THUNDER BAY – Students at Westmount Public School have been brushing up on their curling knowledge.
They showed off their trivia and rock-throwing skills on Thursday in the south-side school’s gymnasium, impressing athletes representing three of the 18 teams that will take part in the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, scheduled to kick off on Friday night at Fort William Gardens.
Alberta’s Selena Sturmay, who opens play against B.C.’s Corryn Brown, said her team loves stopping by local schools any time they get the chance, to spread the word about curling and try to inspire youngsters to take up the sport.
“We love inspiring youth curlers and getting sheer joy and passion for the game. I think that’s really important for us curlers to do, to give back to the community. We’re super grateful to be here,” Sturmay said.
“Seeing the joy in the kids’ eyes, even if it is small games like this, they’re really intrigued and interested and show a lot of excitement with it, so that’s really cool to see.”
Sturmay’s team, one of three to pre-qualify for the Scotties based on their spot in the Canadian Team Ranking System, was joined at Westmount by all five members of Prince Edward Island’s entry and two of Kate Cameron’s Manitoba champion squad, lead Mackenzie Elias and second Brianna Cullen.
P.E.I. skip Jane DiCarlo said giving back is what it’s all about.
“We all started curling at about this same age in elementary school. We’re really excited to have this opportunity. A couple of us used to be Rocks and Rings instructors. Veronica (Mayne) is an elementary school teacher, so we’re familiar with the territory,” DiCarlo said.
“We have an early childhood educator on our team as well, so it’s an age group that we are really comfortable with and we’re excited to share the same passion.”
Like their Alberta counterparts, the sheer joy on the students’ faces made it all worthwhile.
“They were so, so knowledgeable about the sport. You could tell the school is passionate about it too, so to send out trivia questions and to know about the button and the hammer and a blank, that is next level,” DiCarlo said.
It should come as no surprise that Westmount was a fount of curling knowledge, given one of their most visible staff members is Diane Adams, who played second on Heather Houston’s Scotties champion teams in 1988 and 1989, winning a world title in 1989.
Adams, excited to join Scotties alumni at an event on Saturday night, said she was a little nervous knowing the current-day curlers would be at her school.
“I felt like I was still playing at the Scotties and I know exactly how these athletes are feeling. It was nice to see the school engaged and very excited about it,” Adams said.
“I think right now there is so much social media and Facebook, and the kids are on iPads so much, that just getting them out learning about different sports is a great experience.”
The opening draw on Friday starts at 7 p.m.
