A journey to curling’s true mecca

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/01/2010 (5971 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

So what’s the first place a group of junior Norwegian curlers, who have just flown some 22 hours from Amsterdam to Winnipeg for the 122nd MCA Bonspiel, visit after their feet touch the ground at Richardson International Airport?

Is it the Assiniboine Park Zoo? No.

Could it be the site of the soon-to-be Canadian Museum for Human Rights? Not on your life.

Well, how about a skate along the river trail at The Forks? Are you kidding?

Got you completely stumped, eh?

Well, Joachim Suther and his team of third Jan Erik Hansen, second Frode Bjerke and lead Erik Kristensen made a cold draw to the button of the mecca of curling, Asham Curling Supplies at 700 McPhillips St. for a little retail therapy.

Knowing the rigorous schedule of this, the world’s biggest and oldest bonspiel, the lads decided if there was only one tourist site they could visit, Asham’s was it.

“I think we bought out the whole store,” laughed Suther, as he ordered lunch at the Heather Curling Club, where he was about to meet up with David Bohn of Assiniboine Memorial in the opening round. “My dad (and coach Arne) knows the owner, and we were able to get discounts.”

A university economics student in his home of Halden, Norway, Suther said he wasn’t fazed by his first-round opponent. “I hope they’re up for a good game,” he said, adding, “We’re playing here to win the whole thing.”

The Norwegian kids showed they can certainly walk the talk. Last night they stole a point in the eighth and final end to defeat Bohn 5-4.

“He had a bad hit on his last rock, and on my last rock I got a hit and roll behind my own guard,” said Suther. “It (my first game) wasn’t what I expected. It seemed to go a lot faster than usual.”

The young skip may have come across as a little cocky, but he and his team have been together for six years, and they have the credentials. At the Norwegian Cup, where he qualified as the best team in Norway after three rounds, Norwegian star Thomas Ulsrud, who was here last week for the BDO Classic, needed an extra end to beat him.

“It felt really good,” said Suther, “but we almost had him in the eighth, but my last rock was just a bit off.”

Suther said after they had won a trip by winning that Norwegian Cup, 2002 Olympic gold medallist and silver medallist in 1998 Pal Trulsen made a call to MCA high-performance director Connie Laliberte to see if there were any bonspiels going on.

With the big win under their belt, Suther and his crew should have shaken off any butterflies they may have had. “The curling here is fantastic,” said the skip. “I think that we will be a lot more composed from now on,” Suther said.

This is Suther’s first trip to Canada, but he’s no stranger to international curling. “We’ve curled in Germany, Scotland and Sweden,” he said, adding that in each place he learns something new.

“The thing about curling in other countries is the way they think. For instance, the tactics from the Scots. They like to play a lot of guards up front in the sides. We like to throw it down the centre all the time, and raise, raise.”

Against Bohn, Suther’s strategy was to take it slow at first and see how things shaped up.

“I had no idea what to expect in the first round.”

For complete draws, go to www.thecurler.com or call bonspiel headquarters at 784-5100.

allan.besson@freepress.mb.ca