The Airdrie Curling Club (ACC) had an uncommon group of visitors compete March 1 at the ACC’s annual Mixed Bonspiel – 22 athletes representing the Chinese national curling team. Coached by retired Canadian national curler Shannon Kleibrink, the cohort’s trip to Canada is sponsored by the Chinese government. “With the [2022 Winter] Olympics being in Beijing, the Chinese government has sent a national team here to train, because there’s more opportunity for competition and more ice availability in Canada,” said Kleibrink, who won the bronze medal for Canada at the 2006 Olympics. The curlers range in age from 15 to 26, with the majority being in their late teens, according to Kleibrink. They come from various cities throughout China, and are staying at a hotel in Calgary. The athletes first came to Canada in December 2018, Kleibrink said, but they returned home in February for the Chinese New Year festivities. Now, they’re back for another two months to further their development. Despite only playing the sport for a few months, the group has already competed in a handful of bonspiels in communities around Calgary, including Strathmore, Okotoks, Black Diamond and Airdrie. “They’re very athletic and they’re doing very well,” Kleibrink said. “They’re able to hold their own in bonspiels and they’ve only been curling for 10 weeks. It’s fun to watch them progress so quickly.” Kleibrink said the athletes train at curling clubs in Calgary for four to six hours a day. She said the curlers already have their throwing and sweeping technique down, but most are still working on using the proper weight on their deliveries. “It’s typical for every curler [that] weight is the most difficult aspect of a game,” she said. “Their technical [skills] came along really quickly, but knowing what weight to throw in every situation is going to take some time.” One of the Chinese curlers who competed in Airdrie is 17-year-old Ma Stefan, from the city of Xi’an. He said he’s enjoying his time in Canada, despite the cold weather. “Curling is a sport with knowledge and it’s exciting,” he said. The team’s interpreter, Wong Shu, said coming to Canada was the ideal way for the athletes to learn the sport. She added while none of the team’s members had much – if any – curling experience prior to this year, many have played sports with similar objectives, such as bocce or lawn bowling. “We have good coaches,” Shu said. “It’s a good chance to develop our technique and strategy. The best coaches are in Canada, so we came here.” The Chinese team will return to Airdrie at the end of March for another bonspiel, according to Kleibrink.
