Youth curlers took to the ice during the annual Strathmore Curling Club’s Funspiel on Feb. 26.
“A Funspiel is a curling bonspiel which usually has a prize of some sort for every participant. The emphasis is on fun and not so much on winning,” Coach Marla Forth said.
There was a total of 64 curlers on 16 teams, ranging between seven and 12 years of age.
“The Funspiel is an opportunity for my junior curlers to curl outside their own club. It confirms to the kids that curling is a very social sport, and it’s so nice to see the kids interacting with so many new faces,” Forth said. “They also get to try curling on a different ice surface, so they understand that each club has its own feel with a different speed and amount of curl that the stones have.”
Forth said the Funspiel went well, was well organized, and stayed on schedule with the help of the coaches keeping the youth on task during each game.
Forth heard a lot of positive feedback from parents, that they were amazed about how smoothly the event went, the day went by quickly, and they didn’t have to keep their children occupied between games, because they were having so much fun team bonding, visiting, and playing card games during downtime.
The Funspiel was an opportunity for the curling club to get extra games in before the season finishes at the end of March.
“It’s so wonderful to see them gain confidence in their abilities and see how they compare to other clubs,” Forth said. “I like to promote a quote from elite Canadian curler Cheryl Bernard, ‘You Either Win or You Learn,’ and the kids did a bit of winning and a bit of learning during this Funspiel experience.”
