International Curlers Enjoy Canada’s Rock Star Status
07/04/2009 03:09
MONCTON, N.B. - While curlers in Canada are accustomed to being in the spotlight, representatives from the other countries are getting a taste of the rock star treatment at the Ford World Men's Curling Championship.
When Canada's Ben Hebert and John Morris dropped in to the Keith's Patch, the watering hole of choice for many fans at the tournament, neither curler needed to buy a drink. The pair spent most of the evening signing autographs and posing for pictures.
"There are some nights when you just want to put on the 'Guy Incognito' costume and go in and no one knows who you are and you can just go have a beer with your buddies,'' said Morris. "But it's part of the game and I'll never turn down an autograph. I've seen guys get too big for their britches and I'll always make time available to make sure I'm there for the fans.''
Making time for fans isn't something Thomas Ulsrud worries much about back home where the Norwegian skip would never be recognized on the street, let alone asked for an autograph.
"I'm happy with two weeks of fame here at the worlds,'' said Ulsrud, who was 5-0 after his two games Monday. "That's good enough for me. Back in Norway no one recognizes us except those for those people who also curl.''
Curlers from around the globe get the chance to live the high life when the world championships are held in Canada. There are autograph sessions set aside for all the teams and a chance to interact with appreciative fans.
"This is perfect for us,'' said Ulsrud. "Two weeks of playing curling on great ice and big crowds and people want to talk to you and have autographs and things like that. It's perfect.''
Skip Kevin Martin, the four-time Brier champion and defending world champion, has been dealing with celebrity status for years.
"Here it's fine but in a restaurant at home with my family it's a little different,'' Martin said with a grimace. "That's something that my son, who is 19 now, has grown up with since he was little. Our family just gets used to it and you deal with it.''
"If you don't like it stay home and have supper and barbecue on your deck,'' he added.
The rock star status even carries over when Martin goes on vacation.
"If we go to somewhere like Florida or California - of course it's all Canadians down there,'' he said. "So it's the same thing when we go to vacation spots.''
Ulsrud, who expects to represent Norway at the 2010 Winter Olympics, thinks curling's popularity will get a boost in his home country once it is televised next year.
That's not likely to happen in the Czech Republic where skip Jiri Snitil estimates there are about 500 curlers in the whole country.
"People don't care about curling much other than a few articles in the paper,'' said Snitil as he headed to an autograph session. "Back home it's soccer and hockey.''
More from ctvolympics.ca
SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Hmm . . . I've always wondered what it would be like to be a rock star.