Men With Brooms

With apologies to Leslie Nielsen, I took up curling on the weekend! Not as a curler, of course, but with my camera, and this was my first venture on to a curling rink. The “roaring game” is a passion with many Canadians, and it is reasonably easy (and inexpensive) to play and have fun. Equipment is minimal, but the skill set required to curl well is quite significant. Navigating on a slippery ice surface, and being able to have a rock stop exactly where you want it to requires skill and lots of practice.

Our local club – the Carleton Place Curling Club - hosted a Curl For Cancer event – oops, Bonspiel - this past weekend, and I covered it, on assigment for the EMC. A single “end” in curling gives everyone the opportunity to “curl” a rock, and it looked like this part of the game would gve me the best shots. As a player releases the rock, there are a few seconds of wonderful reactions – smiles, frowns, joy, and disappointment.  I managed to get quite a few good shots by getting down low at the side of the rink and concentrating on the the rocks being relelased. Look at the intensity in the eyes of the gentleman in the burgundy jacket, and the disappointment on the face of the man in navy.

After a day of curling, dinner, and awards, the Canadian Cancer Society was the big winner, and that, of course, is the real point. Lots more photos on ZoomPhoto.