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Wow, it was 2017 in St. John’s Newfoundland. The home town atmosphere was overwhelming to the curlers, organizations and the FANS. The last game and shot was unbelievable. I was afraid to look, my hands over my eyes as the rock got closer I was peeking through my fingers. When Mark and Brad said sweet harder and Mark said about another inch would do. It was absolutely awesome . I would cried with excitement to see these guys win with that shot. I will never ever forget it as long as I live. Love curling, and Team Gushue, win or lose , THANK YOU Brad and Team🥌🇨🇦❤️

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In the ‘80’s and ‘90’s., there were many curling rinks in south east Saskatchewan. Each club would schedule their ladies bonspiel for the same weekend every year in order to get as many teams entered as possible. Unfortunately there were weekends where there were two and then one had to choose which one to enter. Estevan ladies club curling was Tuesday night and after the game, I would go upstairs and ask the ladies gathered, who would like to curl the next weekend, as my whole team wasn’t always able to go. There would always be at least enough ladies to make one team and many times there were others made up of various members. We carpooled and had such fun. We had to adapt to curling with different players and curling on many different ice surfaces including natural ice. If it was warm out, an odd bucket might be on the ice to catch the drips. Anyone remember the dreaded “negative ice”? The Saturday night banquet always had a theme and many times we dressed up for that evening, as well as, even for our games. Once we dressed up as Colleen Jones team and skirts had to be either found or made before our first game on Saturday. There were lots of laughs. We kept this up for 5 or 6 weeks every winter. It was always fun to win a prize, but the friendships and the memories we made were by far the best.

*ps. I don’t have pictures of our teams as who carried a camera back then. The ne attached is of club curling later on.

At the age of 11, I had the opportunity to go to a curling camp for the day at a local curling club, the Fort Rouge Curling Club, in Winnipeg. To my surprise, the instructor was none other than Connie Laliberte!! She was engaging, fun, amazing and I was absolutely enthralled and she ignited a life-long passion for the game, the technique and the sportsmanship of the incredible game of curling!

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is coming to Thunder Bay and the excitement is mounting. For 10 days the best female curlers in Canada will be entertaining fans from across the country, all setting their hearts on winning the coveted trophy.

But something pretty special will also be happening this week. Four friends, (Judy (Dunville) Kiviaho, Heather Houston, Joy (Humphrey) Lappalainen and Joanne (Hendricken) Brown, formerly from Red Rock, ON, are celebrating 50 years of friendship, something we hold near and dear to our hearts! We started out as Juniors, forming a team looking to compete and we shared success winning silver medals at the 1976 Ontario Junior Championships and at the 1977 Ontario Winter Games. (One of us went on to become a Canadian and World Champion 😁).

But our greatest accomplishment is the friendship that we’ve shared spanning six decades and this week at the Scotties we’re celebrating 50 years together. We have curling to thank for what brought us together as teammates and has kept us together as friends. We got together for dinner and it was like time had stood still and we were teenagers again! Sharing memories, reminiscing and laughing and giggling.

Although Heather and Judy are in Thunder Bay, Joy in Surrey, BC and Joanne in Almonte, ON, for 10 days we’ll be those same crazy teenagers from Red Rock, ON having the time of our lives! From Junior Girls to Golden Girls, we celebrate curling and thank this awesome sport for what it brought to our lives!

Best Brier Ever….
I was fortunate enough to attend the 2922 brier in Lethbridge AB. My friend, Lola Murphy win the trip with Curl Canada and took me as one of her guests.
It was a rough time getting to AB between flight delays, trips to the ER in Toronto and missed flight to Calgary. Our flight to Toronto was delayed leaving St John’s so we had to book a day room at a hotel and wait 8 hours for the next available flight. Though we were rested up we had not eaten. When we arrived in To our flight to Calgary had already left so then we had to stay overnight. As stated we had not eaten so we went to get some food because the hotel restaurant was now closed. We were on our way to a restaurant just up the street from our hotel. By this time it was 11:30 pm and we hadn’t eaten since 6:30am NL time. On the way to the restaurant I fell down and injured my elbow. We ended up going back to the hotel (still no food) 😢 and had to call an ambulance and go to the ER. Since this was mid-COVID my friend wasn’t allowed to come to the ER with me. I ended up with a broken radial head and cast about 4 hours later (still no good).
After a $40 cab ride, I end up back at the hotel, got 2 hours sleep and then back to the airport to get our flight to Calgary.
(Reminder still no food)
The flight to Calgary went smoothly…no issues and was able to buy a breakfast sandwich in the flight. 😉
We meet up with our other friends who we were supposed to have been on the flight with the night before. Have a successful drive to Lethbridge and get settled away for the games starting the following morning.
Unfortunately fir me my arm became really swollen and I ended up back in the ER for another three hours where they replaced the full cast with a half cast which I could remove and ice my arm to reduce the swelling.
The next few days were great. The Gushue team were playing great and all was well…until Friday night. We were out for an early supper before Gushue’s game when it was announced that Mark came down with COVID and they would have to play with only 3players. Well we were so disappointed and shocked. We go to the game and honestly can’t remember for sure if they won that particular game but the next day was amazing. The boys played with only 3 players and are winning. Yay Team Gushue.
We were not expecting them to win but we’re proud they were still in it and doing so well with only 3 players.
Then we started thinking WE CAN WIN THIS. Well as you know Team Gushue ended up beating Team Kohoe in the final. What a fantastic finish for the week. Despite the woes of trying to get to Calgary and my multiple trips to the ER it was the Best Brier Yet and I would love to get to go again. Thank you so much Curl Canada. Janice Monahan

I was teaching in Germany and new to Lahr and the base. I hadn’t made friends yet, and I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. There was a Gordon Lightfoot concert on, and it was being held at the curling club. As I sat there, in Germany, it seemed just the ultimate Canadian thing to be doing: listening to Gordon Lightfoot singing over the sound of the rocks which I could see down below. That was a noise from my childhood. I had spent many hours watching my parents through the glass as I read my Nancy Drews. There were no little rocks in the 1950’s.

I decided that I should take up curling. Back home in Toronto, I joined the Royal Curling Club and the first time out I ran into a rather dapper old man in his 90’s. He told me he was still curling. I thought to myself, this is the sport for me – I can do it for the next 60 years.

As my first year was coming to an end, I was asked to support my friend Gail who worked at the Hugh MacMillan Centre which was a rehabilitation centre for children with mobility and disability problems. It was a curling bonspiel called Curl for Kids that was happening Easter weekend. Sure, I said. I had to collect pledges, but that was not a big issue. I had no idea.

What was a big issue was the bonspiel. I had certainly watched curling on television, but I had never thought that the curling I was going to be doing was with them. I was put on a team as lead, and I was completely star struck. Our mate was Paul Savage’s sister. Our skip had been to the Brier representing Saskatchewan. Curling on the sheet next was Russ Howard and Eddie Werenich, each with a team. There were 16 sheets in the old Avonlea Curling Club and each one had stars on it. The Celebrity Skips were put up in a local hotel and at night it was party time.

I curled my best. I had no idea what bored weight was – until it was explained to me as board. Between games we would hang out, and I got to meet more and more curlers. I was completely thrilled by their friendliness, joy, humour and willingness to let me feel like I was part of their community.

Somehow, my team made it into the final game. We were piped out on to the ice – another huge thrill. We had to throw to the button, and my skip chose me to do it. Horrified, I watched my rock not even make the hog line.

We didn’t win that year, nor did I win in the next few years. But my subsequent years’ skips were Mary Susan Bell who had been on Heather Houston’s team, Ian Tetley and a player from the Danish women’s world team – I still have the pin she gave me. I proudly wear my Curl for Kids sweatshirts to this day.

I haven’t made it to be a curler in my 90’s yet, but I am not so far off that now. When I retired and moved to Nova Scotia, my first requirement was that there be a curling club nearby. And it is a gem – Northumberland – with all my friends there. What a good thirty some years curling has given me. And I still feel that I am part of a community of those wonderful people who are curlers.

Hello, this is a story that is 25 years old and has 7 (seven) years of operations for the East Hants Curling Association which is a member of Nova Scotia Curling Association. The organization converts rink ice to curling ice from Wednesday night to Thursday morning and have 20 teams, Morning and Evening Leagues, afternoon Stick Curling for first time in 2024/2025 curling season and through Sport Nova Scotia and East Hants Youth Links have an Equity, Diversity, Inclusiveness, Accessibility program which provides free youth curling for the last three years. The rink Ice Technicians have attended a Nova Scotia Curling Association Ice Technician course and EHCA has engaged a local curling club ice technician to help with refresher courses to improve ice conditions. The membership is roughly 72 members of all ages and of this group 90% of the members would probably not be curling if not for EHCA being a local recreation and sporting activity.
The EHCA Board Of Directors is hard at work trying to obtain funding through the East Hants Municipality and this has been on going for many years. The EHCA was organized by a determined BOD and then with the help of rink curling ice installer Joe Murphy. The equipment funding was raised by canvassing local business for support, Play Theatres, WESTJET ticket raffles, Municipal grants, Sport Nova Scotia grants, 50/50 raffles, three Auctions which has raised over $45.000.00 and many other means. EHCA does home and homes with local clubs, a group of four (4) attended the 55+ Winter Games in Quebec City in September 2024 after placing silver in Pictou the year previously – four guys who only curled as a team twice.
EHCA has sponsored two curling Bonspiels, the first ever for East Hants, East Hants Curling Association Rising Tides Curling Bonspiel 17-19 November 2023 and second East Hants Curling Association Rising Tides Curling Bonspiel 29 November – 1 December 2024 and a third planned for 28-30 November 2025. EHCA has to do fund raisers because the cost of the ice for the weekend cost much more then the fees charged to teams for the bonspiel.
This is a story that has had great roots, a strong following and then the drive to make happen with the past Manager of the East Hants Sportsplex. fully supporting the EHCA Board of Directors to bring curling to East Hants.
There is much anticipation that the efforts will in the end reap the construction of an East Hants Curling Association Multi-purpose Curling facility that will serve the East Hants and surrounding communities.
Thank you for this opportunity to tell this story and do hope it receives recognition in your contest.
Harold MacNeil, President EHCA, 902-883-0130

Hi, I would like to submit my favorite curling story about Carolyn Morris and family. I call them the Blue Bloods curling family (from the Tom Selleck TV show)..

Carolyn Kidd was born in Rosemere, Quebec, where her parents introduced her to the sport of curling. She met her husband, Drew Morris at Concordia and got married at the Rosemere Curling Club in 1974.
They moved to Edmonton, Alberta in 1975 and then to Aberdeen, Scotland in 1992 returning to Canada in 2007. She coached and played during her years in Aberdeen, meeting some skilled players during her stay. She was third on the winning Scottish Mixed Teams (1998 & 2002) Carolyn has played in the World Senior Championships 5 times, winning Gold (2005) and Silver (2003) for Scotland. The Gold for Canada (2013) with Team King becoming the first woman to win two gold medals for two different countries.
Carolyn had the pleasure of being presented to Queen Elizabeth during the opening of Curl Aberdeen in 2005 (attached photo).
Her Son, Sean Morris won the Worlds Men Juniors in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1994 and is married to Cori Bartel Morris.
Her Daughter-in Law, Cori won the silver medal for Canada at the Vancouver Olympics (2010) with Team Bernard. In December 2024, Cori and her team won the Canadian Senior Championships and is off to Fredericton in April 2025 to compete at Senior World’s.( which is where her mother- in- law Carolyn won World Seniors in 2013)

Her Daughter, Kim (Morris )Brewster won The Scottish Mixed Championships together with her mum in 1998. She is married to Tom Brewster. Kim and Tom won the mixed European Championship together (2006). Kim also represented Scotland in Grande Prairie with Team Wood during the World 2006 Ladies Championships.
Her Son-in-Law, Tom Brewster, has won Gold at Junior World’s (1995), Bronze in Men’s Worlds (2002 & 2013), Silver at Men’s World’s (2011 & 2012) and won the silver medal for Britain in Sochi in 2014. Tom is also the manager of the curling club in Aberdeen.

Her grandson, Ethan Brewster along with Callie Soutar was crowned Winter Youth Olympic Mixed Doubles Champions – becoming the first British pair to win a gold medal in the event in Korea in February 2024.
I hope you will consider this great Canadian story.
Thanks
Tom

I went to Regina Montana’s brier last year. I had great experience to get team autographs and team pictures. I had autograph from Daniel Marsh being on tv . went to patch to hang out to see team players signing autographs. I was cheering on team Saskatchewan. I bought some merchandise at the brier.