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By now, almost everybody is aware of how Boston broke
Babe Ruth’s long-standing curse to win the World Series last summer.
But you may not have ever heard of North Dakota’ LaBonte curse.
Back in 1972, four men from Grafton were the world champions in the sport
of curling for a little less than five seconds. They were Bob LaBonte
Jr., Ray Morgan and “the Aasand brothers,” Frank and John. It
was the third year in a row that a ND team advanced to the world championships.
In 1970, a different Grafton team won fourth in the world, and in 1971,
a team from Edmore won the bronze. The gold eluded Grafton’s ‘72
team only because of an accident.
The world championships were in Germany that year, and the Grafton boys
were playing Canada in the finals. When Canada’s last stone failed
them, they took off their gloves to congratulate the Grafton team, and
LaBonte leaped into the air to celebrate their 9 to 8 victory. Unfortunately,
when he came back down, his legs slipped out from under him, he slid on
the ice, and he brushed against Canada’s stone just enough to give
the opponents another point. An extra end (or inning) was required to
break the tie, and Canada ended up with the gold. North Dakota’s
winning streak was over – hence, the LaBonte Curse.
Last January, Sports Illustrated ran a story written by Mark Bechtel about
the 2003 State Championships. “On a wall overlooking the ice at the
Grafton Curling Club is a sign that reads THE SPIRIT OF CURLING,”
Bechtel wrote. “It states eight guidelines, the last of which is
the most significant: ‘Winners traditionally treat the losers.’
In North Dakota – where it’s all about affability and quaff
ability – winners also traditionally treat themselves, their neighbors
and anyone holding an empty. So even though a trip to the nationals was
at stake in the...State Curling Championships... after every match, without
fail, the competitors would march upstairs to the bar and socialize over
a few brews.”
Dr. Don Barcome (or Doc), a Grand Forks curler, explained the eighth guideline
to Bechtel, saying, “The tradition of curling is camaraderie. That’s
maybe the greatest thing in curling. You meet such a cross section of
people. You might have the president of a bank and a mailman curling on
the same damn team.”
Speaking of presidents, Doc Barcome was instrumental in getting curling
into the Olympics while he was president of the World Curling Federation.
Then, in 2002, he gained a spot on the 2nd U.S. Olympic team in history.
Doc Barcome also has another unique distinction... he’s the only
curler to be named to Sports Illustrated’s list of the “Top
50 Athletes of the Century” for ND.
Grafton dominated the state for many years, probably because curling was
taught during phy-ed classes back in the 1950s. Since then, some clubs
have closed due to population decreases. But, the trend is coming back
since curling has become an Olympic event. In Grand Forks, the Curling
Club has grown from about 100 to more than 250 during the past five years.
Many of the new members are younger – and that’s an age group
in which the state HAS taken world gold. Twice! But that’s a story
for another day…
Going back to LaBonte’s Curse – it affected Canada, too. They
had won six straight world titles when they “slipped” into first
again in ‘72. “During this string, they asked me how long the
curse was going to last,” LaBonte said. “I told them my spells
last seven years. Sure enough.”
In North Dakota, the curse lasted a lot longer – 25 years. It lifted
in 1997, when Langdon knocked off Doc Barcome’s team at the State
Championship, went on to win the nationals and then took 6th in the world.
(For an introduction to curling, go to
http://www.usacurl.org/learn_more.html To see a video of the fateful
LaBonte moment, go to http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-41-550-2821/sports/curling/clip6
This text and audio may not be copied without securing
prior permission from North Dakota Public Radio.
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