As hard as it might be for most folks to believe, the silver medals that Robbie Gordon, Dion Dumontelle, Bruce Munro and Doug Hong sported upon their return to Sudbury from the 2023 Canadian Masters Curling Championships in New Brunswick a little over a week ago really was just icing on the cake.
With longtime Team Gordon member Ron Henderson unable to make the trek this year, Munro filled in admirably as the NCUCC (Northern Credit Union Community Centre) representatives made their first ever appearance at the national masters playdowns, having already competed four times at Senior Nationals.
A round robin record of 7-3 safely propelled the Northern Ontario crew to the semi-finals, with the lads scoring four in the eighth and final end to down Ontario 8-6 and earn a shot against Alberta in the Canadian final.
The gold medal match was as close as they come, with the teams tied at 2-2 after six ends before two-time world champion Wade White blanked the seventh to score the decisive point with the hammer in eight, walking off with a 3-2 win.
Still, score lines were hardly front and centre as the always pleasant Doug Hong reminisced on this most recent experience.
“It was just a pleasure to go out there and curl against some guys that we have seen over the years, and then some guys that we have never met before,” he said. “It was just a wonderful experience.”
And while the event might not carry the same notoriety as the Brier or the Scotties, there is no denying the wealth of curling talent that assembles for the competition that is often as much about the social interaction as it is about the highly competitive encounters on the ice.
“Even though it’s not a CCA (Canadian Curling Association) funded event, a lot of these teams that are there are also among the top-ranked senior teams in their province,” said Hong. “They still have the passion for the game to represent their province at the masters, even on their own dime.”
In fact, Team Gordon began the 2022-2023 season with their sights set far more on the Senior schedule than that of the Masters (minimum age for seniors is 50; for masters is 60).
“There was a bit of a conflict in scheduling and this kind of came out of nowhere,” admitted Hong. “But I don’t think we have lost very much (of our game).”
“All four of us are still in pretty good shape. Dion and myself and Robbie typically play twice a week, but Robbie also practices twice a week so we started on this practice regimen with him. Because we’re not spieling as much, the practices really help out.”
That said, few teams incorporate the social/competitive mix better than Team Gordon. The tandem of Doug Hong and Dion Dumontelle have now accumulated something in the neighbourhood of six separate sportsmanship awards at nationals. Even the quieter members of the team would easily fit the bill when it comes to representing the true meaning of that honour.
“Bruce (Munro) could have easily won that sportsmanship award and honestly, there is no nicer guy to curl with than Robbie Gordon,” said Hong. “Robbie is not quite as outgoing as Dion or myself, but as a sportsman, he’s head and shoulders above everyone else.
“I wouldn’t still be curling if it wasn’t for him,” added Hong. “As a teammate, he’s just unbelievable.”
In the end, the memories really do have less to do with wins and losses than the people you meet along the way.
“The host club ran it like a (sanctioned) nationals, much like it was in Sudbury for the Mixed Doubles and the University and Colleges,” said Hong. “The volunteers were fantastic.”
And the four curlers from Sudbury were not that bad either, second best in the country, to be precise.
Randy Pascal is a sportswriter in Greater Sudbury. Pursuit is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
