Curling volunteer to help out at season ending bonspiel

Photo by Jon Molson

With the 56th Annual International Bonspiel set to begin on Thursday, the Whitehorse Curling Club is thankful its able to depend on volunteers like Suzanne Bertrand.

Bertrand is a member of the organizing committee for the bonspiel and will co-ordinate the Ford Hotshots Skills Competition, which will begin on Friday.

She will also help out behind the scenes during the four-day bonspiel with whatever needs to be done. 

“We can never have too many volunteers,” said the Whitehorse Curling Club’s business manager Jon Solberg.

“Suzanne is an invaluable commodity to us; if we possibly clone her and have two or three more Suzannes’ here, it would be a real advantage to us.”

Bertrand has been a curler since she was 12 years old. She first learned the sport in her hometown of Saint Louis, Saskatchewan on natural ice.

Growing up, Bertrand was always community minded, thanks in large part to her father, who was a member of several local groups and organizations.

In 1967, Bertrand moved to Whitehorse to begin her second-year as an elementary school teacher.

As a teacher, Bertrand was always organizing activities for her students and took some of her classes curling on rare occasions.

It was her own childrens’ passion and talent in the sport that resulted in her getting more involved and remaining interested in the game.

Bertrand began volunteering her time in 1981 at the old Whitehorse Curling Club, which was located downtown.

Her initial involvement as a volunteer was as an assistant instructor for the junior afterschool program.

In 1984, Bertrand began to take technical courses, after learning that the instructor for the junior program was leaving and the curling club was in need of a replacement.

Currently, she is a Level 3 certified coach and is only four more courses from obtaining Level 4 status.

Bertrand also helps teach technical courses to adults now on how to properly instruct the game. 

Bertrand was recognized by the Canadian Curling Association in 2005 and given the National Curling Club Volunteer of the Year Award.

In addition to receiving a trophy, she also was awarded a trip to the Brier, which that year was held in Saskatchewan.

This year, Bertrand instructed two afterschool programs, which were held during the six-month curling season on Thursdays and Saturdays.

She also ran an in-school league, which was offered to anybody in kindergarten to Grade 12.

Solberg said Bertrand’s work with the junior program is important to the club.

“We are always looking for new curlers, both youth and adult of all ages,” he said.

“Most importantly, the youth that for us is the future of curling here in Whitehorse.

It is important that we give every opportunity to the kids, not only in this community, but other communities that come into Whitehorse that want to participate in the sport of curling.”

With the Ford Hotshots Skills Competition, Bertrand plans to hold the initial qualifying round on Friday around 4:30 or 5 p.m.

The event is open to anyone and costs $5 to participate.

The competition is individually-based and will feature six different shots that participants will be required to make.

A point system will be used and competitors can score a maximum of five points for each shot.

The top eight point leaders will qualify for Saturday’s final and prizes, which are being donated by Whitehorse Motors will be given to the four highest scores.

Registration for the Ford Hotshots Skills Competition is due by Friday around 1 p.m.

Bertrand, who is currently a junior director and BINGO co-ordinator with the curling club, said the most rewarding part about volunteering in the sport is teaching it to youth.

“I just really love exposing kids to curling overall because I think it is a lifelong sport,” she said.

“I think that it is a sport that adapts to whatever way you want to curl.

You don’t have to curl competitively, you can curl for fun and still have a lot of enjoyment out of it.”

Bertrand’s three highlights in the game involved coaching her daughter, Michele Cowan, at the 1988 junior nationals in Vancouver. Cowan’s team ended up winning the bronze medal at the event.

Another highlight was when she coached her son, Chad Cowan, and his rink at his first Brier in 2000.

The team finished the tournament with a victory over curling great Russ Howard to conclude the competition with a 3-8 record.

Bertrand’s final highlight was when she started skipping in the Wednesday Night Womens’ League.

Bertrand even went to her son for advice on how to be a better skip.

“He is so much more advanced than me in curling,” she said. “It was neat and he was helpful.

It was really gratifying to know that he was quite willing to give me ideas and comments and another way of how to simplify the game.”

Bertrand will compete in the 2008 International Bonspiel, which will be her first bonspiel in four years.
“We are having fun and we like curling together,” she said. “They are very good sports, no matter what we do.”