(Submitted photo/Dustin Mikush)

By Ben Tompkins

Community Rocks Tour

Professional curlers inspire the next generation in Melfort

Jan 26, 2024 | 5:21 PM

Two professional curlers were in Melfort on Wednesday, as local youth got to learn more about the game from some of the very best.

2018 World Mixed Doubles bronze medalists Team Walker/Muyres (Laura Walker and Kirk Muyres) were at the Melfort Curling Club as part of their Community Rocks Tour.

“It was great, I wasn’t expecting there to be that many kids, but it’s awesome to see the excitement and how many people came out and wanted to try curling or wanted to keep curling and learn a thing or two from us. It’s pretty cool to see a community like this come together and be excited about a sport like curling, that’s why we do this,” said Muyres.

“It really came from when we were growing up, we went to curling camps like this, and they’re really cool, so we wanted a way to give back to curling and we thought this was a great way to do it. This is only in Saskatchewan so far, but maybe next year we’ll have to try a few places in Laura’s neck of the woods there in Alberta.”

The Community Rocks Tour began 12 years ago when Muyres started the concept with his four-player men’s team.

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Now, he does it with his mixed doubles partner, as Melfort was the 39th stop of the tour to date.

“I think the first year we did it, we came to Melfort and 12 years later, Melfort is the only place that we’ve come to twice since we started. After you’ve done it for 12 years, you start to see some of the kids who you first taught and they’re still sticking with the game, so it’s pretty cool to see the community come together like that,” Muyres told northeastNOW.

“I thought today was really cool because had a few people come up and say that this was their first time curling and when you asked if they were gonna come back they said yes, so that’s what this is all about,” added Walker.

Wednesday evening consisted of about an hour-long session of on-ice training before the kids were fed supper and got to learn about Muyres and Walker’s journey throughout the sport, which led to their accomplishments.

They also got to speak with the two curlers while they received autographs and took pictures with them, and even some walked away with some prizes.

“You want them to go that was really cool, that was fun and I want to go back and learn some more. If they can learn a thing or two, that’s great, but the number one thing is that they had fun curling and would like to go back and do that again,” explained Muyres.

“If they got to see Laura on TV, at the Scotties that becomes a pretty big deal in a kid’s eyes. When they get to see her and realize she’s a normal person who grew up just like them, that makes them think that they can do that too. The kids kind of get to see somebody they see as an idol and hopefully, from there they stick with it and could be on TV in 20 years.”

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.ciom

On X @BenTompkins_8