It was a hot summer in 2018 in Moncton, NB. While people were outside enjoying the sunshine, I was inside a refreshingly cold curling rink and having a great time! I was at a 5 day long adult curling camp and was extremely excited to meet the guest coaches from Sweden and Norway. World champion, Olympic gold and silver Medalists are some of the accomplishments of curling Pros Niklas Edin and Christopher Svae . For 3 days, they were the guest coaches for us 8 adults and a large group of 10-16 year old youths.
For the on ice portion of the camp, each group played a game, alternating players’ positions, In other words each player got to play Lead, Second, Vice (3rd) and Skip positions. This allowed each attendee to get personal coaching from the Pros. Niklas assisted with the Skip’s strategy and broom placement while Christoffer followed the sweepers and encouraged team communication with the Skip in the house.
Finally it was my turn to be the Skip and get one on one coaching with Niklas. I could hardly contain my excitement. O.M.G. ,WOW, I was IN THE HOUSE with Curling Icon Niklas Edin. This was one of the most surreal moments I’ve ever experienced. I still can’t believe it.
A month later, I briefly attended a curling clinic in Nepean, ON. It was a 3 day clinic and after a smooth start to the morning, it all came to an abrupt halt 5 hours in when the Curling Pros were upstaged by a tornado. It took out one of the two major electrical substations located a few miles from the clinic rink. The tornado eliminated hydro for approximately 3 days and caused a lot of structural damage along its path.
Russ Howard was one of the three visiting Pros conducting the curling clinic. At dinner our phones were buzzing with Alerts of a Tornado Warning. We were barely back on the ice, when the lights and electricity suddenly went out and the emergency lights came on. I still remember hearing Russ Howard loudly announcing LETS GET OFF THE ICE!
Due to the loss of hydro the clinic was unfortunately cancelled. The following year the second attempt of the same 3 day clinic was without incident. This was an awesome and helpful clinic put on by Pros Russ Howard, Marianne Arsenault and Grant Odishaw. They helped critique our delivery technique and reviewed directional sweeping techniques. They also discussed strategy, angles and timing.
This clinic was well worth the wait and gave me the confidence I needed to improve my game. I learned that my last thought in the hack is to think only about the speed I’m giving the rock before releasing it, because I already have the technique to throw and the balance to keep me upright.
The motivation to improve my curling game began in 2016. I noticed how well Grads from the Learn to Curl (L2C) program, which I ironically now help instruct, were greatly improving after 12 weeks of lessons. They had better skills than I had after 10 years of curling without lessons. My competitive nature took over and I started taking curling lessons, from 1 hour up to 5 days. I would repetitively watch Pro Jamie Sinclair ‘s 23 youtube videos giving helpful curling tips. Her Curl Up With Jamie videos have been my go to resource, when I want to work on something specific in my game. I have been recommending her videos to other curlers for years, because they are less than 4 minutes long, straight to the point and great for visual learners like myself.
Last year I was with my teammates at a curling bonspiel in Manotick which happens to be Jamie Sinclair’s home rink. I was recommending Jamie’s youtube videos to one of my teammates when she stopped me in my tracks and enthusiastically stated, look behind you, Jamie’s advertising private lessons. I froze, I was in shock and amazed that I would have an opportunity to take a lesson from someone who inadvertently helped me improve my curling knowledge and skills since 2016.
A month later, I was back in the same rink in Manotick, ON. I was standing beside Jamie Sinclair. What would you like to work on today she said.
I was so excited on the inside but I struggled to stay calm and articulate my goals for my 1 hour lesson.
This was a PINCH ME I’M DREAMING moment. Imagine, I actually got to meet my ultimate Curling Idol and take a private lesson with her. At the end of the lesson I found out what she was thinking when she threw one of the top 50 curling shots of all time. She told me, but psssst it’s a secret.
Nice shot Jamie!!!
Making a nice game changing shot,like Jamie’s, is exhilarating. Who doesn’t love the team energy, adrenaline rush, fist pumps and high fives after a great shot. Whether it’s Plan A or the unexpectedly successful lucky Plan B to Z it’s great to witness and appreciate.
If I didn’t have to work, I would be curling a lot more than my current 3 to 4 times a week. I’ve been a member at Carp, Almonte and currently Carleton Place curling rink. I love to curl and I intend to play for as long as I can.
Happy Curling,
Andrea Smith
