Virtual rinks host curling greats for online fun

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This article was published 21/03/2020 (2190 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s no cash, no valuable Canadian Team Ranking System points and definitely no limelight, but some curlers from Canada and beyond its borders have found a fun way to keep the shortened season alive.

Even if it’s just in virtual form.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of several major curling events, such as the women’s world championship — which would have wrapped up today in Prince George, B.C. — the men’s worlds in Glasgow and two Grand Slam stops.

Filling some of the void is the aptly named Quarantined Curling Tour, thrown together by Gerry Geurts, the founder of curlingzone.com. This weekend, 32 players — a mix of men and women — with serious cabin fever are competing in a digital bonspiel, through a gaming site called playcurling.com.

Competitors can use computers, tablets or their phones, although it sounds like using a mouse offers an advantage for tossing and sweeping.

Six-end games are being livestreamed on the CurlingZone’s Facebook page, and, incredibly, more than 120 people tuned in Saturday morning to witness Matt Dunstone’s 9-0 bombing of Kyle Kurz.

“People have taken a liking to it, I guess because all the viewers have nothing else to do, either,” Dunstone, on the phone from Kamloops, B.C., said laughing. “Gerry originally wanted 16 players, but within half an hour it was filled up. It’s pretty insane what’s going on.

“It’s fun to get together with a group of curlers. It’s not too often we can spend some time with the guys you’re normally fighting it out with on the ice, do some chirping online and keep it light. This isn’t the Brier.”

Indeed, it’s not. And the former Winnipegger has a deeply personal understanding of how physically demanding and emotionally draining the Canadian men’s championship can be. He lost the Brier semifinal to eventual winner Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., just two weeks ago.

Dunstone said it’s difficult to comprehend how life has changed since the rockfest in Kingston, Ont., which packed 6,000 fans into Leon’s Centre for playoffs draws, while another 1,500 people partied together in close quarters in the Brier Patch bar across the street.

Sporting events across the globe have been scrapped since then because of concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, now considered a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

“It’s the weirdest thing. We thought we had three big events ahead of us after that Brier, and then suddenly it’s the off-season. I think we’re all feeling pretty pumped the Brier was still able to go and we got to enjoy that experience,” he said.

Dunstone joins a heady group of players throwing rocks from their couches, including eight-time Brier participant and 2011 world champion Reid Carruthers, and reigning world junior men’s champion Jacques Gauthier, both of Winnipeg. Team Gushue second Brett Gallant, Matt Hamilton, second on John Shuster’s 2018 Olympic championship quartet, and female competitors Danielle Inglis, Selena Sturmay and Danielle Schmiemann also joined in.

Gallant should be getting fitted for his Team Canada clothing and gearing up for Glasgow, instead.

“Even two weeks ago, we figured we’d be preparing for the world championship right now. But it’s crazy how fast this has evolved and how serious it’s become. Now, everybody’s kind of isolating themselves and looking for ways to pass the time,” said Gallant, a three-time Brier winner. “This has actually been a nice distraction from what’s going on in the world, and allows us to get some of the competitive juices flowing again and have a little bit of fun while we’re at it.

“I’m pretty new to it. I’ve just been going at it for the last couple of days, trying to prep for the tournament. But there’s some guys that are pretty skilled with their mouse on the computer screen.”

Dunstone and some of his old Manitoba buddies — Kurz, Rob Gordon and Kyle Doering, to name a few — used to run tournaments when they were in their teens five or six years ago, and he’s having a blast reliving those days.

“We didn’t think it would get this big back then when we were playing it,” said Dunstone, nicknamed The Sheriff online. “To be honest, in the last three days I’ve played more than I have in five years. Typically, you either want a break from curling or you actually have other things going on.

“It’s exact same game. It’s quite amazing, the physics of it are really good. It’s pretty realistic and enjoyable to play.”

Carruthers gave up a fistful in the second end Saturday to Dylan Webster of Calgary and knew he was done.

“I won my first game but lost my second, so I’m going to have to grind it out on the B side. You can’t come back after giving up five that early. In a six-end game it’s really hard to rally back,” Carruthers, the third for Mike McEwen, said tongue and cheek.

McEwen’s West St. Paul foursome was Team Wild Card at the Brier in Kingston. Carruthers, named the championship’s all-start third, said half the fun is the playful banter between online opponents.

“We should almost have a real curling bonspiel where we actually talk trash to each other like we do on this online video game, because it would be really funny,” said Carruthers. “Any time we have a mic, you gotta watch what you say, but I think most of us can put the potty mouth on the backburner for a bit.”

He said there are rumblings the next QCT event could require a small entry fee, with proceeds to a popular charity.

“It’d be neat to be able to do this for a while, to stop ourselves from going crazy in our house. But this is where we need to be right now… curling while quarantined,” he said. “It’s important to listen to the experts, for sure. Even going to friend’s houses and family gatherings, all that should go by the wayside right now for us to get through this and slow it down, flatten the curve.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell