Builders earn place in curling Hall

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/02/2012 (5179 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of them has worked to improve the game’s future, while the other has devoted herself to preserving its past.

Nancy Rummery and Heather Helston have approached the world of curling from very different angles over the past two decades, but both have an unabashed love for the sport.

And they’re both entering the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame as builders in the Class of 2012.

“My volunteer work was… because I can’t curl very well,” joked Rummery, who was president of the Manitoba Ladies Curling Association in 1997, executive vice-president of the 2003 World Curling Championships, and continues to officiate at major events.

“I’m honoured to be considered. When you look at all the people who are already in the Hall of Fame, I feel very humble to think that other people think I belong with them.”

As MLCA president, Rummery pushed for the provincial Tournament of Hearts to be played in an arena for the first time. It was a huge hit with fans and players alike.

“Being able to curl on arena ice before the nationals is really huge,” said Rummery, a Westwood resident, who also pushed for the provincial senior championship to switch to a round-robin format.

What made Rummery decide to join the MLCA executive in 1990?

“I’ve got a lot to say about a lot of things,” she said. “I might as well try to put it to use.”

It would be hard to imagine an induction meaning more to an honouree than it does to Helston. After all, the Fort Garry resident has been the Hall’s curator for years and has served on its board since 1995.

“It’s the next thing to my family,” Helston said of her commitment to making the Hall the most comprehensive in Canada.

The retired science teacher has always been a history buff with a love of curling, so her role with the museum is a natural fit. The last thing she expected was to be enshrined next to so many legends of the sport.

“I’m on the selection committee,” said Helston, who won a provincial championship in 1979. “The rest of them did it without me knowing. (Hall president) Bob (McNaughton) called me and said he needed another résumé done, and it happened to be mine.”

Also entering the Hall as a builder is former Winnipeg Tribune sports editor Bruce Boreham, who wrote the official history of the Macdonald Brier in 1970.

The 1980 Canadian mixed championship team of Jim Dunstone, Carol Dunstone, Del Stitt and Elaine Jones are entering in the team category.

In the veteran team category, the inductees are the Ken Watson teams of 1936, 1942 and 1949; and the Howard Wood Sr. teams of 1930 and 1940. All five rinks won the British Consols and Macdonald Brier.

The induction dinner will take place May 6 at Canad Inns Polo Park. For tickets — $65 per person — call 925-5723.

avi.saper@canstarnews.com