The sounds of “Hurry hard!” will soon be heard emanating from Eastlink Curling Centre.
Another curling season is upon us once again, and the Oliver Curling Club is excited about the start of the season for many reasons.
The first registration night will take place this Friday, the ice will go in starting next week, and when curling does begin in a couple of weeks, players will have the opportunity to throw rocks which have had new inserts installed.
First, a bit of history on the club, and the rocks.
It all goes back to 1969. Eric Bastian, the president of the newly formed curling club society, provided the big push to get a curling club built in Oliver.
Granite rocks were ordered from Scotland and arrived in the summer at the Vancouver shipping docks.
Bastian, known for his ability to get everyone to volunteer and get things done for free, approached a fruit grower by the name of Arpad Pallay.
Arpad was delivering fruit to Vancouver with his big truck, and at the request of Eric, picked the rocks up and brought them to the club. The granite in these rocks was considered to be some of the finest.
In 2005, the rocks were sent away to Manitoba to get sharpened. The handles are reversed every other year in order to make them last longer. Obviously this has worked because the rocks are 45 years old!
Then, this past off-season, the rocks were shipped to Ontario to have inserts put in them. They are now back at the curling club and ready for all curlers to enjoy once again.
So, what does all this mean?
The striking area of each rock has been minimized, meaning there will be more bounce when rocks hit each other.
They will be lively, allowing players to attempt shots they might have stayed away from in the past.
“This improvement to our curling rocks is the next step in the evolution of curling in Oliver. We have wonderful ice, we have a great facility, and now we have the best rocks possible,” insists club president Dale Dodge. “Will this make us better curlers? Probably not, but it will definitely take away another excuse for a bad shot.”
The curling rocks at Eastlink Curling Centre are made of granite called Blue Trefor, one of the best granites available.
The curling inserts are made of Blue Hone granite, and are generally recognized to be the best running surface available.
“When you have Blue Hone inserts in Blue Trefor rocks, with properly contoured strike bands, you will have the best possible,” added Dodge.
Another improvement that has been worked on over the summer is upgrading the heating system at Eastlink Curling Centre. The club will now be able to keep the arena 10 degrees warmer – great news for everyone who would like to try curling but just didn’t like the cold.
Registration night for this year’s curling will be held September 26 between 7-9 p.m. at the curling club.
Junior registration takes place Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. Beginners are welcome to sign up.
Adult registration and junior registration will continue and there will be open ice available October 7–10 from 7-9 p.m. no charge. Everyone is welcome.
Despite the extra money spent this summer on the upgrades to the stones and heating, curling fees will remain the same as last year.
New curlers are welcome and this is a great way to meet new people in your community and get some exercise through the winter.
