The Jean Shot
Who needs sweepers….
My curling story starts with my mother, Jean Bassett, who inspired me as a curler. She started her curling career in Ottawa at the Carleton Heights Curling Club on an outdoor rink in 1956 before the club was built in 1958. It was a group of Army, Navy and Air Force veterans who decided there was enough interest to introduce this sport to the area.
First there were 2 outdoor sheets alongside the outdoor community skating and hockey rink. To keep these sheets in good working condition, it took many late nights with men working on it while women provided the coffee and sweets. My father, Ivan John Bassett, a RCF veteran also curled and helped in establishing the actual build of the club.
I remember walking over from my school next door to skate and then to meet my mom at the adjoining club so I could get a drive home. I soon took up the sport and it “delivered” many happy junior moments and I continue this wonderful sport to this day. My mother, as she did in many sports, excelled at curling and went to many provincials and one national competition. I had the privilege of curling with her and will cherish those memories.
My mom did not believe you should rely on sweeping….many lectures about this. To this day when our team makes a shot without sweeping, we call it the “Jean Shot”.
Curling was positively” in house” and it “rolled” into my life “raising” my love for the sport. Thanks Jean for making curling a “hit” for me. The “Jean Shot”, still to this day, makes me smile.
By: Lori Lalonde