The ice at the Fort Frances Curling Club doesn’t make itself during the season—and it certainly didn’t make itself for the Ontario Scott Tournament of Hearts.
Fort Frances native Kevin Busch, the ice-maker at the local curling club, has been preparing for more than a year for one of the biggest sporting events the town has ever hosted.
Sure, new equipment was purchased just for the Scott tournament but, as Busch explained, a lot more than that went into making the ice the best it could be.
“This is new to me,” he remarked this week. “I’ve never done a provincial championship before.”
In order to prepare and maintain the ice for this prestigious event, a number of experienced ice-makers were brought in to help with the daunting task.
However, two of the four had to leave early to get ready for the men’s provincial playdowns in Nipigon coming up next weekend. Fortunately, a willing pro from Thunder Bay was brought in to take their places.
Busch is not afraid to admit what a huge help Brent Adamson has been—and will be for the rest of the tournament here. He is the ice-maker from the Port Arthur Curling Club, which just finished hosting the national junior finals last week.
“I definitely need the help,” Busch remarked.
Busch and his team of four worked 12 hours a day for three days straight to put the finishing touches on the ice before the event got started Monday.
“We cleaned, flooded, painted, and [put decals on] the ice to prepare,” he explained. “And we’re monitoring it all the time, and spend about an hour-and-a-half in between each draw cleaning and maintaining it.”
Busch has been very dedicated to making this event a success and ensuring the ice is in the best condition possible for the 10 rinks here vying for the provincial crown.
“It really is an honour,” he said. “We’re all very dedicated.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
