It’s my Parting Shot to prattle on for a bit about curling, a sport I have a love and somewhat dislike relationship with…..

When the announcement was made six weeks ago, wow it was that long ago already, that Saskatoon was going to host the 2027 Montana’s Brier – it got me reminiscing…..

…back to the days when I would go almost every Tuesday after school to the Rossmere Golf and Country Club and watch my Dad play in the River East Division Teacher’s League in Winnipeg. And, if their game was over quickly, I got to go out and throw a few rocks!

Or, playing in my first organized league, Bide-a-Wee Juniors when I was 12 years old at the old Strathcona Club in Winnipeg!

Or, winning tickets to the Air Canada Silver Broom in 1978 in Winnipeg off of a radio trivia contest!

Or, playing in the Manitoba Junior Men’s Championship in 1978 in Brandon!

Or, being on teams that won numerous men’s Grand Aggregate and “A” group titles, the trophies from which I used to have until my wife threw them out because she said they were, “dust collectors” and ugly!

Or, calling the rock-by-rock account of every Manitoba Tankard Men’s final on radio for listeners on either Brandon or Winnipeg stations from 1982 through 1990!

Or, getting to travel and cover Canada’s entry in the Silver Broom in 1984 in Duluth, Minnesota; 1985 in Glasgow, Scotland and 1986 in Toronto!

Or, getting to travel and cover Manitoba’s entry in the Brier in 1987 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario; 1988 in Chicoutimi, Quebec and 1989 here in Saskatoon!

Those were the times when I loved curling. It was fun, innocent and, for the most part with a significant enough dose of competitiveness. Those were the days when the game was more social than cut-throat. I remember sweeping with brooms – anyone remember the synthetic “rink rats?” – ash-trays and cup-holders on the sheet dividers and late nights upstairs in the lounge or downstairs in the “snake-pit.” I remember trying to drive home as the sun rose following a stint in an all-night bonspiel, complete with breakfast and drinks!

Does that still happen?! I hope so, but I think the sport has grown up – and not necessarily for the better!

I remember the chatter in Glasgow in 1985 that led to curling become an Olympic sport and I remember the “boring” cat calls from the stands at Saskatchewan Place in the 1989 Brier final when the game was put up a guard, peel, put up a guard, peel with more blank ends than ends with scoring in them. That brought us the infamous free guard zone, which was just instituted at the end of my competitive playing days – the winters of 100-plus games – when I moved from Winnipeg to Saskatoon in 1994!

I’m reminded of all this because Saskatoon is hosting the Grand Slam of Curling event – folks who are professionals playing the sport at a high level on pristine ice conditions in an arena! Back in the day, there were no curling pros – you worked a real job and planned your holidays around the big, competitive events if you felt your team was good enough – and arena ice was something to be feared because it wasn’t anywhere near as good as the stuff you played on at a club!

Yes, I still love curling – I’m not sure I like it the way it has become today! Enjoy the week at Merlis Belsher Place – I hope to show up and visit with Devin Heroux and be convinced to love it even more!!

That’s my Parting Shot. I’m Les Lazaruk…and it turned out nice again!