The Columba College ‘Doves on Ice’ curling team came out sliding after last year's loss in the Dunedin curling tournament, guiding their stones to victory in the 2021 edition of the Dunedin competition, with eight wins and two losses in a Lockdown-impacted season.

The Year 12 team of Maddie Anton, Maya Bromby, Ella Herbert and Isi Weston-Cooke emerged top of the table out of the ten teams in the competition, with the Doves flying higher than ever.

Curling Captain of 2021, Maddie Anton has played as the team’s 'skip', guiding the foursome to the house. Ella Herbert, the lead, throws the first and second stones, a position that is crucial to the game’s success, as this is the stone that decides how the ice will treat them that day. Isi Weston-Cooke, the second, throws the third and fourth stones - again guided by Maddie. Maya Bromby, the third, brings her 'spinning stone' technique to really get the stones into the house to increase the team’s score, yet again another crucial part to the game’s success.

Many are confused or uneducated about this underrated sport of curling, but that is exactly what these girls have made their duty to do. To make curling as recognised as any other High School sport is the first priority of The Doves On Ice, as this is a team sport, one that takes technique and strategy to succeed.

With 2021 only being their second season of training and competing, we can not deny that it took some time for the Doves to learn the game and technique. In 2020, these Doves first started at the bottom, walking onto the ice with no idea how to play the game, let alone how to win it. The knowledge, or lack thereof, of winning the game was then proven when looking up from the bottom of the table at the end of the season.

In 2021, the Doves were more eager than ever. After many promises of a pizza lunch from their biggest supporter, Mr Hayden, every Wednesday these girls would stride out onto the ice with lunch on their minds. We will never know if it was Mr Hayden’s promises of pizza, former 'coach' Sienna Harper’s wise pre-game talks, or Simon – Dunedin’s own Curling Guru – and his patient teaching skills that brought these girls to victory. Sure enough, these girls have put enough bruises, sweat and ice burns into proudly taking home this well-deserving title. Next year they will go on to compete in their third season, and without a doubt, abiding by the motto of “birds that sweep together, succeed together.”