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Open House: Canada and the Magic of Curling
With a keen eye and ear for story, Hockey Night in Canada host and bestselling author Scott Russell chronicles a sport both exotic and familiar -- curling.
Canadians have a unique enthusiasm for curling. It transcends barriers. World-class athletes curl with absolute beginners, and grandmothers and grandsons take to the ice together. There are more than a million registered curlers in Canada, and millions more tune in to watch curling events on television. The outpouring of emotion that followed Sandra Schmirler’s death revealed that curlers are counted among our national heroes.
Curling doesn’t offer the excitement of other winter sports -- no thunderous body checks, no vertical leaps, no million-dollar superstars. But when Scott Russell visited curling clubs across the country, attended the Brier in Calgary and the Olympic games in Salt Lake City, and spent time with curlers, from celebrities like Colleen Jones to the unsung father, uncle and son-team who built the Eagle Hill Curling Club in Alberta, he discovered the magical allure of curling. As Canadian Olympic gold medalist Joan McCusker said of curling’s appeal: “Ordinary people doing extraordinary things is the attraction.”
Open House takes us inside the world of curling, and captures the spirit and lore of the sport, the dedication and passion of its participants.
Canadians have a unique enthusiasm for curling. It transcends barriers. World-class athletes curl with absolute beginners, and grandmothers and grandsons take to the ice together. There are more than a million registered curlers in Canada, and millions more tune in to watch curling events on television. The outpouring of emotion that followed Sandra Schmirler’s death revealed that curlers are counted among our national heroes.
Curling doesn’t offer the excitement of other winter sports -- no thunderous body checks, no vertical leaps, no million-dollar superstars. But when Scott Russell visited curling clubs across the country, attended the Brier in Calgary and the Olympic games in Salt Lake City, and spent time with curlers, from celebrities like Colleen Jones to the unsung father, uncle and son-team who built the Eagle Hill Curling Club in Alberta, he discovered the magical allure of curling. As Canadian Olympic gold medalist Joan McCusker said of curling’s appeal: “Ordinary people doing extraordinary things is the attraction.”
Open House takes us inside the world of curling, and captures the spirit and lore of the sport, the dedication and passion of its participants.
- GenresSports
337 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
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28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 25, 2020
This book is nothing if not thorough! I put it down for a while because it was overwhelming with names, dates, and history. But I'm glad I picked it back up again because the second half of the book, talking about regular curlers at regular curling clubs across Canada, was actually really enjoyable. This book is dated so people like two-time olympic gold medalist John Morris are the youngsters and future of the sport. But it is a fun read if you curl or are Canadian or just want to know more about the history of curling in Canada
November 11, 2020
Very little practical instruction on the magic of curling. I was hoping for more step-by-step misdirection, perhaps an illustrative guide to common sleight-of-broom. Five stars.
July 9, 2021
A non-fiction look at Curling in Canada. Makes one reminisce for curling days. Also fun as I read it during the briar and the Ford worlds. Will pass around the curling circle.
June 15, 2023
Scott Russell is one of the faces of curling (and other sports) on Canada's national TV network, the CBC. If you watch Canadian sports, you know his voice. Besides commentating, he's written two books about hockey.
This book is a very personal journey through the sport of curling. The author retells his own curling story, and discusses or recounts conversations with top curlers. He visits small town curling clubs and big competitive venues and tells their stories as well. There's also some curling history woven throughout each story (chapter) - and a healthy smattering of black and white photos.
The organization of this book was sometimes jumpy (from place to topic to person and back to place) and I on occasion found it a bit slow. But I did enjoy the personable writing style - Scott takes you along on his journey and sometimes you do feel like you're there watching the action. I really appreciated his insight into some of curling's big characters (Guy Hemmings for example), but also that he took the time to visit small town clubs to tell their previously unheard story.
Again, the unfortunate part of this book is that it's quite out of date. It is interesting to follow the careers of the junior curlers Scott writes about (who are now famous rockstars, or not). As a point of time piece in history though, it's an interesting look at our sport.
I would recommend this book to curling fans who have followed curling for awhile and who want an insider's look at the sport. If you're new to the sport and don't know some of the big names from history you might find it lacking, but then again, the other chapters about clubs or Scott's curling story might make up for that. This book used to be in my library, but it found it's way onto Bookmooch and to a new home with another curling fan.
This book is a very personal journey through the sport of curling. The author retells his own curling story, and discusses or recounts conversations with top curlers. He visits small town curling clubs and big competitive venues and tells their stories as well. There's also some curling history woven throughout each story (chapter) - and a healthy smattering of black and white photos.
The organization of this book was sometimes jumpy (from place to topic to person and back to place) and I on occasion found it a bit slow. But I did enjoy the personable writing style - Scott takes you along on his journey and sometimes you do feel like you're there watching the action. I really appreciated his insight into some of curling's big characters (Guy Hemmings for example), but also that he took the time to visit small town clubs to tell their previously unheard story.
Again, the unfortunate part of this book is that it's quite out of date. It is interesting to follow the careers of the junior curlers Scott writes about (who are now famous rockstars, or not). As a point of time piece in history though, it's an interesting look at our sport.
I would recommend this book to curling fans who have followed curling for awhile and who want an insider's look at the sport. If you're new to the sport and don't know some of the big names from history you might find it lacking, but then again, the other chapters about clubs or Scott's curling story might make up for that. This book used to be in my library, but it found it's way onto Bookmooch and to a new home with another curling fan.
January 5, 2008
I just read this because I know his son.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews