Equipment
Cleaning your brush
Over the weeks you spend curling, your synthetic brush head accumulates a lot of dirt, lint and other debris that eventually gets difficult to remove with the scrub brushes at the end of each sheet. If you find your brush head looks particularly dirty, you’ll need to clean it with detergent and water. Here’s how. There is no reason to be concerned about compliance with Curling Canada or WCF regulations for a WCF-approved 55 Oxford Nylon 420 Denier mustard-yellow brush pad or sleeve; neither Curling Canada nor the World Curling Federation have a policy regarding the cleaning of sleeve or pad fabric, so cleaning the fabric with a small amount of detergent (not soap) and rinsing thoroughly will be just fine. Today’s brushes feature removable pads that are held in place by the two large bolts on either side of the handle. The synthetic pads are typically nylon cloth over a thin piece of foam, mounted to a plastic base
Where to buy curling shoes – part deux
Now that it is December, I know that several parents are looking at curling equipment as Christmas presents for their kids this year. Previously, I mentioned a number of suppliers that offer curling shoes, clothing, brooms, and other related equipment. In this article I would like to mention Kirk McElwain’s Curling Supplies in Elora as a local option for purchasing curling equipment. In addition to being convener of the Bantam Interclub league, Kirk is also President of the Elora Curling Club: I try to carry a reasonably complete sample of product from Asham, BalancePlus, Goldline & Tournament/Ultima so that our club members can see what is available, try things on for size, etc., without having to travel all over Ontario to the various show rooms. Except for curling pants, I have discovered that clothing doesn’t move very well so I don’t have much of that in stock – but, I do carry shoes from all of the suppliers listed above
Where to find curling shoes
Curling shoes can significantly improve a delivery by allowing a longer slide, and thus a greater degree of flexibility in precisely where during the delivery to release a stone. If your son or daughter is interested in a pair of curling shoes, there are a number of retailers and distributors who can help you. Retail/wholesale distributors/manufacturers of curling shoes include: Goldline, with its main store at 6620 Kitimat Rd, Mississauga, (800)-465-6900. Balance Plus, located at Unit 1, 99 Hooper Rd in Barrie, (800)-715-1715. Asham Curling Supplies, 700 McPhillips Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, (800)-267-5730. Asham’s has an outlet in Vaughan, ON located at Unit 7, 9000 Keele Street, (866)-514-2875. During a recent trip to Goldline at their main Mississauga store, I found that they had a fairly good selection of shoes in small sizes suitable for younger players, starting at women’s size 5, in three different models. It can be difficult finding children-sized curling shoes locally. The Elmira club has a small
Where to buy mitts for curling – part trois
Proper curling mitts make all the difference between being comfortable on the ice or suffering from cold hands. This morning I found a replacement pair of my all-time favourite curling mitts at O. W. Sports, located at 32 King St. in Uptown Waterloo across from Waterloo Town Square. These mitts are made by Kombi, and the model is the XC Glide Mitt with Ultraloft insulation. They are thin cross-country skiing mitts with a nylon back and a leather-like synthetic palm, and feature stretch fleece cuffs. Warm and comfortable but without the bulk, they are absolutely great for brushing. They’re also available in four colours, including black with pink trim. I’ll be happy to show them to anyone who’s interested in what I wear on the ice.
Where to buy mitts for curling – part deux
Another shopping trip for curling mitts – this time to O. W. Sports, located at 32 King St. in Uptown Waterloo across from Waterloo Town Square. The staff here were very helpful and their selection of mitts and gloves is quite extensive. Many of the mitts they have are more suited to downhill skiing or snowboarding, however, and in my view are too bulky (i.e. too much insulation) for use in curling. Nonetheless, O. W. Sports does offer a selection of mitts suitable for curling in childrens’ sizes. These include: Manufacturer Brand Name Colours Kombi Flatspin junior mitt Black Swany Tazer mitt (juniors) Black Kombi Gracie Mitt S (a larger size) Black
Where to buy mitts for curling
Several parents have asked what mitts are suitable for curling and where they can be bought – so here’s an answer. First, some personal experience: I find mitts work much better than gloves, especially for those kids with smaller hands. You can also get away with thinner insulation with mitts than you can with gloves to achieve the same level of warmth. Fleece or wool mitts/gloves are not good for curling, as they don’t allow a good grip on the curling brush while sweeping. Leather (if you can find them) or soft vinyl palms work best – the more pliable, the better. A recent visit to the Adventure Guide store in Waterloo (382 King Street North, Waterloo, ON, N2J 2Z3) yielded the following selection of children’s mitts that are suitable for curling: Manufacturer Brand Name Colours Giordini Aquabloc VII Black, Brown, Pink Giordini Stomp Red, Black Swix Trail Black Columbia Bohemian Y+L Blue Jason and Amanda at Adventure Guide tell