Granite Girl Ventures

Kim Perkins (nee Barraclough) was born and raised in Yellowknife and began curling at the age of nine. She curled competitively as a junior in the North West Territories and in Alberta after her family relocated to Calgary in 1995. She now works part time running junior programs and teaching curling.

Kim has loved to read and write ever since she was a child. She graduated from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1999 with a Journalism Diploma. The Adventures of Trefor the Curling Rock is her first novel. It is a new children's book about curling, and, as far as I am aware, it is the first book about the sport written for the 7 - 10 age group.

The storyline (and yes, I have read it) follows the experiences of an adventurous curling stone called Trefor who decides to find out what life is like outside the curling rink!

Kim says, "I used my experiences as a curling instructor, a junior curling coordinator, and a curling administrator to shape my book. I also drew on my background as a competitive junior curler. I am confident that it could be used as a tool to introduce young people to curling. Children already involved in the sport will find it to be an entertaining book because it is not just about how the sport works, it is an adventure."

I wish and I wonder
About things I can't see,
I long for adventure
To know what else I could be.
Am I simply a rock
Destined only to curl?
I know there's more out there,
I want to see the world.

Story of my life!

I only have one comment. Trefor is a 'he'. I always thought that curling stones were female!

To find out more about The Adventures of Trefor the Curling Rock, and to order a copy, visit www.trefor.ca.

$1 from every sale goes to the Calgary Youth Curling Association.

Granite Girl Ventures? This is the name for Kim's business. The book itself is published by Lulu Publishing. How appropriate. Remember 'Shout' - the greatest curling song ever?



'Come on now. Come on now!' (Sorry, slow news day!)

The Canada Curling Stone Company still makes curling stones using stone from the quarry at Trefor in North Wales. See how they do this here. The video has pictures of the quarry. Kays of Scotland in Mauchline used to use Trefor stone but now uses material from Ailsa Craig.