Manitoba's curling champion
Skip Jeff Stoughton has given his life to curling
STEVE BOHRN STAFF
If you watched the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier this year, you will have noticed a familiar face throwing rocks for the Manitoba team. For the sixth time in 16 years, it was Jeff Stoughton and his foursome representing Manitoba at the year’s national championships, which pits the best curlers from each province against one another. While the location of the event changes from year to year, Stoughton seems to be a fixture when it comes to Manitoba curling.
The foursome that he led to Hamilton consists of lead Steve Gould, second Rob Fowler, and third Ryan Fry. They curl out of the Charleswood Curling Club here in the city.
Stoughton burst onto the curling scene in 1988, when at the age of 25 he won the Canadian Mixed Curling Championships. This is not necessarily unusual; many of this country’s top young skips have won the Canadian Mixed, Mark Nichols and Mark Dacey being prime examples.
What is unusual however, especially if you are not a fan of curling, is how long Stoughton has been able to stay on top of the game. When most people talk about longevity in sports, they bring up Cal Ripken Jr. and his streak of 2,000-some games in a row. What they neglect to remember is how much of an old man and a hindrance Ripken was to his team at the end of that streak.
Not only has Stoughton not been a hindrance to his team, he leads them time and time again to the National Championships. In his six years at the event, Stoughton has won twice, once in ’96, and again in ’99. At this year’s event, Stoughton walked away with the bronze medal.
As a result of his two wins at the Brier, Stoughton has also had the chance to represent the nation at the World Championships. Needless to say, he has done an amicable job, winning gold in ’96, and silver in ’99.
While some may view curling as a boring sport, Stoughton has always done his best to entertain the crowds. His rink generally plays a style that allows them to take many risks and rely on their big-weight capabilities to get them out of jams.
He is also noted for his use of the 360-degree spin-o-rama delivery where he does a complete spin after leaving the hack and before delivering the rock. This was made especially popular by his cameo appearance showcasing that move in Paul Gross’s 2002 comedy Men with Brooms.
As a testament to how well he is still curling, the 43-year-old was a force at this year’s Brier. After leading the field for much of the tournament, Stoughton finished 8-3, good enough for a third heading to the playoffs. His only losses came against Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, which finished in first, fourth, and fifth place respectively.
In the 3-4 page playoff game on March 9, 2007, Stoughton defeated the Alberta team to set up the semifinal against Ontario for the chance to play in the final.
In a very exciting game, Manitoba would come up just short, losing 8-4. Manitoba caught some bad breaks, giving up a couple of steals while attempting difficult shots for extra points.
Despite the unfortunate ending, the Manitoba rink was happy with their result and Manitoba should be proud to be represented time and time again at this level by someone with the skill and class of Jeff Stoughton.
