My family has never curled. We have attended many curling events as we love to watch the sport, but we have never actually curled. Apparently, my father curled in the 60’s in Kitchener Waterloo, but that was before I was born.
My children and I watched on television as Team Canada won the Olympic Gold Medal in men’s curling in 2006 in Turin. We were hooked. My parents are from Newfoundland and my mother watched along with us as we cheered on Team Gushue. My father was long deceased, but my mother told stories to my children of my father curling and the trophies she still had belonging to him.
After that we watched many curling events and started following both the men’s and women’s curling. As a family we attended the Road to the Roar in 2013 in our hometown of Kitchener. By then my children were almost all grown up. My son Michael was 19, my daughters Ayla and Cara were 17 and 15. We attended the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in St. Catharine’s in 2017 and then my children started heading in different directions. Michael and Cara moved to Vancouver for work and school, and Ayla moved to Guelph for school.
As a family we still followed what was happening in curling and talked about it all the time. We would watch it and text back and forth about the fantastic shots or the unfortunate mistakes of the teams we were watching. As a Christmas gift, my children bought me a learn to curl package in 2019. I never got to use it because of the pandemic as the program was cancelled for 2020-2021. We still watched all of the tournaments and the Olympics.
My son traveled a lot, all over the world and he would still follow the curling events and we would chat about all of the team player shuffles and the changes in the sport. We would watch events together while chatting virtually as he was traveling. When Michael was home for Christmas 2021 and he gifted me a pair of socks with images of curling rocks on them to wear when we watched the matches together, even if we could not be in the same place. I have included a picture I sent to him in March of 2022 as we watched the Tim Horton’s Brier, he in Vancouver and myself in Kitchener. Team Gushue was our favourite and we cheered his team on as they won to become Team Canada once again.
When we discovered that the Brier would be held in London, Ontario in 2023, we decided to get tickets for the event. Michael could not attend due to work commitments unfortunately, and my sister (who is also a curling fan and would attend all of the events in Alberta) flew in from Red Deer and attended the event with me. We had purchased tickets for my 87 years young mother to join us, but she was not well enough to attend. We made a poster and placed it in her seat at the event so our family who were watching at home could find us. I wore my beloved curling socks as we cheered on Team Gushue and we were so excited when they won. Michael and I were messaging back and forth throughout the event, celebrating our favourite team’s success.
During this time Michael told me that he and his good friend Mickey were going to join a curling league in Vancouver in the fall. He was very excited about this as we talked about my finally attending the Learn to Curl program in Elmira, Ontario (and trying not to break a hip) and one day getting to actually curl together. We had a plan.
Sometimes even the best laid plans do not come to fruition. My son Michael turned 30 on September 2nd of 2023. His sisters, his friends and I all came together to celebrate with him in Tofino BC. It was a wonderful time in a beautiful place. We talked of our curling plans for the fall after Michael returned from a business trip to Portugal. Sadly, Michael never got to join that Vancouver curling league as he died in an accident in Portugal on September 16th, 2023.
Losing a child is the most heartbreaking experience a mother can ever go through. I miss my son more than I could ever put into words. Our family is heartbroken with this loss, but we choose to celebrate Michael every chance we get
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My daughters, Michael’s friends and I all came together in Vancouver in September of 2024 to celebrate his first heavenly birthday. I crocheted 31 mountains in honour of his 31st birthday. We have left these mountains in many of Michael’s favourite places with a note containing the hashtag #31mountains. It has been amazing as some of these mountains have traveled across Canada and to South America and Europe. We hope they will travel to some of the countries that Michael never got to travel to. Michael was an adventurer who worked in tourism and he had traveled to more than 20 countries in his short, beautiful life. This is a way for us to carry on his adventures.
Michael lived in Nelson BC for 6 months in 2021-2022. While living in Nelson, he traveled to Kelowna a lot and would sometimes watch the Kelowna Rockets play (as being from Kitchener we are big Junior A hockey fans as well). Knowing that the Brier is being played in that rink this year, my daughter Cara and I are planning to attend the opening weekend and hopefully place some of the mountains in the Kelowna area. We know Michael would have loved that and he will be with us in spirit as we cheer on our favourite teams. I will be wearing my beloved curling socks and thanking my son for all of the beautiful memories.
It’s true, my children and I have never curled but curling has brought us together in many ways and given me many happy memories that I will cherish forever.
Other Images:A-Curling-Story-ad57d61308e45b698ecd3260b9c3a012.docx
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