Children's Novel Inspires Young Curlers

When you think of great curlers moving down from the Territories to play in Alberta, Kevin Koe instantly comes to mind. Well you can add another name to that list. Author and avid curler, Kim Perkins, is currently making a splash in the curling world with her new children's novel, "The Adventures of Trefor".

Kim Perkins was born and raised in the Northwest Territories, where she was first introduced to curling. As a junior, Kim had remarkable success in competitive curling. She represented the NWT for an incredible three consecutive years at the Canadian Juniors Championship, starting in 1992 at the very young age of twelve years old. By the time she was fifteen, Kim skipped the Terrtitory team at the 1995 Canada Winter Games. Though she's now living in Calgary, Alberta and has stepped back from the competitive curling, she's still very involved in the action by teaching curling and running junior programs at her home club.

With such an obvious passion for curling and a desire to introduce children to the game, it only seems natural that Kim would take on a very unique project.

"I wanted to create a series of books for children to introduce and popularize curling," Kim told Curling Scoops. "I wanted to generate excitement and interest in the sport."

A sketch of Trefor, the star of Kim Perkins novel.

The result, after one year of writing, was "The Adventures of Trefor". Trefor, as many of you may know, is a type of granite that curling rocks are made of. With a pronunciation the same as the name "Trevor", it seemed like a great witty name for the star of the novel. "I wanted the names in the book to relate directly to curling," Kim said. "I thought it would be a cute name."

The book, although very entertaining, teaches children the basics of curling and can introduce them to some of the fundamental terminology. For a curling teacher, like Kim, this sort of book is a remarkable educational tool.

I don't want to give away too much of the story, but if you've ever wondered what kind of shenanigans curling rocks get into when nobody is watching, then you'll get a kick out of this book. Young children especially will enjoy the book. But if you think you or your teens might get more out of a more grown-up story, keep you eyes peels for Kim's future work. She is currently in the process of cooking up a new book for the older curlers as well.

Kim is also starting a new trend in curling broom accessories. With every purchase of the "Trefor" book comes a colorful broom charm, similar to a silicone "LiveStrong" bracelet shrunk down to the diameter of a broom handle.

Kim's devotion to the game and to young players is inspiring. Whether it's in how she once represented her territory on the national stage, how she devotes time and energy to coaching young curlers, or writing novels to introduce children to curling, Kim is always contributing to curling and investing in the youth of the game. In fact, one dollar from every book sold goes towards the Calgary Youth Curling Association.

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