Assemble 8:15am in hotel lobby and then across to Vernon CC for breakfast and morning classes. On the road at 9:30am sharp to head to Kelowna. Everybody in really good spirits after a bawdy night and morning class to match.
Nice story from bus driver Brendan McCulloch. His great great uncle was Tom Shaughnessy who was a director of the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railroad). One night at his house near Montreal he had a visit from Donald Smith (fellow director and later lord Strathcona). While they were talking, the servants turned away a scruffy guy who wanted to talk to him. Later the tramp came back and the servants threw him out into the snow again. Then Shaughnessy and Smith went to see what was going on. The “tramp” was Captain Rogers, who had come to report that he had found a route through the Rocky Mountains. The CPR now passes through the Rogers Pass. This story was passed to our driver Bren by his grandmother.
Dropped John Shea off at Kelowna Airport for him to fly to Toronto. Arrive at Kelowna Curling Club, currently the largest in the world (12 sheets) welcomed by General Manager Jock Tyre and Vice President, Shaun Everest. The stones got rubbed a couple of days ago. Watching some of the locals throwing stones, we seem to be looking at 12-14 ft swings at draw weight. On the ice for 1:30pm.
Ceremonial rock thrown by club member and 1994 world men’s champion Gerry Richard, who also coached the Canadian womens team who won 2006 world ladies.
Good results for the West Tour with three wins, one loss which turns our overall score positive again at plus 8. The Kelowna players simply couldn’t play their own ice with swings like that. It seems crazy that they would make such a huge change to the playing conditions just two days prior to our match.
Meet Ralph, our courier for the the next leg of the tour.
Quick turn around and back to the Club by 7pm for a buffet dinner of pork and salmon. Three pipers then played a few tunes before introducing the Highland Fire Dance group who performed some traditional Highland dances as well as some modern variations. Alistair Crozier gave all seven of the young ladies Saltire pins.
Bus left for hotel at 10pm.
No bar in the hotel. Cactus Club across the way for most us will do. Cam decides to organise a kitty and collects $10 a head from all of us, which will probably cover nearly half of the first round.
Steven McClymont