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Rotary curling championship “a dream come true”

Winning the Rotary World Curling Championships earlier this month was a dream come true for longtime curler and Stettler skip Neil Connor.

Winning the Rotary World Curling Championships earlier this month was a dream come true for longtime curler and Stettler skip Neil Connor.

“Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to play in a world curling championship,” said Connor, who started curling at age 12 and is now in his early 50s.

“It was a blast to win this world curling championship.”

Connor skipped the team with third Rene Bernard, second Trevor Leinweber and lead Brian Sribney that beat the host team of Perth, Scotland 8-4 in the final on April 2 and raised the coveted Jack MacKimmie Silver Bell Trophy.

Connor joins the likes of past world men’s curling champions like Chuck Hay to capture the Rotary world crown.

“I feel privileged to have my name on the same trophy as Chuck Hay,” said Connor.

“It felt humbled and satisfied to win – I’ve had a grin on my face ever since.”

However, he’s not taking full credit for the win.

“The guys on the team played very well – that was the secret to our success,” said Connor.

“It was a great experience to share a world championship with close friends – and to represent Stettler and Rotary was a great privilege.”

Stettler was one of the smallest communities represented at the world-class event, said Connor.

He suggested being located in the hub of a curling hotbed in the province and in central Alberta gave the team a competitive edge over many other teams.

“With bonspiels on any given weekend within a hour’s drive from Stettler, we have lots of opportunity to play and improve our game,” said Connor.

“In Stettler, we always have good competition and that’s what benefited us in close games at the world championships.”

“About midway through the week, we had the best horses in the race.”

Other players on the team cherished the memories of the event.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to play in a world championship, especially in Scotland were curling was born,” said Leinweber.

“When we arrived at the event, people told us we were the favourite to win, so that surprised us,” said Bernard.

“Although it wasn’t the same caliber of play at the regular men’s or women’s world championship, it gave us a taste of what it must feel like for players like Kevin Koe and Kevin Martin.”

Stettler qualified for this year’s world event in Scotland by winning a district competition in Lacombe in February 2009.