House Call: Five great gifts for the curler in your life

Finding the perfect gift for somebody special can be a huge challenge. If that special someone happens to be curler look no further. Here are some great gift ideas to light up their eyes come Christmas morning. 1. A Curling Broom – When purchasing a broom there are basically two choices; hair or synthetic. For beginners a horse hair broom can be beneficial as horse hair tends to offer a better feel for pressure and the ice surface. One thing to watch for with a hair broom is the weight of the handle, if it’s too heavy the curler may find it difficult to move if back and forth quickly enough. This issue can be remedied by choosing a handle made from light-weight material such as carbon fibre instead of wood. Synthetic brooms are another good choice and also work well for beginners as they are typically light and easy to move and put pressure on. You may wish to bring the curler in to try out the brooms ahead of time to make sure the broom you purchase suits the player. Another option would be a gift certificate so the curler can choose their own broom. 2. A Gripper – Every curler can use a gripper and now that they come in a variety of colours they make a great gift or stocking stuffers. Grippers usually last no longer than one season and if the curler is playing a lot by Christmas it may be time for a new one. Make sure the gripper fits over the shoe nice and snug. Grippers stretch quite easily and the last thing you want is for the gripper to be falling off because it’s too big. 3. Warm Socks – There’s nothing worse than curling with cold feet. A nice pair of thick toasty socks is a great stocking stuffer for any curler. 4. Curling Jacket or Sweater – Most pro shops have access to a great number of curling jacket and sweater styles. One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to purchase anything made from fabric that will leave debris behind on the ice. Fleece is a particularly poor choice for curlers to use as it tends to continue shedding even after being washed a few times. 5. Strategy Board – Never again will your curler have to use all the salt and pepper shakers in the lounge to re-enact situations from the game just played. With a magnetic strategy board curlers can easily rehash the game by positioning the magnetic rocks to the metal board. These strategy boards come in a number of sizes and can be found both on-line and in curling pro shops. Hopefully these ideas will make it easier to find the perfect gift for the curler in your life. Happy Holidays!