By:Graeme Corbett - Vernon Morning Star
Apparently, being masters of one winter sport isn’t enough for the Vernon Vipers. Feeding off the feel-good vibe of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the Snakes took to the ice at the Vernon Curling Club Wednesday afternoon for an impromptu session of Canada’s “other” national winter pastime.
Olympic champion Kevin Martin won’t have to worry about losing his title to this lot though. The majority of the Vipers didn’t know a hack from a hog line before Wednesday. Heck, most of the Vipers’ seven American import players didn’t really know what curling was until they started watching Canadian coverage of the Olympics.
The closest Vipers’ captain Kevin Kraus had come to curling was a game of shuffleboard.
Yet for athletes more used to toe drags than tap backs, the Vipers had smiles plastered on their faces the whole time.
“I don’t think there is curling in California,” said Los Angeles product Stevie Weinstein.
“At first when I got up here I really hated it, and then the Olympics got me into it. I was watching hockey and when that wasn’t on that’s what I watched. My billet dad (Brian De Boice) was right. He said I’d end up liking it and he was right.”
Vipers’ head coach Mark Ferner says the speedy, puck-moving d-man is one of the reasons they decided to hit the curling ice. Ferner had been looking for something the players could do to let off some steam and work on team building as they gear up for another B.C. Hockey League playoff run.
Vernon hosts Games 1 and 2 of the Interior Conference semifinals, Tuesday and Wednesday night respectively at Wesbild Centre.
Said Ferner: “Stevie Weinstein was watching curling alone in the office downstairs. I said ‘Chewy, what are you doing?’ and he says ‘you know what, I’ve never really seen this game, but I’m watching it more and more.’ That’s where it all kind of stemmed from.
“We had a lot of guys that didn’t really understand the game, but they found themselves watching it, so we thought we’d take them here. It’s probably once in a lifetime for some of these guys, and they’re having a ball.”
Vernon’s Kyle Anderson, who is gearing up for a playoff run of his own – he’s curling with Darren Heath’s rink at the B.C. Mixed Curling Championships, starting March 15 in Chilliwack – came down to show the Vipers a few pointers.
“They’re definitely better on the hockey ice, but there’s a few guys out here that I could definitely recruit and teach,” smiled the lanky 20-year-old. “(Garrett) Noonan has the skills down pretty good, and the Jones twins (Connor and Kellen) are good at everything they do.”
Added Noonan, a Norfolk, Mass. product: “I’m not gonna lie, I’m probably our best curler. I pulled a double-takeout a little earlier, and I’ve got a few more coming up.
“It’s pretty fun when you get to throw, but I don’t really like the other stuff.”
Not to be outdone, Bryce Kakoske nailed a clutch hit-and-stick for a point in his game. The veteran Vernon product still feels the sting of his first-ever curling encounter while doing a promotional event with his former club, the Westside Warriors.
“I curled against a blind curling team in Kelowna and they did a pretty good job against us. We lost pretty
handily,” smiled Kakoske.
Local curlers on the neighbouring sheets must have been wondering what a bunch of teens with blond mohawks were doing hooting and hollering on the ice. Yes, the Vipers are officially in playoff-mode, sporting the same hairstyles that won them a Royal Bank Cup championship last year.
“Don’t fix what’s not broken, right?” said Kraus. “We did a team vote and got everyone’s ideas involved, but the other ideas weren’t as good so we went with the same ol’ blond mohawks.”
