New Zealand national curling team embraced as temporary residents of Calgary seniors’ home

We’re heading into a memorable winter for some top international athletes who are training in Calgary and spending downtime with some hosts who have a lot of heart.

Members of the New Zealand men’s national curling team have been training at the Calgary Curling Club since September and have been staying in apartment units at the Chartwell Colonel Belcher Retirement Residence in northwest Calgary.

“It’s really nice connecting with the different generation,” curler Brett Sargon said. “You hear a lot of stories and you get a lot of wisdom.”

The visiting curlers are living amongst the seniors for about six months.

“It makes us feel so young, to have them here,” Belcher resident Bertha Esplen said. “They join in with us and it feels almost like your own child.”

The curlers received a special invitation from Belcher staff member Cassandra Murray, who heard they were looking for a place to stay.

“I’m a curler myself, so I love the sport – we’ve never hosted curlers before or had any intergenerational living, so it was new,” explained Murray. “The residents are so welcoming and kind and I knew that they loved curling, so it would be a really good fit.”

The Kiwi curlers, like many teams from other countries in the past, has come to Canada to train because of the high caliber of curling in this country.

“We knew that any team that we step on the ice against over here is going to be a pretty high level,” Sargon said, “and that’s exactly what we needed.”

The team will continue training and competing at regional bonspiels until March 2024.

“It’s a great opportunity for us,” skip Anton Hood said. “Canada is one of the superpowers in world curling.”

The New Zealanders will follow up their Calgary training with a trip to Switzerland in April 2024 to compete at the World Men’s Curling Championship.

“We enjoy you guys so much,” Esplen told the curlers. ”Maybe you’ll just stay in Canada – and stay living here.”

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