‘It changed my life’: Wheelchair curling in Nova Scotia under threat

LOWER SACKVILLE, N.S. — Stephen Parfitt was in a dark place but wheelchair curling helped pull him out of it.

Because of sciatica nerve pain to the point where he could barely stand, he was medically discharged from the military.

“I took that kind of hard and it took a couple of years just to get out of the house,” he said.

The plan for his life — to follow in the footsteps of his dad who was an aircraft mechanic — was over.

“It wasn’t in the cards.”

For about two years he barely left the house — until his daughter, who was in junior curling, convinced him to try wheelchair curling.

“I threw the stones and rammed it off the back end of the boards so they were all excited over that. It was the first thing I came out of my house for.” 

That was about 10 years ago.

For Parfitt, who was used to being competitive and active, it opened up a whole new door and he’s competed nationally.

“It changed my life. It gave me something to compete with.”

Under threat

Wheelchair curling has never attracted massive numbers of athletes but it was going strong until the pandemic.

“It’s not a traditional wheelchair sport,” said Laughie Rutt, who organizes wheelchair curling at the Lakeshore Curling Club inside the Sackville Sports Stadium. “You think wheelchair basketball, sometimes you think track and field and that kind of stuff. Curling is not really one that is top of mind.”

But the pandemic hit their numbers hard and for the first time since the sport really got going in this province in 2005, Nova Scotia isn’t sending a team to the national championships in Moose Jaw, Sask., this year.

“After COVID, some people are still nervous and some of the original group have moved and some who were older have passed away,” Rutt said.

“I’m very worried about the future of the sport because things like that can die fairly easily if you let them and people don’t have an opportunity to participate. We know that health and fitness is a big part of everyone’s life but it’s really important for people with disabilities.”

He said it’s hard to just to find people — he has even awkwardly approached people in a shopping mall to urge them to try wheelchair curling.

“Our program is about getting people out and getting them to meet new people, have some fun, learn to be team players. The big thing is for them to meet other people with disabilities.”

Their club in Sackville used to have around 15 regulars. Now they’re down to four, and not all are interested in competing. 

Newest member

Nicholas Taylor is the newest member — he started Oct. 7. 

“It was the first time throwing a rock,” he said.

He said he heard about parasports from staff at the rehabilitation centre in Halifax and looked into what was available.

“I used to watch curling back in the Jennifer Jones, Russ Howard days and when I saw there was wheelchair curling available, I thought I’d try it.”

He said he loves it and wouldn’t mind being competitive one day.

Angela Newhook is in it purely for recreation and to socialize. She started curling about seven years ago.

“It’s something to do really because I don’t work much and it’s something to keep me busy,” she said. “It seems like so many sports are for competition and that’s not my style anymore.”

The social aspect of wheelchair curling is huge, Parfitt said. They chat on and off the ice.

“It just helps to be able to come out and actually converse again because I’m still dealing with the mental aspects of it all.”