Curling in Africa

We recently stumbled across this ancient story – okay, 1982 isn't that long ago, but ours is a pretty old sport, right? – describing a curling experience in the Ivory Coast, some 24 years ago (photo).

And in true curling fashion, it has an amusing twist – er, rip – at the end. Great stuff.

Meanwhile, one of the worst-kept secrets in curling is about to be officially revealed... next month, that is. That's when a news conference is planned to announce that Winnipeg will host the Brier in March 2008, their first Tim Hortons hosting gig since the 1998 event, won by Ontario's Wayne Middaugh over Quebec's Guy Hemmings.

In revealing the news, Winnipeg Free Press writer Paul Wiecek states that “The last major curling event held in the city was the 2003 world curling championship.”

Eh? Whaa..?

What about the Grand Slam of Curling, which has found a comfortable home at Winnipeg's new MTS Centre the last two years? With big-name teams, national TV and record World Curling Tour crowds to boot?

• D'OH: A lovely little tornado touched down in the Ontario cottage town of Gravenhurst this week, causing assorted mayhem. It also, rudely, tore the roof off the curling club. Which had just been replaced a couple of years earlier, naturally...

• Politicians in Moose Jaw are finally going to vote on their proposed new curling (et al) facility, but the situation still sounds a complete mess...

• It didn't take long for former Toronto Olympic/CBC curling guy Mike Harris to be labelled a local Calgary yokel. The Calgary Sun called him a “city sports star” in announcing that Harris, Calgary Stampeders quarterback Henry Burris and former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy were the honourary co-chairs of yesterday's 11th Annual Scotiabank Charity Golf Classic in support of the Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter, played at Calgary Elks Lodge & Golf Club...

• The Curling Show has the one and only Kerry Burtnyk in the house. The world champion is back on the ice this fall after a one-year hiatus, and is steering a bunch of youngsters to boot. Check out Dean Gemmell’s Q&A today...

• Look, folks, we hooked another one...

• And speaking of Blogspots... Blogcritic’s resident curling expert has discovered The Curling News story about Italy’s Joel Retournaz defecting to Switzerland, and the one-liners pour forth:

Those Swiss lulled us into a belief they were this adorable little country that couldn't harm a fly, all the while feeding us Toblerone until we don't know what hit us.

Well Italy, hope you enjoyed your curling phenom while it lasted. If you need him, he's in the Alps right now with the sound of music.

Zing!