LOVE ON SHEET ONE
It has been said that love can be found in the most unlikely of places.
For me it was on Sheet One at the Hamilton Victoria Curling Club in 1994.
As someone who always enjoyed being active, I was looking for a winter sport. Once baseball season was over, a friend suggested we try curling. My vision of curling was old men in big, woolly jacket sweaters with tams on their heads, faces all red and scrunched up yelling “Sweep!” What would be fun about that?
Eventually I relented and off to curl I went. I remember stepping out onto the curling ice for my first ever curling game with no experience, no “Learn to Curl” instruction and basically no idea what I was doing! Let the fun begin!
That first game was interesting and I managed to get through it, taking in all of the rules and trying my best to stay upright when sliding and sweeping. Everyone was friendly and encouraging and there were no big, wolley sweater jackets to be seen! Although I was the only female on our ice.
After the game, a player on the opposing team offered to stay out on the ice and help me practice throwing rocks.
That first year of curling in the Dofasco Curling League at the Hamilton Victoria Curling Club was a wonderful experience! I looked forward to playing every week. I began to love the game and the people who made each week fun and so enjoyable.
As for that player on the opposing team from my first ever curling game, our friendship grew and soon we were dating.
My second year we curled together on the same team. He was the Skip and I played Lead.
During our fourth year together curling in 1999, we were in the final game of one of our league’s Bonspiels- The Glen Wilde. It was an exciting game and when it started to look like we could possibly win, I casually mentioned to the Skip that if we did win, I would marry him! Surprisingly, he didn’t throw the game and we ending up winning the game and planning a wedding!
We took the trophy to put on display at our wedding later that same year. Our wedding cake was decorated with curling rocks and a curler.
Twenty seven years later we are still curling together, though people said it wouldn’t last-not the marriage, but curling as a couple together on the same team!!
Curling brought us together and continues to give us wonderful memories every year. We have made may life long friends in our curling community.
I never grow tired of telling the story of how my husband “slid” into my life all those years ago.
Finding love in a most unlikely place indeed!
Sue Lenarduzzi
January 2022
Other Images: