Ryan McNeil-Lamswood has thrown rocks in a number of provinces in Canada over the past couple of years.
The 18-year-old Stephenville native was a member of a number of winning curling teams from Newfoundland and Labrador who played the game on the national stage.
He got to play the game against the best in his age group and enjoyed meeting new people from some pretty cool places.
The sport has been good to him and it would appear he’s been good to the game.
McNeil-Lamswood is among the 2018 For the Love of Curling scholarship recipients.
The scholarship, valued at $2,500, is aimed at people in the curling community who could be future leaders in the sport. It takes into consideration their accomplishments and goals, as well as their volunteer time in the community. The money associated with the scholarship will be used to cover parts of their education and their curling costs this season.
McNeil-Lamswood said he was happy to hear his commitment to the game hasn’t gone unnoticed.
He appreciates having some extra money help him balance his competitive curling interests with his science studies at Memorial University in his first year of post-secondary schooling.
McNeil-Lamswood said the only way he knows how to show appreciation is to give back to the sport in a meaningful way and that’s what he plans on doing.
“I want to give back by volunteering with the junior curling program in Stephenville and promoting the game across the province,” McNeil-Lamswood said Monday afternoon.
McNeil-Lamswood loves the game and he would like to do his part to expand the game. He said the more young people who get into the game at an early age, the better the future will be for the sport.
“If we don’t do something to grow the game it’s going to stay in the same spot,” he said.
McNeil-Lamswood, along with Corner Brook’s Daniel Bruce, will compete this week with hopes of representing the province at the 2019 national junior men’s curling championship.
The two talented curlers from the west coast are members of the Greg Blyde foursome, one of four teams in the hunt for top honours on the male side this week.
Corner Brook Curling Club’s Mackenzie Mitchell is gunning for top spot on the female side, with action getting underway today at the ReMax Centre in St. John’s.
