot how to hold a lead and finished middle of the pack.
More importantly than how I played ... is that I don’t much like how I acted. I was impatient, easily aggravated, short-fused and quick to get down. I threw and whammed more brooms last season than the past 10 combined. I am surprised my stubby sliding broom survived the season intact (will need to check for stress fractures, although it is pretty hard to break a Brownie).
And yet I am back it, albeit with a slightly different team (minus one Asselin and plus one Robson).
Yes, I am back for more. I guess the question you all should be asking is ... why?
The answer is that I still love this game. I still love practicing. I still love going away for weekends to play. I still love the rush of making a big shot, of beating a big team. I still want to win. I still want to play. And I still want to get better.
And my knees still work.
Last year was tough, but the fact is that sometimes life gets in the way. To curl at a high level, you need a lot of things to be working out for you; family, work, friends. If these things are off, then curling will be off. For me in 2024-25, and for a number of reasons, the off-ice was off.
As fans we often watch the on-ice, and judge players based on what we see. We assume that the lens within which we view them tells the whole story, when in reality the curlers we watch are not professional athletes. Only a handful of teams in this country can say that they do this for a living, which means most must find some other way to make a living while curling. And they often have families, and sometimes even kids. So much has to come together to put together a good season.
So how was the start to our season?
Our season started with some rather untidy results. We played in the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard, and for my squad it was our first time on the ice together. To gently ease into the season, our first game was against the reigning Olympic champion (Niklas Edin), then the Chinese national team, then the national junior champs, all of whom have been on the ice for a few weeks already.
They all looked pretty good.
In contrast, we looked like Bambi on ice, went a woeful 0-3 and will regroup in a few weeks in Kitchener-Waterloo, hopefully after some much needed practice.
In case you were wondering, the tournament was won by Ross Whyte who beat Korey Dropkin in the final. Meanwhile the women’s side saw international teams make the final four, with Korea’s Team Ha beating Japan’s Team Tabata in the final.
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Some big curling corporate news over the summer: my friends at Hardline were bought out by Goldline. I am picturing Archie and Hratch sitting on a beach somewhere, under a parasol made of mustard yellow fabric, directionally stirring Margaritas with plastic inserts.
What a ride it was for these guys. They went on the Dragon’s Den, managed to get their product on the Stephen Colbert show, essentially converted most of the top teams in the world to use their brooms, all within just over a decade. I always say curling is awesome because of the characters, and Arch and Hratch definitely fit that description. I will miss dropping into the shop to gossip about curling with them.
I am also interested to see what this industry consolidation does to the on-going foam/fabric debates. The off-season seems to have brought a merciful end to the “black foam” era, which was taking us back to ridiculous levels of control over the rocks, and thus more controversy. I’m hoping we are heading back to a more peaceful era, but I’m afraid top teams will always look for that next innovation that will give them a marginal edge, as they should.
I am also intrigued by what Hardline’s departure will do to the curling equipment sponsorship game. Hardline has always been supportive and loyal to the teams that brought them to the top, but now the brand is owned by one of their main rivals. The best teams will always have somebody willing to give them stuff, but there is likely less to go around for all the other teams.
In the meantime – if anyone has a stack of yellow fabric broom heads lying around, call me before putting them up on eBay – will offer a fair price!
Speaking of sponsorship ... I do feel the need to say a big thank you to our sponsors this season. Curling at a competitive level is expensive.
Big thanks to D&R Custom Steel, SMS Plumbing, Chris Seney Real Estate, Hayman Construction, Forest City Pool & Patio and Foxglide!
I am always grateful to the folks that support curling, both my teams and events. Despite the relatively small audiences we often play in front of, the curling world is largely supportive and remembers their friends ... and competitive curling would not work without them. So thanks to our sponsors!