Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
Skip Lois Hainstock delivers a shot in Friday night’s opening draw. (COLIN CORNEAU/BRANDON SUN)
For years, Lois Hainstock was a big name in Thompson’s curling scene.
She made it to a handful of provincial Scotties, played a few years in senior women’s and appeared at the mixed provincial scene with her husband, Rae, before taking a break.
She planned on making her comeback in the Golden Gals event — a provincial championship, for women at least 60 years old, that’s not sanctioned by CurlManitoba — with a team from Thompson, but that plan went out the window when her and Rae decided to move to Brandon last summer.
Hainstock, who turned 60 during the summer, planned on just curling recreationally in her new community this season, but was quickly recruited to a Curlettes team and then to a Golden Gals team comprised of Fran Dagg, Edith Easton, Adele McLaughlin and June Clark. Together they won the Zone 5 playdowns and will now compete at the Golden Gals provincials in Minnedosa from Feb. 4-6.
Hainstock’s team is tuning up for that event by competing in this weekend’s Brandon Ladies’ Bonspiel.
"When you’re new to skipping other people, you’re not really aware of how they throw and that," said Hainstock, who fell 7-4 to Michelle Klemick in her opener. "We should be out practising because that’s when you learn about each other. I’m a firm believer in that. … But it just doesn’t seem to work out.
"(The Brandon Ladies’ Bonspiel) gives me a chance to see what weight each player throws for their takeouts and bump-back weight because everybody throws a different rock. So you have to ice everybody different. Really, that’s what it’s for us to get to know everybody differently."
The Hainstocks chose to move to Brandon so they could be closer to their daughters — Stacey and Amber, both of whom live in the Wheat City — as well as their parents, who live within a 90-minute drive from Brandon. They liked the Wheat City before moving here, having visited often while growing up and when their daughters attended Brandon University.
However, they didn’t expect the city and Brandon Curling Club members to be as friendly and accepting as they have proven over the last few months.
"This Brandon Curling Club is amazing," Hainstock said. "People just walk up to you and say ‘Welcome to the club. We’re so glad you’re here.’ It’s been above and beyond whatever I expected. They have to be commended for that."
While Hainstock is still trying to figure out each of her teammates’ deliveries on the ice, she has a lot of faith that this weekend will help her squad a lot and give them a confidence boost as they prepare to challenge for a provincial championship.
"I think we have a good chance, too," she said.
» cjaster@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition January 19, 2013
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For years, Lois Hainstock was a big name in Thompson’s curling scene.
She made it to a handful of provincial Scotties, played a few years in senior women’s and appeared at the mixed provincial scene with her husband, Rae, before taking a break.
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For years, Lois Hainstock was a big name in Thompson’s curling scene.
She made it to a handful of provincial Scotties, played a few years in senior women’s and appeared at the mixed provincial scene with her husband, Rae, before taking a break.
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