Shufflin’ right along in Alberton
Public invited to give shuffleboard a try in Jacques Cartier Arena
An old sport is on the verge of a comeback in West Prince.
The West Prince Sports Council borrowed two shuffleboard court games from the City of Charlottetown’s Recreation Department and have them set up at the Jacques Cartier Arena for demonstration and practice purposes.
“It’s open to anyone who wants to come out and try it,” said Cletus Dunn, one of the organizers.
Shuffleboard court is similar in concept to shuffleboard tables, but played on a floor and players use long cues to push six-inch discs towards a triangular-shaped scoring area. Scoring areas, worth 10, eight and seven points, get gradually larger as the disc approaches the far end of the court, but if it goes a little further, or gets bumped there by an opponent’s disc, it lands in minus-10 territory.
Richard Blanchard is helping with the re-introduction of the sport. He played it up to five times a week during threemonth stays in Florida the last two winters.
“That’s the big thing, this minus business,” he said, recalling a game he played in Florida when a player ended up having three discs bumped into minus territory.
“When you’re playing this with a bunch of players who know what they’re doing, you get the guy in the minus,” Blanchard said in describing some of the strategy of the game.
Wayne and Norma MacNeil from Fortune Cove took in the first demonstration day for the sport recently and were quickly catching onto, and enjoying, the game.
Mary Mravnik from Brooklyn tried shuffleboard for the first time this past winter in Arizona and was pleased to see it now offered locally. She was still catching onto the rules and game terminology. “Google it,” she responded to a question about the sport.
“It’s kind of like curling,” she suggested.
Like curling, it’s often beneficial to have hammer (last disc), said Blanchard, but, unlike curling, hammer is predetermined before the game begins.
There are four discs per player or team per end. An application of powdered wax allows the discs to slide effortlessly.
Dunn remembers there being a shuffleboard court at the Westerner Motel in Alberton years ago, but he had never played the game before testing out the roll-up courts now set up at the arena.
There are three opportunities per week to try shuffleboard court at the Jacques Cartier Arena: Tuesday and Fridays at 10 a.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
Dunn said shuffleboard court is one of the sports that will be contested during the P.E.I. 55 plus Games coming to West Prince in September.