For the 43rd time, the Shawville Community Bonspiel has wrapped up and the coveted toilet seat trophy was awarded to the winning team.
Although, let’s be honest, hardly anyone participates in the bonspiel for the trophy.
The event is a unique opportunity to get out and mingle with members of the community that you may not associate with all that much.
What other sport allows a group of young twenty-somethings to play against – and drink with – a group of octogenarians who just cleaned their clocks?
Curling is one of the most social sports there is. In fact, curling etiquette dictates that the two teams have to sit down and enjoy a drink together – with the winning team picking up the first round, of course.
Talk about finding a win in a loss!
With nearly 60 teams competing, odds are you’re going to spend some time with someone you don’t know all that well.
That’s a beautiful thing.
In today’s day and age, many people get their social interaction by pressing the like button on their favourite social media account.
But the bonspiel is different.
Bonspiel chairman Ian MacKechnie said that seven teams from last year’s event had to pull out, but were immediately replaced by seven new ones.
People are excited to take part in the event. To see evidence of this, look no further than the club’s bar on one of the Friday or Saturday nights.
An event like the bonspiel forces people out of their comfort zone and, in many cases, these people come away with a few more friends.
Last year, The Equity entered a team in the bonspiel. Although half of our team hadn’t curled before – and we got thoroughly crushed – we still had a good time.
One of my teammates and co-workers even joined the curling club and is now at the club on a regular basis.
Neither of us are from here so the warm welcome we received from those at the club made us feel at home.
If you’re from the area, you already know most of what I’m saying. But for people who aren’t from here, it’s really eye-opening to see a group of people who have known each other for decades welcome outsiders with open arms.
And let’s be honest, while there are plenty of things to do in the Pontiac over the course of the year, January and February are slower months in the community social calendar.
This is exactly why the Shawville Community Bonspiel serves such an important purpose.
When many people are in hibernation mode, it gives them a reason to warm up their car (or sled), put on their winter boots and jacket and trudge down to the curling rink.
But once they’re there, the warmth is overwhelming.
It’s refreshing to see sports opponents buying each other drinks instead of trying to smash each other with their brooms (I play beer league hockey where this is, sadly, the norm).
But most importantly it brings the community together during a time of the year when that isn’t an easy thing to do.
So to the organizers who put in countless hours to make this event what it is: congratulations on another job well done!
And to all those who participated in this year’s Shawville Community Bonspiel: Thanks for coming out and we’ll see you next year!
Chris Lowrey
