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Special Olympics: The joy of curling

One of the purposes of this series of articles about curling is that of hoping to introduce more of the public to the game, and the joy it brings.
Curlers
Back row (from left): Kody Pries and Bryan Ware. Front row: Lisa Wortley and Shelley McCuaig.

One of the purposes of this series of articles about curling is that of hoping to introduce more of the public to the game, and the joy it brings. If you want to actually feel the joy of curling, just drop into the Gibsons Curling Club any Saturday all winter long at about noon. You’ll feel the joy of curling filling the air the minute you walk into the curling rink. That joy comes from close to 16 Special Olympics curlers that you’ll find out on the ice. They’re simply, and very evidently, enjoying the game of curling. 

About 12 years ago, the Gibsons bowling alley closed. One of the groups most affected by that closure was the Special Olympic bowling team. It was a sport that had brought those with special needs together for years, and now it was gone. That closure left a hole in their important social and sports activities together. Another option open to them was the game of Special Olympics curling. The special needs community hadn’t considered it or tried that before. At first there was a reluctance on the part of these Special Olympians. Surely a game on ice would be too cold. But, a few of the athletes tried it, and over the years the interest and participation has grown to where it is today. 

A local curler with many years of experience, Bill Climie, has organized Special Olympics curling in Gibsons for the past number of years. Without Bill’s leadership, there probably would be no Special Olympics curling on the Sunshine Coast. Just like the regular Olympics, Special Olympics runs on a four-year cycle. In fact, our Gibsons Special Olympics team qualified for the Provincial Special Olympics Games last February in Vernon. Our Sunshine Coast Special Olympians take this seriously. 

Fifty-two-year-old Shelley McCuaig – she proudly told me her age and allowed me to tell you – is a Special Olympics curler. She participated in those Vernon Special Olympics earlier in the year, and she hopes to make it back again in four years’ time. This time she’s aiming to make it all the way to the World Special Olympics Championships. 

Shelley expresses it perhaps in the very best of terms: “I like curling. I just like having fun and being with all my friends.” That’s it, pure and simple.

Shelley is one of those who started curling 12 years ago, and there’s no sign of her stopping any time soon.

If you, or a family member of any age, have an interest in special needs curling here on the Sunshine Coast, just get in touch with the Gibsons Curling Club for more information at 604-886-7512.