Two events that are held every year by the students of Loreburn Central School have been modified thanks to some outward thinking of the staff.
The Funspiel and Tin Can Bonspiel curling tournaments, typically held every year at the Strongfield Curling Rink, instead took place at the school after COVID-19 meant that ice wasn鈥檛 going to be installed at the rink.聽 Instead, the event was enjoyed right here at home, costumed players included.
LCS Principal Jill Long stated that the school knew they would be the location a matter of weeks ago, with the school unwilling to let a lack of ice get in the way of what Loreburn had planned.聽 School staff got together and decided to create their own sheets of ice behind the school.
Long ended up needing the guidance of a Nutrien bulldozer to try and cut ice sheets out of the snowdrifts, and when temperatures heated up roughly one week before the tournament, the nearby fire department came and blasted the ice with water, making sure that the tournament would go on.
Having the event at the school instead of the usual scoreboard at the curling rink in Strongfield meant a modified game.聽 For one, due to the size of the rinks, the scoring system had to be changed to that of shuffleboard, and two, instead of throwing rocks, players would be throwing frozen milk jugs.
Despite the changes, students were happy to play the game on their home ice.