No ice? No problem
International curlers prepared to travel great distance to find ice to practise
Across the Prairies, there’s a curling rink in nearly every town and village. But there’s no such convenience for Neven Pufnik and fellow curlers from Croatia.
They need to cross an international border to get in some practice — and then, it’s often on hockey ice.
For New Zealand curler Hans Frauenlob, who lives in the capital Auckland, it’s a little more difficult. The only regulation rink is on the nation’s other island, in Dunedin — about 700 miles south by air.
The curlers are among hundreds of competitors here from more than 40 nations for the World Mixed Doubles and Senior Curling Championships. While curling is very popular in some of them, it’s rare to nonexistent in others. But that’s slowly changing. President of the Croatian Curling Association, Pufnik says he’s one of about 50 players in his small European nation, once part of Yugoslavia. There’s no rink in his city, Zagreb.
And Pufnik says he’d never tried the sport until 2006, when he met a Canadian who travelled to Europe to offer introductory sessions. The instructor, he points out, was longtime Lethbridge Curling Club manager Darrell Ell.
While he’s here to coach Croatia’s mixed doubles team, Pufnik also came to speak with officials of the World Curling Federation to see how they could help promote the sport — and spark an interest in building facilities — in countries where it’s just now taking root.
Back in Zagreb, he explains, the curling group recently got permission to flood part of a parking garage in winter. It was not enclosed, so the quality of the ice varied from day to day.
“But we had two months of ice,” allowing many people to see how the game is played.
If Croatia had just two sheets of curling ice, he said — pointing to the bright and spacious rink in the ATB Centre — the sport would grow.
At present, he explained, there are few recreational choices for middle-aged people or seniors — and none that provide the camaraderie and socializing of curling.
For now, Pufnik says, Croatia’s curlers must travel to Bratislava, Slovakia, or maybe 700 kilometres to Prague for real competition. They must enjoy it.
“It’s a very social sport, with fair play,” he says. And when the game’s over, you shake hands and have a beer.
A brewing equipment and home-brew supplier when he’s not curling, Pufnik speaks favourably about Canadian varieties including locally produced Coulee Brew.
But it was more likely Scotch that was enjoyed when curling was introduced to New Zealand. Senior men’s competitor Frauenlob says the sport was brought there back in the 1860s, when Scots arrived as part of a gold rush on the nation’s southern island.
The first games were played in Dunedin, he says. And they were outdoors, just as in earlier times in Scotland.
Frauenlob says it wasn’t until the 1998 Winter Olympics — when millions around the world saw their first curling competition — that New Zealanders become interested in building an indoor curling facility.
But it’s not in Auckland, the nation’s capital city.
“We have hockey ice,” he explains. “So we still play outdoors when the weather permits.”
There are plans for a rink in Auckland, he adds, and to introduce the game to high school students.
But for real competition — and event organizational skills — the players look to Canada. The appeal of playing in a brand-new rink, he says, made the decision to fly to Alberta an easy one.
“We’d heard so much about this facility,” he says. “It’s fantastic.”
Now that they’re here, he adds, team members have been impressed by the number of eager volunteers and Lethbridge residents; hospitality, as well as the organizational details.
“And the crowds are knowledgeable. They appreciate good curling.”
Follow @DMabellHerald on Twitter