Bonspiel, Baby!

Another epic curling weekend is in the books. This past weekend was the 10th Annual Pinehurst Bonspiel, and our third year of competing.

For the uninitiated, a bonspiel is a multi-team curling tournament. Curling, for the those who don’t watch the winter olympics or live in Canada, is a sport where teams slide 45-pound granite rocks down a sheet of ice and try to get the highest number of rocks on the bullseye. The part they don’t show on the Olympics is called “Broomstacking,” wherein the opposing teams drink together following the match. Broomstacking is a critical element of the sport, just ask any curler.

After nine years of practice, the Pinehurst team has this event down to a science. Sixty-four teams compete on four curling sheets on South Twin. Although ice quality has improved over the early years thanks to a Zamboni, it’s still lake ice, with all the dips and bumps and ripples that the lake so generously gives. But that’s what makes it interesting: the ice changes over the course of the weekend, challenging the teams to adjust their strategies as the tournament progresses.

@ClassyDavey waiting for the Ice Bar to open

Every year, the Pinehurst team constructs an Ice Bar, right on the lake and just steps from the curling sheets. Even though it’s a temporary shelter, it’s always toasty warm and has plenty of viewing spots. A great play list blasts out on outdoor speakers to keep everyone bopping and moving to the beat. Ice sculptures welcome attendees and visitors alike.

This year’s Bonspiel was the warmest one we’ve attended thus far: temps on Saturday morning were above zero! The wind created a subzero windchill temperature, but it was no -30 degrees like we had in 2018. This year, in fact, I had to take the hand warmers out of my mittens when we were competing because my hands were getting too hot.

Our team, The Fighting Amish, included return curler, Eric Hylden, and Rookie of the Weekend, Breta MacPhie. Breta might have said yes to the invite before she realized how many layers of clothing would be required. She was especially surprised when I said that she’d need snow pants for throwing the rocks. Naturally, she had been visualizing the elegant lunge move that all the curlers have in the Olympics.

Curling is somewhat less elegant at the Pinehurst. Canadians, avert your eyes:

Although we weren’t able to advance into the winners’ brackets, we still managed to have a great time. We’ll definitely be back next year!

The Fighting Amish. Victorious in our own minds.