I think it’s time for me to come out of the closet. Again. I am a curling nerd. So, when I had the chance to spend Saturday evening curling with the Frontrunners, I jumped on it.
Our endeavour started out with a lesson from the Pacific Rim Curling League’s Krista Frazee, who taught us everything from the geography of a curling sheet, to the basics of sweeping (my mom would be proud), to the art of hurling 42 pounds of granite across 150 feet of solid ice with the precision of a military sharpshooter. After that, 24 of us divided up into six teams, and duked it out for the title of VFR’s Kings of Curling.
Having taken to the ice with the red stones, I skipped teammates Rohan, Nico, and Kai to a depressing first end: a score of 3 yellow. Ouch. Armed with the resolution to win, and the last rock, we faired slightly better in the second end: a biter from Nico, plus my last-ditch draw, and we’re on the board with 2.
Third end: a lucky “Plan B” shot by Kai gave us a rock smack-dab on the button, with two chances to score another. Shot one, a take-out, and a miss. The Yellow skip’s stone lands near the button, forcing a tight take-out for 2: we make it. By the slightest of hairs, the yellow skip misses his last shot. Praise Jeebus, we’ve won!
Naturally, a few beers in the VCC’s Last Rock Lounge soon followed. Who am I to argue with centuries of curling tradition?
Some big thanks are in order: first, to our coach extraordinaire Krista Frazee (whom we hope will join us for a run very soon); second, to Shirley Mann, Christopher Ordog, Norm Scott, and the other wonderful folks at the Vancouver Curling Club; and finally, to the 23 wonderful Frontrunners with whom I shared a fantastic Saturday evening.
I’m secretly hoping this become an annual VFR event.
-Christopher Hawn
EDIT: A huge thank you to Christopher for organizing this awesomely fun social event. Bravo!
ou to help us get there! Big or small, anything helps. Our team page can be found by clicking on this link where you can donate by Credit Card or PayPal.
