Ontario Medical Bonspiel Memory Project

About 12 years ago, the famous all-women Dobenko team was short one female player. Now, these ladies were used to curling in kilts! When they could not secure a fourth woman for the squad, enter Barb Fuller’s husband Jim (me), who was relatively new to curling. 

In the spirit of fully belonging to the team, I agreed to wear a kilt to fit in with the rest of the team. The outfit was done real proper-like, including the socks, flashes and kilt pin. It was a big hit with the mostly male curling attendees, or perhaps it was just a big embarrassment.

Notwithstanding the potential humiliation I might have endured, I persevered with the kilt for two years before realizing how cold my bare legs were getting. I even dressed with the ladies before each game so they could help me with my kilt. 

My teammates and I first joined the Bonspiel as second-year medical students. We all studied for our first dermatology exam between games with many helpful hints from our fellow curlers (topical steroids for everything!). Our fellow curlers were incredibly welcoming. 

The Bonspiel has seen us through medical school, residency, fellowships, and finally, our careers as independent physicians and surgeons. Each year, we proudly wear our Queen’s Medicine 2013 sweatshirts as this serves as a yearly reunion. 
 
The “Queen’s girls” have enjoyed a rivalry with the “Western boys” since medical school, and Queens were the very proud winners of the Inter-University Cup — the one year we were still medical students as they had moved on to residency ahead of us!

I have been attending the OMA Bonspiel continuously since 1973. My father participated from 1954 to 1995 when he lost to John Martin and said, "If John Martin can beat me, it's time to quit." (I later found out that John Martin quit after the same game saying, "If I can beat Clark Willoughby it's time to quit.") A Willoughby has been at the Bonspiel since 1954.

I still feel the main reason for going is not necessarily the curling, but the camaraderie that develops after years of seeing the same people and enjoying reconnecting each year. Have fun curling but whether you win or lose, it's the camaraderie and friendships that make this event special. 

1984 — Sudbury. 12 curlers crammed into Brad Turley's station wagon travelling to a C+W bar to the tune of "Paradise by the Dashboard Light." 
 
1990 — Windsor. Clate Sellers said to my father, "Clark Willoughby, I hate you, you beat me every time." He left the ice through a side door and went golfing.

I found the partner I went into private practice with through the OMA Bonspiel.

I was looking for a family doctor to work with in Newmarket. Via the networking at the Bonspiel with the teams from Newmarket, I was given the name of someone to contact. It has been helpful to have physician contacts in other cities throughout my career that I met through the OMA Bonspiel, too. 

There were 396 men and four women when I started curling in the Bonspiel, which continued into the 1990s when other women started attending the event. Our team always wore kilts, which made us stand out even more. It was held in several clubs and there was a waiting list of teams to get into the Bonspiel.  

Being the only women's team for years in a field of 100 teams made us very well known. We were also somewhat feared because we were all experienced curlers and often made it to the first event. 

I think this Bonspiel has been so successful and enduring because of the camaraderie and networking it provides. It is a fun weekend with a relaxed atmosphere. It is great to see many of the curling teams every year and catch up. It is also very welcoming to new curlers or people attending the Bonspiel for the first time.

This is a unique Bonspiel memory — November 2016 at London Highland, the only 8-end scored in the history of the event!

I remember a dedication to two of our missing members (Peter Johnson and Gerry Rowland). Gerry had a 21-bun salute and Pete a 21-bong salute.

Good and fun times...