Nigerian Curling: Importance Of The Moment

There’s been some fine press from the Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon about the Nigerian curlers. They’re all inspiring tales of youngsters trying to play a strange sport they just don’t have at home.

This video from the International Olympic Committee was released during the mixed team playoffs—the mixed doubles are in the spotlight at the moment—and it’s worth a watch.

Did you catch the uncredited fellow in the hat? That’s Scott Hill, the Nigerian team coach.

I know Scott from his days as a Montreal curler, where he would pilgrimage—like so many did—to the annual Welton Beauchamp Classic cashspiels in Ottawa.

Hill now lives in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. He doesn’t seem to have his phone stuck to him like so many of us. Once he didn’t answer because he was waiting for the day’s catch of fish to come in. As he says repeatedly in his social posts, probably meant for his half-frozen fellow Canucks: “Pura Vida!”

The Alberta-born Hill got involved with Nigeria thanks to a then 16-year-old student from Vermont, USA named Chris Neimeth.

“He came to the Royal Montreal Curling Club for some one-on-one lessons,” Hill recalled. “We continued to get together and even did some summer ice time in Ottawa over two years. We talked a lot about science and his enthusiasm for the physics of curling. I played bocce with his parents and got to know how they came weekly into Canada to curl as a family.

“Chris now has a Fellowship at CalTech, bioengineering. He teaches undergraduate classes … and he might help to change the world.”

Neimeth’s father Charles was born in Nigeria and serves as the youth program director. The Neimeths investigated Nigeria’s application for World Curling membership status in 2016, and it was ultimately successfully submitted by the Federation’s leadership team. 

Chris went on to build a dry land training tool, with backing from World Curling, which is still in use today (below).

“Chris and his family embody what curling is and has been,” said Hill. “The spirit of grace within the game we love.”

Some of the players in Korea played their first-ever World Curling event at the Junior B Championships over a year ago, but others are seeing actual curling ice for the first time.

Hill has some great stories.

“Before the Junior B quarter finals, another team from Austria spontaneously challenging Nigeria to a friendly match,” he said. “They mixed both teams together to have fun, just laughing and sharing the joy of this now global game, for the greater good.”

Hill took photos of one player, eventual Youth Olympics mixed team skip Fatiu Danmola, swapping jerseys left and right.

“He would have traded jerseys with everyone if we could have had enough shirts,” Hill said. “He was in his own World Cup!”

Hill and the Nigerian Curling Federation are trying to bring new talent along to their team’s curling events, so they can get newbies onto practice ice for their initial go-round.

Meanwhile, the current players—when practicing—don’t want to stop.

“We were late last week with everyone practicing on hockey ice, and I couldn’t get them to stop—they were so into throwing and chasing after their rocks,” said Hill.

“The South Korean rep didn’t believe we had a new athlete, from soccer, who had never seen ice before, doing what she was able to do after less than an hour on ice for the first time.”

Hill was referring to Tomisin Akinsanya, who didn’t compete at the formal competitions in Gangneung.

“She came in the hope that we could get on some ice beforehand,” said Hill.

“All five Korean curling clubs were busy with playdowns and it was tough to get ice. All these athletes hadn’t been on any ice in 13 months.

“With some luck, Tomisin will be able to play in the next championship.”

Nigeria’s mixed doubles team finished their Winter Youth Olympics with a Tuesday game against hosts Korea. Playoffs are set for Wednesday with the medal games on Thursday.

Hill said his charges have a burning desire to become real curling athletes … but it’s more than that.

“They all want to be curlers that look like their peers; like everyone who is out there competing and understanding strategy,” he said. “And they are getting there.

“But as I look at them, their keen eyes spark … not just to play and understand this sport but to get more chances to do this.

“I think of opportunity. They have this magical sense of the importance of the moment, and the experience that is theirs, right now, today.”