CURLING FANS ARE USING THEIR HEADS
Fans show their devotion in a variety of colourful ways
You know you’ve hit the big time when curling’s super fan is in town.
Hans Madsen of Yorkton, Sask., is hard to miss in the stands — even among fans wearing plastic lobsters on their heads, or Viking helmets, or pig masks.
Madsen, 67, and his wife Judy have logged thousands of kilometres travelling to women’s curling events across country — and around the world — for more a decade.
He is a fixture in the stands as Meridan Centre hosts Canada’s top women curlers, and their devoted fans, at the 2017 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Madsen adorns his head with a wild green wig for each draw, but it is his long beard for which he is most famous. For Tuesday, he dyed it green and white in a show of support for Team Saskatchewan, with the words “Go Sask” written across it. It changes every day. Wednesday it was white and trimmed with curling brooms.
“It takes years of practice to get my beard to look like this — it doesn’t happen overnight,” he said with a laugh. “A lot of people don’t realize how much work goes into it. It’s a secret combination of food colouring, spray and certain kinds of paint, and it will run if it gets wet.
“Luckily for me, curling is an indoor sport.”
Curling fans are nothing if not colourful.
P.E.I. fans are known as the Potato Patch. Nova Scotia supporters wear yellow fishing hats called Sou’westers.
Tuesday, a fan with a blue Team Quebec jacket sat nonchalantly in the stands wearing a pig mask.
TSN is broadcasting the event — which culminates in Sunday’s night’s championship match.
Cathy Gauthier is part of the TSN broadcast crew. She has won three national curling championships, including two as the longtime second for Connie Laliberte and one with Jennifer Jones.
“This is an event where people take great pride in their home province,” she said. “They come with their crazy hats and their noisemakers.
“As a player, when you hear those cowbells ringing, you know you have done something good. The teams feel it and feed off it.”
Shea Thompsen had a hat in the shape of a buffalo, which makes sense once you learn she is from Winnipeg and the sister of the lead on Team Manitoba, Raunora Westcott.
“I wanted to bring my Manitoba pride here, even though I am living in Edmonton right now,” she said.
“This my third Scotties. I was walking through a mall at the one in Sault Ste. Marie when I saw the hat — and I had to have it. The buffalo is iconic in Manitoba.
“I’m having so much fun here. That’s the thing about the Scotties. It’s so friendly.”
James Hardiman concurred. He was sitting in the stands sporting a Newfoundland baseball hat.
“I always wear my Newfie hat,” said Hardiman, who has been to a number of national championships. “I bring my bell. I have a big Newfoundland flag, but I left it home today. My wife and I bought the pass for the whole shebang.”
Hardiman was born on the southwest coast of Newfoundland, near a small community called Point Rosee. He headed east to work on the Great Lakes before he retired,