BONUS ONLINE-ONLY COVERAGE // By Jared Belsher, Boise Curling Club
first-ever outdoor bonspiel. Stanley is located at the foot of the Sawtooth Mountain Range, approximately three hours from Boise and an hour north of Sun Valley. Ten teams made up of curlers from Canada, Washington, Utah, Montana, and Idaho braved the weather and challenged their skills and patience during the S.O.B., but a great time was had. Outdoor curling presented unique challenges for the S.O.B. curlers.
When curlers started competing on Friday, the weather was clear but be- cause it was 38 degrees outside, curling on the ice was similar to curling on grease. It was incredibly slippery and curlers found themselves all over the ice … literally! But the S.O.B. curlers still had fun. “Tat was the worst ice I have ever curled on … don’t change a thing,” one curler said. S.O.B. curlers encountered another challenge on Saturday morning as the snow was so heavy the curlers had to clear the accumulating snow off the ice aſter each stone was thrown, but the ice was still playable. By Sunday morning the ice was perfect for curling! Te weather cleared
up and the temperature was 24 degrees, creating perfect ice conditions for the championship draws. One S.O.B. curler was so impressed he said, “Tis is what I imagined outdoor curling to be like.” Team “I’d Hit Tat” (Jamie Cochrane, Sam Gowsell, Karen Trotter, and Carissa O’Connor) from Cal- gary were the A Bracket champions. Te B Bracket champions from Boise, Idaho, and Whitefish, Mont., were Jeff Salmans, Andy Apple, Vince Carlson, and Chris Doyle. Te C Bracket Champions were Te Bambi Killers from Seattle’s Granite Curling Club. Te Bambi Killers included Max Stevens, Brian Gore, Nate Levin, and Ryan Doerfler. Te Bambi Killers also took home the coveted inaugural S.O.B. shot-ski from the silent auction, which is now proudly displayed in Granite Curling Club’s bar. Te Famous Taters composed of Dave Rittenhouse, Rob Smith, Clark Fleege, Judy Fleege, and Suz Rittenhouse from the Boise Curling Club won the consolation bracket. Friday and Saturday evenings featured “illuminated” curling. Boise
Curling Club member Russ Benson installed electroluminescent wires into two of the houses to make the house rings glow green and blue. Members from the Granite Curling Club in Seattle also brought along glow sticks that were thrown down the ice and wrapped around rock handles for an evening of “glow stick curling.” Another highlight of the S.O.B. was the beer do- nated by the RAM Restaurant and Brewery in Boise. Te RAM brewed up a custom Scottish Ale called “sWEEp Heavy” just for the bonspiel! Saturday aſternoon featured a Learn to Curl for the Stanley community
members. Many of those who reside in the community during the winter were there! It was fantastic to see young, old, and everyone in between learning the lifelong sport of curling. S.O.B. curlers were well received by the Stanley community. One Stanley resident said, “Te word on the street is to get rid of the snowmobilers and bring in more curlers!” Tere were so many memorable events of the first S.O.B., but maybe none
more so than the proposal by Jamie Cochrane to Carissa O’Connor (from Calgary team “I’d Hit Tat”) on the illuminated sheet of ice on Friday night! To fully embrace all the pictures of the S.O.B., please visit
www.sobidaho.
com and
www.facebook.com/sawtoothoutdoorbonspiel. Tis event was a great success and the Boise Curling Club hopes to see you next year at the second annual S.O.B.! n
Photo by Jared Belsher, Boise CC USA Curling (( 33
Outdoor bonspiel a sight to see T
he Boise Curling Club hosted its inaugural Sawtooth Outdoor Bonspiel (S.O.B.) on Jan. 25-27 in Stanley, Idaho. Te S.O.B. was the first bonspiel hosted by the Boise Curling Club and Idaho’s
Above photos by Rachaelle Grimsrud
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