The Stone Age: A Social History of Curling on the Prairies

Theresa Paltzat is the Smart Search librarian at the Edmonton Public
Library.

Vera Pezer is well qualified to write a social history of curling on the
prairies. She was raised in Saskatchewan and obtained her Ph.D. in
psychology from the University of Saskatchewan. In addition to her
academic qualifications, Pezer has been actively involved in the sports
community as a team psychologist for Canadian Olympic teams and was a
member of four Canadian Ladies Curling Championship teams. Her academic
background and personal involvement in the sport are put to good use
with this detailed look at prairie curling.

The Stone Age begins with the early organization of Canadian curling in
the late 1800s. Curling was a sport available to everyone; some people
used homemade equipment on the neighbourhood river, while others used
custom-made stones on a local curling rink. Pezer has included some
wonderful small-town anecdotal stories about the early curling clubs for
readers to enjoy. Interspersed throughout the book are black-and-white
pictures.

As a veteran curler, Pezer appreciates the social importance of prairie
bonspiels, and she extensively covers them, from the small-town
“spiel” to the Brier. Her chapter “Bonspiel Evolution” points
out how social activities are as important as the actual
curling—something that hasn’t changed in a century. Other chapters
focus on provincial associations, women in curling, and the role of
media in the development of the sport in Canada. A short tribute to
Sandra Schmirler and her contribution to Canadian women’s curling will
be of interest to many fans.

The final chapter, “The Last Rock,” documents milestones in
Canadian curling as well as Canadians who have played major roles in the
development of the sport. The book is well researched and an easy read.