Registered: Nov 2012
Location: Toronto
Posts: 621

Now there is without a doubt almost as many unsung heroes of curling as there are songs to be sung. So I will not take on the job of singing all of their praises and instead like Jane Austen focus on the micro so as to thereby illumine the macro.

Given our club's plus 100 year history there is no possibility of keeping the story short, Suffice to say in my 20 years at the club there are too many worthy members to write about. So let me limit it to the most recent.

'Most recent' member #1 being Howard Stanfield, Recent being rather a misnomer in this case as he is in his sixties, and has been a member for going on forty years now. He came to curling late as he was raised in Newcastle and only emigrated to Canada in his twenties.

He started in a teacher's league once a week and stayed there while he raised a family and it wasn't until he was in his late thirties that he started to take a 'Canadian' approach to curling

Since that time he has coached a team to the Ontario jr. championship. Helped organize and run the Ontario High school Championship for umpteen years. As a player won the 'World Lefties' Championship five times. And the Men's and the Mixed Club Championship some 10 times at the High Park Curling Club. To top it all off. He is once again VP this year which means he has agreed to again do the work of President next year.

Along with Howard I must include Stu Sankey in this select company. He is - by definition really - less unsung. Given that he is a sponsor if he weren't that would be less than ideal:-)

That notwithstanding.

For those of us at High Park that Stu has attracted a Team McEwen, Jacobs, Gushue, Howard, Caruthers, et al to play on our ice is mind boggling. The High Park Curling Club is over a 100 years old. And in that century no one has ever had the vision and the drive to create such a high quality event. Quite frankly I doubt there was any point in our hundred year history where the membership would have said that what Stu has done was possible.

Today of course we know better. The Stu Sells in Oakville, and the newly minted Stu Sells jr, and the Stu Sells in High Park have all added much to curling. Created out of nothing other than the imagination and pocketbook of one man, Stu Sankey.

I am not of course saying that these stories are unique. I am instead saying there are many stories like this in the curling world. A game as good off the ice as it is on.

Last edited by JB42 on 09-29-15 at 02:08PM

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