Saskatoon families head outdoors for Broadway ‘crokicurl’

It’s time for Saskatoon to master a new recreational sport: Crokicurl.

A large ice sheet in the shape of a crokinole game board opened to the public just off Broadway Avenue on Thursday, where dozens of families tested their skills by throwing curling rocks into the centre.

The goal of the game is much like curling: you aim for a centre “button” and the closer you are, the more points you score.

However, if another team’s rock is in play the shooter must hit that rock first in order to stay on the board.

“It’s a lot easier just to flick a finger it turns out,” said Chris Smith, referring to how the board game version of crokinole is played.

The Broadway-area resident was one of the early testers of the game on Thursday, playing against some strangers without keeping score.

“It’s fun, it’s getting the endorphins running and it’s great to be out on such a beautiful day,” he said.

Crokinole is up and running on Broadway! Looks so fun! #yxe pic.twitter.com/2nLqgmvfKQ

— Chris Vandenbreekel (@Vandecision) January 18, 2018

An opening ceremony after the test games saw Saskatchewan Rush owner Bruce Urban give a Canadian blessing to the rink — a Loonie was placed in the button and frozen into place.

Crokicurl just got a “Canadian blessing” from the Rush’s Bruce Urban. Loonie on the button. #yxe pic.twitter.com/B7t1968tRK

— Chris Vandenbreekel (@Vandecision) January 18, 2018

The crokicurl surface was built by a group of people including Oxbow Architecture’s Sam Lock.

He said the construction was a challenge due to the slope in the courtyard by the Five Corners intersection off Broadway Avenue.
“There’s about a foot of grade difference from one end of the site to the other,” he said.

The crew levelled out the playing field with sandbags and liner.

Lock was able to test his work out with his young son Emeric, who nailed a red-zone shot with the help of his dad.

“That’s why I get involved in these projects,” Lock said. “I want him to grow up in a city that has these spaces available to him, particularly in winter.”

The crokicurl sheet is free with members of the Broadway BID supervising the rocks and locking them up at night to prevent theft.

The large rink was funded by a City of Saskatoon WinterCity YXE grant.

It was proposed by the Broadway BID after they saw the success of the crokicurl sheet last winter in Winnipeg.

Weather permitting the hope is the sheet will last until Family Day on Feb. 19 and a “turnaspiel” crokicurl competition is planned for Feb. 17.