Fur Rondy: Curling Bonspiel (02-23-2023)

Had I heard of curling?  Yes.  I watched it once, not for very long, during one of the winter Olympics.  It seemed odd.  I saw curling on the Fur Rondy schedule and decided to give it another chance.

Turned out to be an excellent decision!  

First, it took us to a new part of town.  The Anchorage Curling Club is located in an area of Anchorage known as Government Hill.  Government Hill is a neighborhood in northwest Anchorage.  It is on the north side of Ship Creek and west of Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson.  BB and I had been to Ship Creek for the Duck Race; however,  had never explored the neighborhoods beyond the creek.

I expected the Curling Club to be an arena with an ice rink in the middle.  No!  BB and I walk in to my idea of the quintessential neighborhood pub (the Club calls it the lounge).  A bar lines one wall, tables are spread about the room.  And people are everywhere; lots of talking and laughing going on.  People are having a good time.  It takes a minute for me to find the ice.  At the far end of the room is a big window.  The ice playing surface (in curling called the Curling Sheet) is on the other side of the window.  BB and I see signs of the game (sticks, big stones, curling trophies and posters) as make we make our way through the crowd.   When we peer through the window we expect to see people playing the game.  Instead we see Fur Rondy Royalty!  The Princesses are getting photographed on the ice.  

The Princess end up gathering near us when they return to the lounge.  We ask for a picture and they graciously say 'Yes.'   The Princesses  have multiple Fur Rondy pins on their sashes, prompting us to say we have pins but forgot to wear them.  We are warned to remember them or face the possibility of being put in Fur Rondy Jail. (The Kiwanis Club Keystone Kops  lock up Festival attendees that aren't wearing a pin.  Buying a pin gets you out of jail.  This is the Kiwanis Club's largest fundraiser).  They ask if we have attended other Fur Rondy events and we tell them of our visits to view the Snow Sculptures.  Princess Dakoma Epperly-Mae tells us her family is participating in the Snow Sculpture event.   Her family's sculpture is titled  'Deception'; we tell her we saw it  

It is at this time announcements are made, one of which is that the designer of the 2023 Fur Rondy pin, Crystal Epperly,  is in attendance.  She is standing near me!  I tell her I think it is a beautiful pin.  I notice Princess Dakoma taking something off her sash and going over to the designer, who is also her mother.  What a surprise when Dakoma comes to me with a 2023 Fur Rondy pin that is autographed by her mother!  Wow!  

Royalty leaves to go to other events.  We settle down to learn about and watch curling.  We have comfortable seats directly in front of the windows.  Two woman near us happily answer our questions about curling.  Both of them participate in the sport.  One of them is here from Scotland.  (Curling originated in Scotland in the 16th century).  The other is acting as Club Ambassador.

Princesses have their pictures taken on the curling sheet:

With the Princesses:

Princess Dakoma and Pin Designer Crystal Epperly:

  

The Pin

Playing the Game.

Don't call it the Target; it is the House.  The center is the Button not the Bullseye.

 

The players push off from a Hack.  

 

Players wear special shoes.  One foot has a slippery sole that allows the player to glide on the ice.  The other shoe has a gripper sole that doesn't slide on the ice.  

Sweeping the ice ahead of the stone.  Sweeping can make the stone move faster, decrease the amount of curl or remove debris from the ice.

Sal