THE KING OF SWING

Shorty Jenkins is well-known as the first truly great icemaker in curling. Over the years he has established many techniques for making the playing surface better, and in the process he has become a well-recognized figure at major curling events. Here are some facts about the man:

• His first name is really Clarence.

• He was raised in an orphanage in Victoria, British Columbia.

• He served in the Canadian Air Force.

• He competed in the 1974 Ontario men’s curling championships and experienced such bad playing conditions, he decided he would do something about it and started a career as an icemaker.

• He was the first person to time how long it took rocks to travel down the ice. He used his method to judge the condition of his surface, but it has become a much-used way of determining the changing speed of the ice by competitive teams.

• He used an infrared gun to determine the temperature of the ice and learned that different colour rock handles can absorb different amounts of heat, which can affect their speed.

• He starred in his own Tim Hortons television commercial, which was later spoofed by the Canadian comedy show This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

• He is often seen at curling events wearing his trademark pink cowboy hat.