If you’ve ever been to a Brier or now a world curling event in Canada, you’ve probably heard, clapped and cheered to a “let’s go Saskatchewan” or “let’s go Canada” chant.
The man behind it is Brian Starkell.
“I curled as a kid and enjoyed it immensely,” Starkell told CTV News. “Grew up curling all my life.”
Starkell, who is from Nipawin, Sask., was the local fire chief for 10 years. He retired five years ago and has been attending national curling events across the country ever since.
“And all of a sudden, I sat in the stands at a Brier in Regina and I started this chant,” he recalled. “Just out of the clear blue.”
“It’s just caught on, so I’ve kept it going and just seems to mushroom,” Starkell added.
At this year’s men’s world curling championships in Moose Jaw, Starkell has sat in section 114, row 4, seat 16 each and every draw. Whether 9 a.m. or 9 p.m., his chant rains through the building.
Like clockwork, he begins his chant twice each end when Canadian skip Brad Jacobs slides down the ice to throw his stone.
Starkell yells “let’s go Canada” before five claps from the thousands of fellow curling fans in the crowd.
Then its repeated two more times before a loud, “yay Canada” and gigantic cheer from the rest of the fans.
The cheer so exuberant, the broadcast picks it up clearly.
“It makes [me] really pumped up,” Starkell said about the fan support. “It puts you on the world to a different class that [I] never, ever expected before.”
If Team Canada or Team Saskatchewan is not on the ice, he’s sure each and every team gets a cheer throughout the event.
“I just look at the scoreboard to pick a team,” he said with a chuckle. “And if they’re losing, I try to build up their spirits a bit. That’s all.”
Fans in the stands
Starkell is just one of the expected 50,000 fans in Moose Jaw for this year’s worlds.
Each draw Canada has played has been near or at capacity so far inside Temple Gardens Centre. At the morning draws, Curling Canada has provided free tickets to local schools to be able to attend.
Each 9 a.m. game has seen several classrooms fill the stands and their screams have been a good way to wake up.
“We’re riding the energy of the crowd,” Saskatchewan product and Canada lead Ben Hebert said. “They’re getting us going.”
“To hear the crowd get into it and erupt a little bit makes us want to make more shots for the fans and keep them going all week,” Skip Brad Jacobs said.
Around the rink, each team is represented with at least one group of fans, a flag, poster or cheer.
Team Scotland supporters have been doing their best to not be undone by the surrounding Canadians with their noise makers and several chants.
Including yelling, “nice shot” every time there is one, saying, “they like to Mouat, Mouat,” in the familiar tune, or their multiple different songs and melodies.
Most wearing Scotland colours are family and friends of Team Mouat.
“They have their song sheets and they’re screaming,” skip Bruce Mouat said. “A lot of people come and support us, which is really great.”
“We absolutely love them and appreciate their time commitment coming out and support,” he added.
Team Norway has a small collection of family members sitting in the stands.
They have also been heard chanting, "la oss dra til Norge," meaning “let’s go Norway,” throughout the week.
“It’s so wonderful to watch [them play],” the fans said. “We have travelled a long way and to see them compete on this level is amazing.”
Hans Kahlau has travelled to Moose Jaw from New Jersey.
He’s originally from Sweden and repping the ’tre kronor’ in a horned viking helmet. It is Kahlau’s second time attending a Worlds.
“You get to visit places in the world that most time you would never come,” he said.
Elsewhere in the crowd are friends Susan Crush and Gloria Mikkelsen.
Crush is from St. Albert, Alta. while is Mikkelson from Regina. They’re self proclaimed “curling nuts” attending their first event together.
Dressed in the Canadian red and white, they have several flags of other nations pinned to their shirts when Canada is not playing.
“It’s a lot of fun for an experience for us to share together,” Crush said. “When we’re not in the stands, we watch the games and we’re texting each other commentary.”
Giancarlo Giannini moved to Regina in in 1968 from Italy. He immediately fell in love with curling. Repping the Green, white and Red, he’s fully behind his home country.
“This is not the first time they have been to the worlds,” he said. “But I never had a chance to see it before.”
Team Czechia coach Craig Savill says the tournament is just as special for the players as it is the fans.
““We keep forgetting as Canadians, it’s special for other countries to come and play in front of these crowds,” he said. “[They’re] so knowledgeable. Everyone is clapping for everybody. They love it.”
