Mo'vember 2009

We’ve talked about it before, and we’re talking about it again... It’s Mo’vember.

This is the month in which to raise awareness about prostate cancer, to raise some money for research and hopefully save lives.

This is the most common cancer among Canadian males, afflicting one in six men, and is a greater threat for those with a family history of the disease.

That’s more than one guy on every sheet of ice during a men’s curling league night at a six-sheet club.

In the past, high-performance competitors have shown support by growing a Mo’vember moustache.

Last year we showed you the wonderfully cheesy Team Glenn Howard, all four of them adorned with a variety of facial foliage.

Team Brad Gushue lead man Jamie Korab also participated, at the 2008 Masters of Curling in Waterloo, Ontario (Capital One photo above by Anil Mungal).

Please visit the Mo’vember website for more information.

Brier fashion

by Dalene Heck

CALGARY – “It’s a curling game, not a fashion show,” says Mom.

I heard this a few times growing up. And she was right at the time – I mean, did it really matter if my hair scrunchy matched my curling jacket?

However, with the full exposure and the dozens of hours of TV time that the Brier gets, it is understandable that some of the boys are paying attention to what they are wearing on the ice… and, dare I say, even accessorizing!

I could write pages about fashion misses over the years. Dare I bring up Fred Maxie and his headband, circa 1994? Or what about the decades worth of national championships where Manitoba teams were required to wear the worst possible shade of brown from head to toe?

I’ll let the past be. This year’s Brier fashion has it’s own share of hits and misses to comment on…

• The time for the white belts has passed. Sorry Ontario – you made big waves a couple of years ago by breaking the standard and wearing white belts, kudos to you for that. However, you’ve pushed that fashion statement for long enough (photo above of Craig Savill). Please put those back in the closet after this week. Oh yeah, and toss the white shoes that you wore to the opening banquet in there with them.

• The time for jazzy belt buckles is here! Quebec and New Brunswick are leading the way with provincial flag (and superhero!) tributes.

• Fellas, please. You are going to be on national TV. Would it have killed you to get a haircut before getting on the plane to Calgary? You know who you are.

• Oh, Jamie Korab. When some of my friends knew I was going to be writing about fashion, they immediately attacked your hair. I jumped to your defense. While your current hairstyle isn’t entirely my thing, I understand you wanting to showcase your inner Kanye, and I’m okay with that. At least it’s actually a style that is current!

• The CCA and/or Mondetta must take a “hit” as well. I’m glad I was sitting at ice level for the New Brunswick versus Manitoba game otherwise I would have had no idea who was who. White letters on yellow shirts versus yellow letters on white shirts. Brilliant.

I should note that I am writing this post while relaxing on my couch in my giant-baby-one-piece-footed-pink-camouflage-fleece-pajamas. Now THAT is fashion, baby!

World Wheelchair curling playoffs

VANCOUVER – So your curling fandom revolves around the Scotties, does it?

Did you know there is a Canadian team battling in a world championship right now? And in relative obscurity? And in British Columbia, not far from the Victoria STOH?

The last time we saw Jim Armstrong he was teaching some poor patsy the three-man lift, a gimmick that has been carried on in fine fashion by famous lead players Jamie Korab (Team Brad Gushue), Ben Hebert (Team Kevin Martin) and others.

It was right around his days as president of the World Curling Players’ Association, and somewhat far removed from his playing career which saw him compete in six Briers, losing the 1987 final to Russ Howard.

So it is initially, admittedly, a bit shocking to see the big man wheeling round the brand new Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre, wearing the Maple Leaf for the first time as skip for Team Canada at the 2009 World Wheelchair Curling Championship (WCF photo by Dallas Bittle, click to zoom).

But we get used to seeing this. Armstrong looks comfortable – enough – and patient in his chair. Only playing for two years, after first being invited to “hang out” with Team Canada at a training camp, Armstrong is now the skip of a national team that has been rebuilding ever since 2006 Paralympic champion skip Chris Daw left the scene.

We asked Jim if he’s ever tempted to just stand up, get out of that chair and walk over to the stone he wants to freeze to, or hit, or draw around.

“Yeah,” said Army.

“But that first step would be ugly.”

Was he initially nervous, playing for Canada for the first time in his career?

“Yeah I was, a little bit,” said Armstrong.

“I think anytime you’re in this setting, if you’re not getting the butterflies there’s something wrong.”

There are some colourful characters in wheelchair curling. German skip Jens Jaeger lets out occasional whoops and likes to take mock, exaggerated bows to his coaches and fans with every victory.

Jaeger hasn’t been in the worlds since 2005 – when he finished in 13th place – but he smoked everybody at the Worlds Qualifier in Prague, and he is pretty much smoking everybody here in Vancouver – he’s through to the Page 1/2 game Friday night, against Sweden. He’s certainly come a long way.

Canada plays another colourful team, the United States, in the Page 3/4 game, also Friday night at 8:00pm. They finished third, Canada fourth. They also won bronze last year. And they have a few wild childs on that team, let us tell you.

Then there’s China and Korea – two teams among five that finished just one game out of the playoffs – which are the loudest teams around. Both squads like to yell at the rocks, from release to finish, as if they want to just stand up, get out of those chairs and run over to the stones to sweep them. Chinese skip Haitao Wang has a particularly brutish, gutteral baritone... which you can hear from the players’ lounge.

These guys – and gals – can shoot, too. And they’re incredibly pleasant, funny and grounded, even compared to the majority of able-bodied curlers.

“There are no asses in this game,” says Armstrong.

“And I’m guessing its because they’ve all got a story about how they got here.”

You got that right, Army.

Here’s hoping that Vancouverites come out and support the wheelies, support Team Canada. There’s only a handful of draws left: Frday night (8:00pm), Saturday morning (9:00am) and the Gold and Bronze Medal games on Saturday at 2:30pm.

Admission is just five bucks.

So get down here. Here’s the event website.

For those outside Vancouver, you can follow the results here... and read a ton of draw summaries here... but best of all is some live blogging, focussing on Team Canada games, going on at the popular Wheelchair Curling Blog.

If you can get out of your chair – unlike these athletes – then come on down. Otherwise, get online and check it out.