A world championship is being contested at the 91大黄鸭 Curling Club this week, but there鈥檚 a logo on the wall at the away end that is a vivid reminder of 91大黄鸭鈥檚 biggest-ever curling event, half a century ago.
The 1968 Macdonald Brier was contested at 91大黄鸭鈥檚 Memorial Arena 鈥� just a 15-minute walk due south from the curling club 鈥� and while the star of the show was Alberta鈥檚 Ron Northcott, who claimed his first of back-to-back Brier titles with a 10-1 record, two other players from that Canadian championship are here this week with more than a passing interest in what鈥檚 transpiring at the 2018 Winn Rentals World Mixed Curling Championship, according to a Team Canada news release.
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Jim Waite 鈥� who played second for Don Gilbert鈥檚 Ontario team in 1968 鈥� is coaching the Canadian team this week in 91大黄鸭, a team that improved to 4-1 on Tuesday morning with a 10-1 paddling of New Zealand鈥檚 Dave Watt (0-4).
And Jim Anderson, the father of Canadian skip Mike Anderson, played second in 1968 for the New Brunswick foursome skipped by Jim Ayer.
It really is a great experience,鈥� said Waite, a longtime coach of various Canadian national teams. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure the rest of the team was aware that this is such an important place for Jim鈥檚 and my past But when I came in and saw that logo, the memories came back right away.鈥�
Waite鈥檚 Ontario team, in fact, was the only one that bested Northcott, who finished atop the field with a 9-1 record, the release said.
鈥淲e were tied coming home and there were a lot of rocks out front,鈥� recalled Waite. 鈥淗e (Northcott) had to play two raise takeouts to get our rock out and he missed them both by just a hair.鈥�
Ontario and Anderson鈥檚 New Brunswick team would finish with identical 6-4 records. Interestingly, Anderson鈥檚 vivid memory of that Brier also was a game against Alberta.
鈥淚f I remember correctly, we had to play Alberta on the Tuesday night, and that was the first night they had to turn on the lights for colour TV,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut the time we got to the 11th and 12th ends, the ice was almost unplayable. I believe in the last end, only one rock made it to the house.鈥�
Waite has been back to 91大黄鸭 since, but Anderson, who now lives in Markham, Ont., is making his first trip to the Okanagan since he was slinging the corn broom for New Brunswick at Memorial Arena.
鈥淚t鈥檚 perfect,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淚鈥檝e known Jim for a long time, and being here with Mike and this team, is great fun.鈥�
Both Waite and Anderson had plenty of fun watching on Tuesday morning as Canada 鈥� Mike Anderson is backed up by vice-skip Danielle Inglis, second Sean Harrison and lead Lauren Harrison 鈥� played its best game of the week to close within one victory of locking up a playoff berth.
Canada opened with three in the first end, and then proceeded to steal one in the second, three more in the third and one in the fourth.
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New Zealand got one back in the fifth, but the Canadian team, representing the Thornhill, Ont., Curling Club, but the game away with two in the sixth end.
鈥淭hat felt a lot like the nationals last year in Swan River (Man.),鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淭he ice was one game further along and we had a better feel for it. If that鈥檚 not as good as we can play, it鈥檚 pretty damn close.鈥�
Canada closes out its round-robin schedule with 8 a.m. PT games Wednesday against Hungary鈥檚 Zoltan Palancsa (2-2) and Thursday against Slovakia鈥檚 Daniela Matulova (4-0), the release said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not taking anything for granted yet, but we like the position we鈥檙e in,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淣ow it鈥檚 about trying to figure out how to get our game to where it needs to be for Friday and Saturday.鈥�
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