The 2010 edition of the Casino Rama Curling Skins Game had a little of everything: shrieking women in the crowd; grown men speaking with foreign accents; curling veterans in unfamiliar clothing; and a scoring system that required actual mental calculations on the part of players, spectators and the media.
It was more than simple rock ’n’ roll – and yet I got a sense the majority on hand loved it.
The Glenn Howard Fan Club was out in full force, eagerly cheering on the three-time world champion and his team from the Coldwater and District Curling Club.
From the country that continues in its attempts to cover the world in tartan, Scotland was represented by world champion Dave Murdoch. Rounding out the field were teams skipped by the dynamic Edmonton duo of Kevin Martin and Randy Ferbey.
In the biggest surprise of all, Murdoch and his buddies from the highlands walked away with the title and $70,500 in cash, holding Ferbey penniless in Sunday’s final.
Though respected in curling circles, it was clear the pro-Howard crowd wasn’t going to be offering standing ovations for either Martin or Ferbey. Feelings are still raw after Martin defeated Howard in the recent Olympic curling trials, while Ferbey is thought of by some as too much of a hotdog in the sport.
Oh, did I mention Wayne Middaugh made an appearance, as well?
A week ago, the Victoria Harbour resident was planning a quality weekend with his daughters when Ferbey asked him to head to Casino Rama.
Some 48 hours after the call, there was Middaugh on the ice at the Entertainment Centre, in front of some 4,000 people, sporting colours most normal males wouldn’t be caught dead wearing.
“It’s different for sure, but, at the end of the day, we’re just four guys out there just trying to make the best shots you can,” said Middaugh.
With $7,000 already in his pocket by Saturday afternoon’s fifth end, Howard seemed well on his way to guiding his rink into Sunday’s final. But the precise draw weight the three-time world champion has become known for abandoned him faster than a wayward cat at the Westminster Dog Show.
It left Howard falling back into an uncomfortable pattern of trying to explain to media members why games got away.
“I made my shot in the seventh end and, for some reason, the shot in eight curled a foot more than it had all game. Why I did that I don’t know, because the weight was there,” said Howard.
The sting of the December loss to Martin at the Olympic trials still claws at Howard.
“And it’ll be like that for quite a while,” he said. “Losing a game like that isn’t something you get over easily.”
Despite being unaccustomed to playing the slower-paced, bang-and-crash style of the Skins Game, Murdoch indicated he was just happy to be in Canada enjoying the moment.
“I’m having a great time, and so is the rest of the team,” he said.
Yes, it was something of a skull-tickler last weekend at Casino Rama. And I managed to go the entire weekend without hearing someone in the crowd scream “hurry hard.”
Imagine that.
mdodd@simcoe.com
