- They came, they watched, they ‘Greeced’ the Sheets - May 1, 2018
The curling had been going on all day, with several more hours to go. By 9:30 p.m., spectators still crowded the viewing platform, watching players throwing 40-pound stones down the ice toward the circular target at the opposite end, assisted by teammates hurriedly sweeping brooms to encourage the best placement.
“I’ve been watching this for hours now and it never gets boring,’ said Micaiah Liebhober, who wore a toga fashioned from a blue-flannel bedsheet, with a crown of plastic leaves to complete the Greek look. “These guys have been going at it all day, now that’s stamina!’
“Greece the Sheets,’ the theme of last months International Bonspiel, drew many players and spectators in Greek-themed costumes to the four-day event at Fairbanks Curling Club
At about 10:15, the band Shag took the stage as players finally had a chance to relax. “I’m exhausted,’ said Dara Merz, a competitor in the Woman’s A Division. “But I feel like we are in good shape. A few beers and some Shag oughta take the edge off.’
A quick scan of the room revealed many colorful togas and a sea of people flooding into the club. Outside the front door, a waiting line stretched out into the parking lot Eventually, people stopped being admitted because fire-code capacity had been reached.
Dan Brazitis, a local curler who did not partake in the day’s competition, marveled at the bonspiel’s appeal. “You know I’ve been curling all year and I practically have to beg my friends to come watch, and tonight they’re turning people away at the door.
“Go figure,’ he said.
One costumed man, apparently desperate to get in, leapt off of the garbage dumpster positioned just below the club’s elevated outdoor deck. He lost his footing when he made contact with a patch of snow and ice on the deck and face-planted with a hard crack onto the hardwood floor. The man picked himself right up, straightened out his toga, and walked nonchalantly inside, ignoring a little blood streaming from his nose.
For some, spring means the break up of the snow and ice that accumulated over the winter. Others watch and listen for the returning migratory birds.
For 83 years, dedicated curlers in Fairbanks have marked spring with Bonspiel. Those who took part in the 2018 festivities know why.
