Capital One Rocks & Rings in Nunavut!

Last November, Chad McMullan and I had an unbelievable chance to travel to Iqaluit, Nunavut with the Capital One Rocks & Rings program.Our mission was to visit three of the local elementary schools and introduce the students there to the sport of curling.  The biggest challenge we faced was making sure the students could understand us.

Nunavit Capital One Rocks & Rings

Between the schools, there was a fairly even mix of English, French and Inuktitut speakers and some were not bilingual.  Many of the students picked up the sport faster than in the southern schools we were used to visiting.  The students had watched all the big games on television and were eager to try it out themselves. The equipment used during our trip will reside permanently in Iqaluit with plans for inter-school Capital One Rocks & Rings curling tournaments to follow! We were also able to visit the Iqaluit Curling Club, a club run entirely by volunteers (ice maker and all).  The ice looked great, it was quick and had curl, but the club was lacking a feature I’m used to seeing… it didn’t have a bar! Throughout the visit, our amazing hosts entertained us with private guided tours and a trip to the ultra exclusive wing night at the local hotel pub.  Unfortunately there wasn’t enough snow for us to go dog sledding or try out the “only in winter” golf course.  I guess that means we’ll have to plan a second trip. Heather Nicol, O.C.T.