By Kevin Snow
I've always been fascinated by curling. It must be one of those birthright things as a Canadian citizen. So when the opportunity presented itself to join The Curling Group’s editorial team, I jumped at it. Or in curling parlance, you could say I "hurried hard" to become involved.
My earliest memories of curling were as a much younger version of myself, sitting in a room watching a tube TV with a converter box attached by a cable. Part of me didn't really understand the rules or know anything about the participants, but every year, I would let the voice of the legendary Don Wittman teach me all about the sport during the Brier, also known as the annual Canadian men’s championship.
Wittman's commentary was just part of what drew me in. I couldn't get enough of listening to the on-ice interaction between the competitors before shots. Listening to them discuss shot strategy in real-time, then watching it play out right before your eyes, good or bad. This was like nothing I'd ever seen before. In some ways, curling was mic'd up before being mic'd up was cool.
Believe it or not, curling also played a role in my graduation from Glenforest Secondary School in Mississauga, Ont. Each year during Grade 12 and Grade 13, we'd spend six weeks of phys-ed class focused on curling. Two weeks of discussion about the sport's history and rules were followed by a month of twice-weekly trips to the local curling club for some on-ice instruction. My initial thoughts of this being an easy sport to master were quickly dashed, as I struggled to shuffle down the ice while trying to sweep or consistently fire rocks off the end wall. My appreciation for the sport only grew during this time.
While working for TV Guide Canada in various editorial roles from 1993-2000, I had the opportunity to interview many of Canada's top curlers prior to some of the sport's tentpole events. People like Kevin Martin, Sandra Schmirler, Russ Howard and Colleen Jones were always generous with their time and offered tremendous analysis and insight into the sport. Having interviewed hundreds of pro athletes during my career, I can honestly say that curlers will always be among my favourite conversations.
After a 10-year run in public relations and content marketing with the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, I've spent the last 10 years as a freelance writer. During this time, I've authored four books, including "The Science of Hockey," which was released in 2023.
Now that I've joined The Curling Group team, I look forward to telling the stories of the participants from the sport's European region. While the Canadian in me will always have an eye on Teams Gushue and Homan, my focus will now be pointed in the direction of stars like Niklas Edin (SWE), Silvana Tirinzoni (SUI), Anna Hasselborg (SWE), Rebecca Morrison (SCO) and Bruce Mouat (SCO).
The next few months are going to be a blur for curling fans, with the Grand Slam of Curling already underway following last week's AMJ Masters event in London, Ont. From there, we look ahead to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy, followed by the world championships in March. After that, it’s full steam ahead for the launch of The Rock League in April 2026. It’s going to be an exciting time for curling enthusiasts everywhere, and I look forward to being along for the ride.
