Canadasa国际传媒 burst of patriotism at the outset of the continental trade war has put even more red-and-white in the Montanasa国际传媒 Brier.听
And blue, and yellow, and green, and gold.听
The colours of the Maple Leaf and all the provincial and territorial flags are in abundance at the national mensa国际传媒 curling championship, which wraps up Sunday with the final game at Prospera Place.听
Four men from the Lower Mainland were wearing their provincial pride on their sleeve, and practically everywhere else, as they sat draped Thursday morning in snug neck-to-ankle outfits emblazoned with all brilliant colours of the sa国际传媒 flag.听
鈥淪ome people ask us which flag we鈥檙e wearing, because I guess itsa国际传媒 kind of hard to tell when you see it so close-up,鈥 one of the four friends, Dayne Gagnon, said of the unique unitards.听
While the focus at the Brier is on the sport, and for sa国际传媒 merchants the considerable economic spin-off the 10-day event is generating, expressions of national pride overarch the competitive rivalries based on internal borders.听
Fans interviewed as they watched the early morning draw described curling as a truly Canadian passion, uniting people from all parts of the country in what to some non-Canadians might seem a rather puzzling and sedate game of stone-throwing, sweeping, and yelling.听
鈥淚 think, even if people don鈥檛 curl or watch that much of it, they have a pretty good idea of what itsa国际传媒 all about,"听said Jennifer Conrad, who with her husband Bob was taking in their fifth Brier. 鈥淵ou think curling, you think 鈥楥anada鈥.鈥
Sheila and Douglas McNaulty, from Welland, Ont., have been to dozens of Briers between them but this is the first time either of them have been to sa国际传媒.听
鈥淲e love the downtown area of sa国际传媒, itsa国际传媒 really beautiful,鈥 Sheila said. 鈥淎nd the event itself is being very well-run.鈥
鈥淭he curling is a big part of it, but itsa国际传媒 also just fun going to so many different places,鈥 Douglas said. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have seen as much of Canada as I have without the Brier.鈥
Despite the often raw early March weather in Brier host cities, the McNaultysa国际传媒 say thatsa国际传媒 never discouraged them from attending the competition. It can even be part of the appeal.听
They were at the 2017 event in St. Johnsa国际传媒, Nfld, which was rocked by 190 km/h winds that triggered a long power outage and caused $60 million in property damage, and which was so notable even for that storm-acquainted city it came to be known as the Brier Blast.听
鈥淚t was still a great party, and we came home with some good stories,鈥 Sheila said with a laugh.听
The Brier is estimated to be worth up to $14 million to sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 economy in visitor spending at hotels and restaurants. Robyn Sigurdson at Sunnysa国际传媒 Modern Diner on Bernard Avenue said the event has been great for business.
The restaurant has been offering 14 special eggs benny breakfasts to represent the competing teams, using regionally-popular flavourings such as fried chicken and pickles (Newfoundland and Labrador), bison (Manitoba), Labatt's Blue beer (Ontario), and scallop-lobster-cod (Nova Scotia).
鈥淲e鈥檝e had so much fun with Brier,鈥 Sigurdson said. 鈥淎nd we鈥檝e had so many fans, team members, sponsors, and TV crews in here that we鈥檝e been opening earlier in the morning than we usually do.鈥
At the main Prospera Place souvenir stand, by far the most popular-selling item according to volunteer Carol Clark is a black $125 fleecy with 鈥楤rier鈥 in red and 鈥榮a国际传媒 2025鈥 underneath. 鈥淚tsa国际传媒 been a great experience volunteering here, talking to people from across Canada,鈥 said Clark, who herself throws stones every week at the sa国际传媒 Curling Club.听
She has also enjoyed visiting 鈥楾he Patch鈥, a free, all-ages curling-adjacent festival taking place at the nearby Delta Grand hotel where fans can meet the team members. That was where she learned how competitors are encouraged not to use too-colourful language during the nationally-televised matches on TSN.听
鈥淭hey have a 鈥楽wear Jar鈥. If they swear when they鈥檙e mic鈥檇 up, itsa国际传媒 $500 for the first offence, $1,000 for the second offence, $2,000 for the third offence,鈥 Clark said. 鈥淭hat keeps the language clean.鈥
At the Brier, of course, all the competitors are Canadian, which distinguishes the event from other highly-watched sports on TV.
Half the players in the Canadian Football League are American, as are 30 percent of players in the NHL. In the Canadian Premier League, about 40 per cent of the soccer players are from outside Canada, and there are negligible numbers of Canadians in North Americasa国际传媒 main basketball and baseball leagues.听
鈥淭he Briersa国际传媒 as Canadian as Canada comes,鈥 said curling fan Richard Studholme, who was wearing a 鈥楥anada鈥 jacket since he cheers for Team Canada, the Newfoundland and Labrador rink skipped by Brad Gushue.听
Gushuesa国际传媒 team got to wear the Maple Leaf by virtue of winning last yearsa国际传媒 Brier and whichever team wins Sunday's final, along with pocketing $100,000 in prize money, will represent Canada at the World Curling Championship in Moose Jaw, set for March 29 to April 6.听
Thirteen countries will compete in Moose Jaw but, given current events, one game at Mosaic Place arena will be of particular interest.听
Canada will play the U.S. on April 4.听
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