Vera Pezer has always had a mind for curling. From her
early days in Meskanaw, SK, tossing stones on a two sheeter at the
age of 6, Vera developed a lifelong passion for the roaring game.
In our conversation, we cover her development at the
University of Saskatchewan where she honed her curling skills and
her studies, eventually blending the two as part of her
PhD in Sports Psychology. Vera won 4 Canadian Championships
as Team Saskatchewan. First as third for Joyce McKee in 1969,
then skipping Sheila Rowan, Joyce, and Lenore Morrison to three
consecutive national victories from 1971 to 1973. Vera then stepped
back from curling, but eventually found herself working with the
CCA, providing a focus on the mental aspects of the game. After the
1992 Winter Olympics, career again pulled her away from the game,
but her passions remained and she directed this energy into writing
a book "The Stone
Age: A Social History of Curling on the Prairies", published in
2003. She followed up with "Smart Curling: Perfect Your Game Through Mental
Training" in 2007.
Vera tells stories from across her curling career including
the Canadian Championships (CLCA and Macdonald Lassies), the 1988
Olympic Trials, and shares her thoughts on the modern
game. You'll also hear about her clash with Orest in
curling's original "Battle of the Sexes" in 1972.