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Curling is a lifetime sport

Popular game can be played by those from ages eight to 88
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IN ACTION ON the ice are Grant Compton and Chris Parkinson.

Curling is truly one of those "lifetime" sports that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Pictured here are Grant Compton, 88 years young and Chris Parkinson, eight years old (actually turned nine this month). Both curl at the Comox Valley Curling Centre, Grant in the Seniors league on Mondays and Wednesdays and Chris in the Junior Program on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Grant is not the oldest curler at the centre, there being a 90-year-old gent curling in the same league. Chris is also not the youngest. The Junior Program has some six year olds curling.

At the age of five Chris saw curling on TV at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and was hooked right away. His parents thought he was a bit young then so he didn't start until age seven, but right from the start he was saying he would be a Brier and Olympic curler some day. His "Manitoba" tuck delivery pictured here is the envy of most of the adult curlers at the club.

Grant started curling 60 years ago at the age of 28 in Ontario. One of his best curling memories is of winning the Ohio Mixed Open Bonspiel – twice. Grant retired from his work as a chemical engineer in 1985 and moved to Comox where he joined the Comox Valley Curling Club. Unfortunately he had to give up curling a year later due to bad knees. However the advent of stick curling brought Grant and his wife Joan back to curling 27 years later in 2012. Use of the stick for the curling delivery has brought a great number of curlers back to the sport they love.

Grant epitomizes the volunteer aspect of curling, too. Recently he noticed there were only three hack protectors available when a curler is practising. The engineer attitude in him of identifying a problem and fixing it had him go home and build nine more, ensuring there are two for every sheet of ice, one at each end.

The Comox Valley Curling Centre is host to the BC Tim Hortons Sernior Curling Championship from Feb. 18-22. Admission is free so come to the curling centre on Headquarters Road to see the top men's and women's teams in B.C. compete to see who goes on to the national championships.

Anyone wishing information about learning to curl, open practice ice, drop-in curling or joining a curling league can check the curling centre website at www.comoxvalleycurling.com or call 250-334-4712.

 

– Comox Valley Curling Centre