On one of eight ice sheets at the Vancouver Curling Club, Andrew Bass is taking a lesson from veteran curler Mark Bailey. The handsome younger man crouches in the hack, grips a stone and nearly keeps his balance as he pushes ahead and slides forward.
It's the first time they will be competing with the same rink (this is their first time on the ice together) and Bailey, his cheeks flushed after an hour in the cavernous ice shed, will be the team's skip and throw the crucial last two rocks each end. New to the team, he's stepping in for his son who is busy helping organize a national tournament schedule for Vancouver this weekend. The Bailey rink will be competing in the recreational bonspiel.
"I'm looking forward to taking over his team and hopefully coming out on top," said Bailey, showing the competitive edge of his playfulness. Now he's teaching Bass, his son's partner, how to improve his game in preparation for the Canadian Gay Curling Championships hosted Feb. 3 to 5 by the Pacific Rim Curling League, one of the largest leagues in the province with 220 gay, lesbian and trans members.
Hosting nationals was a long-term goal for the league since Vancouver hosted the 2010 Winter Games. The Olympic and Paralympic curling venue, where Canada won two gold and one silver, was located where Bass, Bailey and all members of the Vancouver Curling Club play today and throw the same stones as the Olympians.
Pacific Rim had a long-term goal to host the national gay bonspiel here at home following the Vancouver Winter Games.
"It's perfectly timed insofar as being able to invite the rest of the gay teams from across the country," said Matt Hinton, a Pac Rim curler on the board of the Vancouver Curling Club. "All the curlers from Halifax, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, we'll be able to talk to them and see what they do that's fun in their league. We'll be able to share a lot of ideas."
Pacific Rim, the first LGBT curling league in Western Canada, grew from a small bonspiel held 30 years ago in a weary building at the University of B.C. In 1993, a cross-town move to the Vancouver Curling Club improved the fortunes of both the gay league and beleaguered city club, which was in decline. After one year, Pacific Rim grew to 20 teams and soon doubled to count 40 teams, making it the largest in B.C.
Since moving inside the Hillcrest Community Centre, which opened late last year beside Nat Bailey Stadium, Pacific Rim has added 10 teams and roughly 45 players while the Vancouver Curling Club has grown 20 per cent overall thanks in part to a brand new shed, spacious lounge and three additional sheets of ice.
This is the first time the Canadian gay championships are coming to Vancouver and will happen the same weekend as Pacific Rim's annual bonspiel.
Club president Scott Allen welcomes both popular tournaments. "As the event organizers, the Pacific Rim Curling League will continue their long-standing tradition of hosting incredible events and building on the legacy of positive, impactful contributions that the league's members have made over the years at the VCC," he said.
John Boychuk, the past president of Vancouver Pride and former chairperson of the 2011 Vancouver Outgames, said sport provides a vital social network that can contribute to an individual's self-esteem and sense of self. A large-scale tournament encourages pride and challenges stereotypes.
"First off, when you take a look at what sport does for individuals who are out or coming out, it gives them a sense of being part of a team. Second off, for individuals who think sport is not for the gay and lesbian community, this shows a variety of abilities and shows that your average, everyday person who plays sport also plays the same sports as the straight community," Boychuk said.
"When it comes to bullying, when it comes to discrimination, the more individuals who participate in common activities, whether that be politics or whether that be sports, opens the eyes and educates the individual that we're all just the same and can all participate the same."
Many Pacific Rim curlers play with other leagues, including competitive men's divisions and women's recreational curling. The league includes straight curlers. The open-concept of the new community centre allows curlers to see across the ice rink through to the library, into gymnasiums and even catch a glimpse of the hot tub and pool.
"It's really neat to be in a visible facility because at the same time we can see them, they can see us," said Hinton, who curls second on the Bailey rink. His husband is the team's lead.
"It's actually great for the promotion of the sport and the promotion of the league to watch our games. We are family friendly. It's a very family-friendly facility and [.] as much exposure as we're getting we're still able to feel very comfortable as a gay league. It's been really nice to be able to promote the league and the sport."
Twitter: @MHStewart
