The St. Paul Seniors Curling Club ended its 2014-15 season on the highest of notes this past Wednesday, by opting to spend time honouring two men synonymous with the community’s curling scene.
Paul E. Boisvert and Gerald Looy became the first inductees into the local club’s wall of fame. Boisvert held the post of co-ordinator of the local senior’s club from 1993 to 2013, while Looy is now serving as the rink’s caretaker. Looy has fulfilled this role on two separate occasions. He began his first term from 1979 to 1980, and then he picked up the mantle again in 1982 and has carries it to this day.
Herman Poulin, a local artisan in the community, created portraits of the two inductees, to hang proudly alongside the championship banners earned by the club through the years.
It is evident to anyone that both men share a deep passion and commitment to the sport of curling, and to the club itself.
Chuck Ouellette, the co-ordinator of the senior’s club, outlined the three ways to earn placement on the wall at the inauguration luncheon held in honour of Boisvert and Looy. The first criterion is to spend “an incredible amount of volunteer time towards the betterment of ice curling in St. Paul.” The second is to earn provincial or national curling recognition, and the third is for an individual or group to be “instrumental in providing ice curling to St. Paul.”
Both men did offer an incredible amount of volunteer hours into the improvement of the club. Boisvert and Looy have also been instrumental in bringing games to club ice, thus making the club a great social hub. Looy also qualifies under the second criterion by capturing provincial championships in 1987 and 1993 with his brother Noel.
For Boisvert, his life-long love affair with the game began when he first stepped onto a curling sheet in 1954.
“Except for a hiatus of maybe two or three years since then, I always curled,” says Boisvert.
He became more than just an avid player at the club, by assuming the position of senior’s club co-ordinator, at the request of his fellow curlers.
“I did it my way and I enjoyed it,” says Boisvert. “I met all kinds of people and all kinds of characters through my years in curling. It has been a gift in my life.”
It is impressive the amount of responsibilities that Boisvert carried out in order to achieve success in this position. Some of the things he facilitated included: the collection of fees, the formation of teams, the scheduling of games, the preparation of food and drink for major events, group communications and publicity for the club. Ouellette joked that he had to form a committee of volunteers in order to keep the club operating at the high level established under Boisvert’s leadership.
Looy is also intent in helping the club function at a high standard by being present throughout every day of the week – and on the weekend during bonspiels – to scrape the ice before each draw of curling. He has been doing this job for 35 years already, but said he has no intention of leaving the position any time soon because he loves what he is doing.
He says a great sense of pride accompanies this induction.
“It makes me feel proud about what I am doing, and it makes me feel happy that people here are happy with the ice.”
While there was no announcements made of any future induction ceremonies made at the luncheon, there will no doubt be more down the road. There are other people in the community – much like Boisvert and Looy – invested in the keeping sport of curling vibrant in St. Paul that will also earn their day of induction.
