Home ice advantage

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/12/2020 (1361 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OAKBANK — A local family is sure to be the envy of Manitoba’s curling community.

On Sunday night, they threw their first rocks across the homemade curling sheet they built inside a repurposed storage barn on Van Ryssel Farms.

When CurlManitoba postponed 18-year-old skip Aaron Van Ryssel’s under-18 provincial qualifier bonspiel in the face of code-red restrictions last month, his parents, Faith and Jeff, hatched a plan to keep him sliding and sweeping.

“It was instant. As soon as they cancelled it, I just had this feeling like we weren’t ever going to get back on the ice,” said Faith. “I knew (Aaron) was going to be affected by it.

“I felt like, ‘We have to do something.’”

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the province, Jeff coached Aaron’s team, and Faith instructed through Connie Laliberte’s high-performance program at the Granite Curling Club in Winnipeg. The couple are lifelong curlers, but both are new to ice-making.

First step: purchasing a second-hand set of 16 rocks from a curling club in Lloydminster, Alta.

“Once we had rocks, we kind of had to do it then,” Jeff said with a laugh.

The family decided to build the full-sized curling sheet — approximately 150 feet long and 15 feet wide — in a barn formerly used to house dairy cows. The family has been using it for storage ever since they turned to grain-only farming a few years ago.

“I haven’t really found a good fit yet, well until now,” Jeff said with a smile.

The Van Ryssels undertook days of cleaning and pressure-washing to prepare the space, starting during a period of mild weather in the middle of November. They collected supplies and installed boards, lights and a plastic mesh with the curling houses and lines already painted on it. Then came the arduous task of flooding, after sealing off potential water leaks.

“It takes, you know, a lot of water and a lot of patience after you get (the mesh) in because you can’t dump huge amounts of water on it right away,” said Jeff.

The family flooded the rink around 10 times, through Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, adding thin layers of ice each time.

Creating the desired even surface for curling also requires scraping, then pebbling — a process in which the ice is sprayed with droplets of water using a hose connected to a backpack-like tank. The small bumps reduce the rock’s friction along the ice, helping it glide to the end of the curling sheet.

The Van Ryssels dedicated dozens of hours and laboured for just under two months to complete the project by Sunday.

“I have a very good appreciation for ice-makers,” said Jeff. “This is a hard job.”

While the family is still tweaking the rink and watching ice-making videos online, Aaron and his siblings now have a place to practise until Manitoba athletic and recreational facilities can reopen.

“Without COVID, this would not exist, because we’d be way too busy curling and coaching,” said Jeff.

“It’s as normal as we can get,” added Faith. “That’s all we keep trying to do.”

The family said they hope to build the rink again next year, and invite friends to play. Meanwhile, they’re set on some friendly family competition.

“I’m going to curl against him,” said Faith, motioning toward her son.

“He thinks he’s so good… I gotta show him,” she said with a laugh. “I still have the magic touch.”

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca