Air National Guard strips victory from reigning Canadian champs

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jack Sanders
  • JBER PAO
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The Alaska Air National Guard Curling team claimed victory in the 'Top Rock' curling tournament Saturday at the Anchorage Curling Club.

The team stomped the competition and finished the day by defeating the reigning champion the Canadian team 9-4.

Eight teams participated in the Top Rock tournament including Army, Marines, Canadians, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and three Air Force teams. The tournament began at with two games being played every two hours until the final and third place game.

"The tournament was a lot of fun," said Andrew Ziegler, 673d Communication Squadron, and Anchorage Curling Club member. "It started very early this morning and ended late tonight, and I think everyone had a great time."

Several of the tournament matches, leading up to the final, went down to the wire with the winning team coming out on top by only one point.

"There were a lot of great competitive matches against all of the teams, "said Lt. Col. Michael Strunk, member of the local Air Force curling team.

According to www.worldcurling.org Curling has been described as the "Roarin' Game", with the "roar" coming from the noise of a granite stone as it travels over the ice. The exact origins of the game, however, are unclear, but curling is widely believed to be one of the world's oldest team sports.

Curling is played using two teams of at least four people. The teams take turns delivering stones from one end of a sheet of ice to the other with points being given after the final stone is delivered. The final score is decided after the completion of a set of ends.

At the completion of an end a team receives one point for each of its stones located in or touching the house, or scoring zone, that are closer to the tee, or center most point of the house, than any opposing stone.

For more rules of curling visit, www.curlingbasics.com.

The Top Rock curling tournament began four years ago for a good cause.

"In 2008 when they did the first (Top Rock tournament), it was actually to raise money for the veterans hospital here in anchorage," said Joe Dziuban, Air National Guard and 2011 Top Rock winner. "It raised $800 to $1,000 I think, Andy started it back up again last year."

This year's tournaments allowed the competitors to have fun and, "be able to curl all day for free and eat a lot of good food," said Ziegler.

Those who want to learn curling, but not wanting to play against the more experienced teams are in luck because during October the Curling Club hosts it's Learn to Curl program, Ziegler said.

"Learn to Curl is a great opportunity for you to come out and try it out and they teach you and then they have some little beginner tournaments for all the new folks that took the classes," said Scott Jackson, local Air Force Curling team member. "It's a great way to come out and try it."

To learn more about curling or to find out about the Anchorage Curling Club and Learn to Curl contact Andrew Ziegler at 552-5115.