New Brunswick curling club hosts ‘Human Bonspiel’

The Fundy Curling Club in Riverside-Albert, N.B., held a weekend bonspiel that involved people instead of rocks.

The Fundy Curling Club in Riverside-Albert, N.B., has been sliding stones across the pebbled ice since 1962.

Over the course of the club’s 63-year history, year-end festivities typically consist of a bonspiel or tournament. This year’s event had a slightly different look. Curling rocks were replaced with people on the sheets.

“We went and bought a whole bunch of Canadian made flying saucers, just like you would push your kid down a hill on,” says human bonspiel co-organizer Alan Demaline. “Just like curling we have teams of four people who will be sitting in the saucers. Your teammates will deliver you down the ice right into the house, just like regular curling, then the other team is going to deliver you down and will count up the points.”

Thirty-two people making up eight teams signed up for the inaugural event, including the curling club’s only under 18 women’s team.

Games consisted of six ends. Each team threw two “rocks” per end. The living curling stones wore helmets for safety during collisions.

“Right now, it feels risky,” says Daniel Sinclair, sitting in the house with people sliding down the ice toward him. “To now be the rock, a new appreciation for the sport for sure.”

Hurling human rocks seems simple enough but there is some strategy involved.

“It’s trying to get your weight right, same as curling,” says Jeff Cooke. “The pushers got to try to get you down there and unfortunately you don’t have sweepers. I think I could get down there if I had a sweeper but it’s a lot of fun.”

The idea for the human bonspiel came after one curler did a similar event in Ontario and asked about doing something similar at Fundy Curling Club. Members said the idea received overwhelming support.

“We’re always looking for unique and fun ways to raise money,” says Demaline. “I’m looking forward to the smiles on our members faces. I’m looking forward to people coming together in a super unique fun event.”

The money raised from the human bonspiel goes back into the curling club. In their small community, Demaline says the club is about more than sport.

“It’s about community,” says Demaline “We’re very involved with our local school, we’re very involved with our guides. We have them come in at no charge every year just to try to encourage them to do something in their community close to home that’s inexpensive and just, can last a lifetime.”

There were prizes - including the saucer cup trophy – but the human bonspiel focused more on comradery than winning. After the overwhelming support, Demaline said he expects the tournament to become an annual event for the club.

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