BAD ICE

Icemaking has become a combination of art and science, and it’s not often these days that curlers at major championships have to suffer with poor conditions. That hasn’t always been the case, however. Following are some recent examples of horrible ice at significant events.

1970 Brier

The ice at this championship was so heavy it removed almost all shotmaking abilities. Instead, players just heaved the rocks down the ice as hard as they could and hoped they’d make the rings. In one memorable game, British Columbia’s Lyle Dagg came short of the rings with his last rock to lose to Ontario’s Paul Savage. Dagg was playing a hit.

1992 Olympics

Curling was a demonstration sport at the ’92 Games. The competition was held in the ice rink of Pralognan-la-Vanoise, a venue about 50 kilometres from the host city, Albertville. Right from the start, the refrigeration unit didn’t work properly, and only one of the four sheets in the facility froze properly. The two middle sheets were unplayable and were covered with carpet, so the entire competition was reduced to two sheets. One was extremely frosty and the other always had a small film of water on it. The icemakers called in Canadian skip Kevin Martin, who had icemaking experience, to try to help, but when the opposing teams learned he was involved, they protested, and Martin was forbidden from helping. At the end of the week, Martin had the highest percentage of any curler at a ridiculously low 63, the lowest winning mark of any international championship on record.

1981 World Curling Championships

In the final game between the United States and Switzerland, the ice plant at Thompson arena failed in the late ends, and the ice began to melt slowly. By the time the teams played the final end, a small layer of water covered the surface, making it almost impossible to get rocks in play. The U.S. team hogged its first four shots, and Switzerland went on to win the title by a score of 2-1.

2001 Brier

When players complained that the ice conditions were too straight, preventing any aggressive play, the Canadian Curling Association asked renowned icemaker Shorty Jenkins to come in and work his magic. Despite his reputation for making superb ice, he had never worked on the Brier ice before. However, with limited time and resources, Jenkins overdid it, and put too much curl onto the sheets, making it nearly impossible to play. Following two draws, the CCA returned to its existing icemaker and flooded the surface to start over.

2005 Women’s World Championship

The event was held at the Lagoon Leisure Centre in Paisley, Scotland, and icemakers had their work cut out for them at this global tilt thanks to a number of factors. First, the ice rink was located next to a swimming pool, and humidity—curling ice’s worst enemy—was a constant factor. Also, because organizers refused to pay for a deionizer for the water that was used to pebble the ice, the first few draws had horrid conditions. Finally, the arena floor was concave, so the outside sheets were thicker ice than the inside ones, meaning significant differences in conditions between each sheet. Conditions were so bad, the fourth draw was actually cancelled. The event was also marred by officials who walked out after they learned they weren’t going to be paid, and by low attendance—often times there were more people on the ice than in the stands.