Cold weather and hot houses there for King curlers

January 12, 2018 · 0 Comments

By Shellee Morning
King Curling Club
The cold frigid temperatures may have forced some to remain indoors, but for the curlers of King, the —20-degree weather didn’t block their path in returning to the sheets.
The ladies began their second round of the season with brand new “fresh clean” ice that quickly revealed rather frustrating (fun to some) and challenging ice to read. The new ice was a scheduled task for maintenance that threw most curlers into the scratching and shaking of the head in trying to figure out the curl path. With shots and draws a guess, the rings of hope were more like the rings of surprise.
Scoreboards shifted between ends on all four sheets as teams traded points throughout, and the five winning teams after the first game were Brown, Sinclair, Curtis, Gorsline and Oakley.
The ice conditions were once again playing havoc for the Wednesday Social League as they began their second half of the season with skips frantically trying to figure things out. The paths that normally involved a curl now provided a straight and direct line with very little curl. Being mesmerized was an understatement, but rest assure in the upcoming weeks, the ice will change and we will all be back to dealing with a wonderful curl.
The early draw awarded Teams Pringle, Sinclair and Mussato wins while Teams Gerrits and Petersen settled for a tie. Teams Earl, Lee, Schneider and Kolb all found the win column in the late draw.
Thursday Mixed players also returned to the rings with a high octane level of enthusiasm as players greeted teammates after their deserved Christmas break. The second round is proving to be exciting with tight-scoring ends. The added half point incentive to teams completing their eight ends in regulation time could be the deciding factor for the all-important playoff positions.
Early draw was kind toward teams Howard, Stronach, Sidon and Clark while Steenhoek, Boynton and Sheardown won their openers and the Barber and Davis game ended in a tie.
Ladies’ League
The ladies’ league is hosting their Annual Spiel the Wine Bonspiel Feb. 3, and there are just a few spots left for participants.
Anyone interested should contact Kelly Stronach at 416-720-7345 or visit the club website at www.kingcurling.com
There will be two eight-end games, breakfast, lunch and prizes, along with some cheese and wine tasting. This has been a great day in the past for the ladies, with some good curling and a lot of fun.
With less than a month to go before the 2018 Winter Olympics, they are shaping up to becoming one of best sporting events ever.
The sport of curling has opened its house to a newly entered division of mixed doubles. One women and one man form a team that play with only six rocks, the first stone being placed in allotted position on the ice depending who has hammer. The game is fast and furious, with the similar style of hitting and draw making, but the strategy is far more competitive for players.
Earlier in the year, the club invited the latest craze to curling to graze its sheets with enthusiastic members and will no doubt be holding more events in the future.
As the sport is grabbing more attention of people around the globe, clubs will experience a jump in membership.
This is a sport where anyone from the ages of six to 86 can play at any desired level, whether it is recreational or competitive. No one is ever too old to start curling.

Krista Phillips for Team Sheardown delivers her rock during Thursday’s Mixed Entry. The Sheardown team went on to win their Round Two game opener.
Photo by Ian Donaldson