Curling on the international stage

Posted by Sudbury Northern Life 

Sports can provide many opportunities. For elite level athletes, the chance to experience top-end competition and to push themselves to whatever height they might reach, is often in the forefront of their minds.

But over the years, countless teenagers have noted the value that lies in experiencing much of what life has to offer, visiting different areas and interacting with different people and cultures.

As a member of the Tracy Horgan curling rink for the past few years, Amanda Gates can easily associate with this notion. Just last month, her curling involvement opened yet another door, bringing together a number of different components into play as she joined a group of Canadian youngsters in Switzerland.

"I just got lucky," laughed Gates when asked how it all came to be. A "little cousin" in Kitchener had tried out and was accepted to join one of two curling teams from that area, that would participate in the 2009 International Children Winter Games.

The fourth Winter Games of their kind, the 2009 event was hosted between the cities of Vevey and Montreaux (Switzerland), bringing together roughly 500 youngsters, aged 12-15, and representing some 42 cities worldwide.
The basis of the games is simple enough.

The organizational website quoted the "spiritual father of these Games," Slovenian sports instructor Metod Klemenc when he said, "I wanted to create a better world based on friendship - sport seemed to be one of the best means to bring together young people from different countries."

Which brings us back to Amanda Gates and cousin Aaron Salters in Kitchener. With her aunt providing the prompt that Amanda might well be willing to provide a little curling assistance to the group of youngsters - who were selected far more based on personality than curling ability - assistance morphed into coaching.

Not that Gates would be completely outside of her realm. Not only does this talented curler study Sports Psychology at Laurentian University, but she has also been part of the teaching staff at Amethyst Summer Curling Camps hosted in Sudbury.

Travelling to Kitchener a handful of times over the past four months, Gates was able to work with the kids, not only in fine-tuning their technical skills, but also putting together some concept of a game plan when it comes to on-ice strategy.

"They all had a solid knowledge of the game. And they were really athletic kids, so that certainly helped, as they tended to pick up things pretty quickly," she said.

Incorporating components of her post-secondary studies - to the point where Gates used the team as the basis of an internship she is expected to complete as part of her course load - the talkative young coach was thrilled to put theory into practice.

"One of the things I was able to incorporate was just the idea of including a deep breath just before throwing your stone," Gates explained.

However, assembling a group of young curlers - who have not necessarily experienced high-end competition - for an international competition, could create a more stressful than usual environment.

The technique proved most noticeable, and helpful, for skip Frankie Wende, entrusted with delivering the final stones of the end. "It really made a difference for his draw weight, which really requires you to relax and slow down, even when your heart is beating a million times a minute," noted Gates with a laugh.

Not to suggest the trip to Switzerland was all work and no play. Exemplifying the Games' mantra quoted earlier, the Canadian curling teams (two from Kitchener and one from Hamilton) were housed in a hotel, which also included young athletes from Nigeria and Australia.

On the ice, the Canucks were joined by three Swiss teams, as well as representatives from Germany and Bratislava. While the social experience provided the foundation for the Games themselves, Gates and company had some trouble suppressing the urge to win, by her own admission.

"We had decided before leaving that our goal would be to advance to the next round (beyond round robin), even though we really didn't know what type of format was being used. I think the competitive juices took over a little," she said.

When the dust settled on the competition itself, the Kitchener rink, under Gates' guidance, emerged victorious, capturing gold in the eight-team field.

"I was really proud of what they accomplished," she said, adding that a few tears could easily be seen as the team stepped onto the medal podium.

But in the end, the life experience garnered by all easily outweighed the strides that were made on the curling rink. In the case of Gates, that included a better feel for all who are involved in the coaching realm.

"I think I came back and hugged (long-time coach) Jan (Pula) the first time I saw her.

This event made me appreciate the work that coaches do and the stuff they go through."

Which means, of course, their friendship just grew stronger.

Mission accomplished for the International Children Games.