The tournament that is the most fun you can have with a broom

Otago Girls' High School player Lina Fraser (14) takes a tumble. Photos: Peter McIntosh
Otago Girls' High School player Lina Fraser (14) takes a tumble. Photos: Peter McIntosh
Make way for the St Hilda's Sweeping Beauties.

Step aside for the Logan Park Sliders.

But Otago Girls' High School get the prize for the best name - Curling Me Softly.

How much fun can you have in a woolly hat while armed with a broom? The answer is lots.

Columba College player Alana Walsh (17) provides some direction during the Dunedin secondary schools curling tournament at the Dunedin Ice Stadium last week.
Columba College player Alana Walsh (17) provides some direction during the Dunedin secondary schools curling tournament at the Dunedin Ice Stadium last week.
Curling is hot right now, even if it is played on frozen water at the Dunedin Ice Stadium.

The sport has grown locally from humble beginnings in 2012, when there were just a handful of teams playing in the Dunedin secondary schools curling tournament. That number has swollen from three to 22 this year.

The Otago Secondary School Sport Association got involved in 2013, and Simon Noble has also been instrumental in the development of the competition, which is in its seventh year.

The sport got a big boost when Canadian curler Cheryl Bernard visited in 2014. She helped Canada win silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

World Curling sponsored her trip out, and it proved a wonderful kick start.

But it has been Noble who has maintained the momentum. It is through his dedication that the sport has grown to the point it rivals some of the more well-established codes.

There are about 90 pupils playing the game, and the competition is one of just two secondary school tournaments in New Zealand.

The other is in Auckland, but that only involves a small number of schools. In Naseby the school-aged players essentially curl with adults, and there is no competition in the rest of Central Otago.

Simon Noble gives Georgia Ramsay (17), of Columba College, some tips.
Simon Noble gives Georgia Ramsay (17), of Columba College, some tips.

Dunedin and Naseby have dedicated curling facilities, which gives the area an advantage.

The tournament has proven to be an excellent development pathway, with the likes of Jayden Bishop going on to play for the New Zealand under-21 team.

It runs once a week from May through to mid-August.

Seven of the 12 Dunedin secondary schools are represented. Noble's ambition is to get all the schools involved.

''The kids seem to really like it,'' he said.

''And there is some good word of mouth.''

The sport appeals to people who ''don't want to get muddy'' and enjoy the pace and strategy of curling.

Noble gets paid a small amount to cover expenses but for him it is ''all about the kids and seeing them develop'', he said.

There are some big events coming up to look out for. The match between Otago Boys' High School and Kavanagh College on August 7 should be a highlight. And the South Island Secondary School Curling tournament is being held in Dunedin on the weekend of August 10-11.

 

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