The finish wasn’t quite what they wanted.
However, despite losing in an extra-end to Ontario in the gold medal game in the 65+ men’s curling competition at the Canada 55+ Games in Brampton, Ont. last week, the local rink skipped by Don Christopher were ecstatic with how they preformed.
“We didn’t know what to expect going in, especially with this being our first time there,” Christopher said. “We were all really happy with how well we curled as a team and we felt like we did a great job in representing the province.
“We’re all a little disappointed that we came so close to winning the final game. However, coming back with a silver medal isn’t too shabby at all.”
Christopher, who was joined on his squad by third Bob Krismer, second Keith Bell and lead Terry Mitchell, said his rink was in good shape in the final before Ontario clawed their way back to win 7-6.
“We beat them in the round-robin in an extra-end, so we were all hoping for a similar result in the final,” Christopher said. “They played well though and they were well deserving champions.
“The entire competition was very close all week. I was quite impressed with the caliber of the curling, especially since it’s the middle of the summer and no one had thrown a rock since March or April. There was a little bit of rust that we all had to work off, but after a couple of ends it felt like a bonspiel at the end of a curling season.”
Even though the competition took place in the middle of August, Christopher said the ice conditions were fantastic during the event.
“They put ice in two different venues,” Christopher said. “We played out of the Brampton Curling Club and we also had games at one of the hockey rinks in the city.
“They did a fantastic job in putting everything together. The ice was keen and it was like we were curling in the middle of winter.”
Taking part in the Canada 55+ Games was also a memorable experience for the Christopher rink.
“It was different than what we all expected to be honest,” Christopher said. “There was around 1,700 participants in all of the events and then you have another 700 people with the spectators, spouses and volunteers, so it can get pretty busy at times.
“Even with all of the people there, they did an excellent job. The opening and closing ceremonies were phenomenal and the entire atmosphere was great from start to finish.”
With the 55+ Games experience now over, Christopher and the rest of his foursome are now gearing up for another season of curling locally at the Twin Rivers Curling Club.
“We’ve been curling regularly in the men’s evening league here for quite a few years now and we plan to be curling for a number of years yet,” Christopher said.
“We’re all over the age of 70 so even if we don’t have a chance to go back to the games, we’re really happy with how everything turned out.”
