Wheelchair curling season kicks off in Lower Sackville, N.S., with hopes for more players

The Nova Scotia wheelchair curling season kicked off over the weekend at the Lakeshore Curling Club in Lower Sackville.

Laughie Rutt has been participating in the sport for 20 years and says it’s similar to other types of curling.

“(There’s) four-person teams; there’s no sweeping in wheelchair curling, you have to make your target and get there on your own. We use a stick, it’s called a delivery stick to deliver a rock down the ice. Some people have longer sticks, some people have shorter sticks,” he explains.

The Lakeshore Curling Club hosts a recreational wheelchair curling program every Saturday and teaches people basic skills.

Rutt says the club would love to have more curlers come out.

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“We have all the facilities here to make it comfortable for someone in a wheelchair to come and curl. The club is very welcoming,” he says.

“I’m just gung-ho to continue to learn and develop and play with these guys,” says Harris Josey, who is new to the sport.

“They’re usually pretty good … well, when we’re off camera, look out! They give me a hard time,” he joked.

Rutt adds that wheelchair curling is a very social sport.

“You’re always meeting new people, it’s great for building team skills because curling is a team sport, so that helps you in other aspects of life,” he says.

“It keeps me active. It’s something to do over the wintertime and I get to hang around with good people and we’re all here for the same purpose. You have to have fun. Why play a sport if it’s not fun anymore?”

Anyone interested in joining wheelchair curling can contact Nova Scotia Wheelchair Curling through their Facebook page or call 902-869-CURL.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.