A blast of winter fun
Siobhan Downes keeps her Olympic dreams alive, taking a spin on the ice to take a crack at the easy to play, difficult to master sport of curling.
I remember the moment I first dreamed of competing at the Winter Olympics. It was just last month, actually. There I was, in a deep lunge, eyes fixed on the target.
In the distance I could see my rival, brandishing a broom. I gripped the handle of my stone, sliding it back and forwards over the ice, before giving it a little twist and setting it free.
It was a hot summer’s day in Central Otago, but I was shivering in the refrigerator-like temperatures at the Naseby Indoor Curling Rink.
My family spent almost every summer of my childhood in the tiny Maniototo town, just a twohour drive from Dunedin.
But we had never experienced the winter sport the town is most famous for – curling. It’s been a popular pastime in the area since it was introduced by homesick Scottish goldminers in the 1870s.
In the winter, when conditions are just right, curlers around the country drop everything and head to the Maniototo for a major tournament called the Bonspiel, which is played on natural ice.
Sadly, with the changing climate, the event is becoming more rare.
The last time it was able to be held was in 2015. But in Naseby, curling can be played year round thanks to the fantastic indoor venue, which opened in 2006, and is the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
In the spirit of doing something new, when my family and I returned to Naseby for a nostalgic holiday over Christmas, I booked us in for a curling session. We all thought it would be a bit of a giggle, and we seemed to be proven correct when, upon arrival, we were asked to slip ungainly rubber grips over our shoes so we could walk safely on the ice.
Further hilarity ensued when our patient instructor demonstrated three delivery techniques for sending the 20kg stone towards the target.
One involved a special stick that you hook over the handle over the stone, allowing you to release it from a standing position. With the aid of the stick, anyone can give the sport a go, no matter your age or ability.
You can also release the stone from a fixed lunge position, moving it back and forth to create momentum. Then there’s the most advanced technique – the slide, where you kick off and execute a lunge in motion. The pros make it look effortless. One member of our party gave it a go and almost split his pants.
As for the brooms? Sweeping the ice reduces friction, helping the stone travel farther and straighter.
The aim of the game is to accumulate points by sliding the stones as close to the centre of the target as possible, knocking the opposition out of the way if necessary.
It’s the epitome of a sport that is easy to learn, but difficult to master. After just half an hour of tutelage, we were playing our first game. By that stage, no-one was laughing. We were completely absorbed in the intricacies of the sport, and I was fantasising about becoming a professional curler.
I was devastated to learn, upon returning to Wellington, there are very few places in New Zealand where I could continue my fledgling career. Just another reason to return to Naseby.
The writer travelled on her own dime.