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Stingers: Concordia curlers rock nationals 

By Daniel Rodrigues

There was ice but no skates, brooms but no dirt, rocks being thrown everywhere… all for the first time in Concordia sports history.

But for the four women representing the Stingers at the 2009 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) curling championships, the weekend was less about firsts and more about rockin' out ...hard!

Curling has a distinguished history in Canada, but the sport has just recently joined the CIS-governed roster of sports with the help of the help of the Canadian Curling Association. The CIS held its inaugural championship in 2008, but this year marked Concordia’s first foray into Canadian university curling.

“It was great getting to curl for Concordia,” said Brittany O’Rourke, who threw third stones for the Stingers. “It was the first time any of us got to curl for a school.”

Although partaking in the championship for the first time, experience was not something these competitors lacked – three have been involved in curling for more than seven years. In fact, O’Rourke along with second Sasha Beauchamp and skip Kristen Richard participated in the Canadian junior championships as members of Team Quebec from 2007 to '09.

To complete the quartet, the team brought on Erin Ryan, who has CIS championship experience as a member of the women’s rugby team, to throw lead stones for the Stingers.

“Curling is more mentally tough,” said Ryan when asked to compare the two sports. “In rugby, if you're not having your best game, your team can make up for it. In curling, you can’t get away with too many mistakes.”

Held here in Montreal last week, the Stingers didn't have the kind of inaugural hometown experience they probably would've liked. They dropped the opening game to Laurentian University before collecting two straight wins against the University of P.E.I. and the University of Alberta.

Match four saw the Stingers lose to the top-seeded and unbeaten University of Manitoba, ending any chance the team had to reach the medal round. After a final loss to Saint Mary’s University, the Stingers ended with a 2-3 record for the event.

“I think we played pretty well this week,” said O’Rourke. “We're still disappointed, but curling is a tough sport. It’s like chess on ice.

“Curling is more mentally tough,” said Ryan when asked to compare the two sports. “In rugby, if you're not having your best game, your team can make up for it. In curling, you can’t get away with too many mistakes.”

Even more important than the event itself, the tournament provided an opportunity to showcase one of Canada’s longest running sports, and organizers hope to see curling become more popular on the university circuit in the years to come.

“Hopefully more people will get a chance to see curling and maybe that will help people get more involved,” said Ryan.

The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks repeated as national champions, defeating Saint Mary's 6-4 in the final.