LONDON, ONT. -- Some local celebrities will be trying to entertain the crowd, while at the same time learning the sport of curling when the Continental Cup comes to London in early January.
The event includes a game featuring well-known personalities from the region on sheet four, right next to matches featuring some of the best curlers in the world.
“That fourth sheet is for different things during the week,” says Jim Waite, former Canadian national team coach. “They’ll have ‘little rocks,’ wheelchair and blind matches, Western vs. Fanshawe and have a celebrity game.”
Skipped by provincial stars Scott McDonald and Kim Tuck, the four-end match will feature stars like figure skater Scott Moir and hockey's Brandon Prust, along with CTV anchors Sacha Long and Julie Atchison.
Some of them were getting a clinic at Highland Curling Club Tuesday morning.
“I'm glad I got to come to a clinic because it’s been a lot of fun learning the sport for the first time,” says Atchison. “Scott [McDonald] and Kim are not only great coaches, but we get to curl with them.”
Picking up the nuances of the sport is not easy and Waite was impressed with the ability of the first-time curlers.
“Trying to get them into slide position, then the right direction and then the weight is the key,” adds Waite. “Most of them throw it way too hard when they start, they think they have to throw a rocket, but they don’t.”
Prust - a former NHL player known for his rough style of play - agrees that this sport needs a delicate touch.
“For me it was just the weight,” he says. “I’m used to being fairly aggressive but I need more touch. The technique I picked up quickly, but getting the right weight I'll have to work on.”
The tournament will be played at Western Fair Sports Centre in London from Jan. 9-12.
