Calgary: Home of the curling bubble

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/02/2021 (1856 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I love curling. It was a big part of my life growing up in a tiny prairie town. Marquette didn’t have much of anything, but it did have a one-sheet rink enclosed in corrugated iron that operated from the first days of freeze-up right through until the trickle of spring thaw.  

My older brothers played the sport, and we younger kids would spend countless hours running back and forth from our farm on one side of town to the rink on the opposite side. Back then, though, I think I was more interested in trying to come up with 50 cents for the canteen to buy a slice of the best lemon meringue pie ever to exist than I was in actually watching the games.

I never actually tried curling myself until I was in my mid-30s — and I quickly became hooked. Since then I have discovered great joy playing in rec leagues, taking lessons, and taking part in fun bonspiels. My ongoing pursuit has been learning more about the game, improving my technique, and furthering my knowledge of all the strategy that goes into it.

I’ve also gotten quite hooked on watching it, especially in 2013, when Winnipeg played host to the Canadian Olympic curling trials. That was the first time I got to watch professional curling in person, and it was super exciting to witness the very best teams all together in my city. This year, the best teams will gather once again, this time in Alberta and this time, without fans in the stands.

Calgary is the hub-city host of the 2021 Curling Canada Bubble — a six-event series from February to April, in a no-spectator environment at Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park.

The lineup of events includes the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (the Canadian national women’s championship, which runs from Feb. 19 to 28), the Tim Hortons Brier (the national men’s championship, from March 5 to 14), the Canadian mixed doubles curling championship (March 18 to 25), the World men’s curling championship (April 2 to 11) and two other grand-slam (non-championship) tournaments.

Fans can take in the on-ice action safely from their couches on TSN (Canadian and world championships) and Sportsnet (the grand slams).  

Curling has been a fun part of my travel life, too. I fondly recall the time I was in Puerto Vallarta during the Brier, and went on a mission to find a place to watch. Turns out there is an expatriate Canadian named Steve who runs a sports bar with satellite service, and the Canadians in the area know it as the place to go to watch all the ice sports.

Sometimes, when I’m travelling with other writers who aren’t from Canada, and they ask me what I like to do for fun, I will proudly say curling. It’s a topic that never fails to spark lively and curious conversations, and I’m sure I’ve successfully converted many non-curling fans into inquisitive sorts who either want to learn more about it, see an actual game, or maybe even try it one day. I also know that after all the curling talk, they either think I’m really weird, super nerdy, or ultra-cool.

I prefer to think it’s the latter, because the more I think about it, the more I realize that it’s pretty cool to have grown up in a tiny prairie town with nothing else to do but go to the curling rink. Today, I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything.

Except maybe one more piece of that lemon meringue pie.
 
RoseAnna Schick is an avid traveller and music lover who seeks inspiration wherever she goes. Email her at rascreative@yahoo.ca and follow her on Twitter @rasinspired