Cross country sweep for East Coast curler

Thursday, January 21, Rob Swan who is on a mission to “curl one game in every curling club across Canada “ found his way to the Morrisburg Curling Club. While here he enjoyed a game, and entertained curlers in the morning mixed league with accounts of his adventures along the way. 

Now into the second year of his fund raising and curling promotion that he has set aside 10 years to complete, Rob says, “You can’t go into a curling club without making new friends. It’s unbelievable the people I have met.”

“This is my second year. I curled in 103 clubs last year, and I have curled in 53 so far this season.”

Rob started Curling Across the Nation as a fundraiser for his home club, the Harvey Curling Club in the small village of Harvey Station near Fredericton, New Brunswick. 

Like many of the aging curling clubs across Canada, the Harvey membership is low and the rink infrastructure is in need, says Rob. “We are a community of 375 people and our club, which was established in 1961, has two sheets of ice. We have no major industry to help us out, so I tried to think of way to raise money.”

“I work in British Columbia and Alberta as a service electrician for a company that sets up remote camps (mining, forestry etc.) I work for two weeks, and I am off for two weeks.”

It is during his two weeks off that Rob can be found curling somewhere in Canada. 

After his game in Morrisburg last Thursday, he had a couple more stops before boarding a plan in Montreal to return to work.

He is documenting each of his visits and collecting wonderful historical information and hometown curling stories in the clubs he visits.

“This is the spirit of curling in Canada,” he told the Morrisburg curlers Thursday. “This club in Morrisburg, and others just like it, are the grass roots of the game. Curling is great at the grand slam level, but curling in this country is based on clubs like this one.”

Rob does not ask for donations from clubs/members He is raising money through the sales of a Daily Ritual Clothing line of t-shirts, hoodies, shirts, caps and jackets through Asham, a company that is sponsoring him.

Curlers at the clubs are invited to check out his Facebook page, Curling Across the Nation where there is a link to the Asham clothing.

Rob is a great ambassador of the game, and he is collecting some very entertaining stories. 

He schedules his games about three months ahead and says he is delighted that his Curl Across Canada has attracted the attention of curlers worldwide. He will be heading to Europe in the fall where he will curl 10 games in 10 days in seven countries.

“I have people in 32 countries following me. It is great.”