As it turns out, Nathalie Lauzon is bothered a lot more by the inquisitive stares that she is getting from every Tom, Dick and Harry than she is by the plaster cast that is encasing her ankle.

But the stares...

"It is probably what perturbs me the most" declared the Laval region skip. "I really have to concentrate at ignoring the stares that I am getting from all the folks curious about my injury."

"This is no easy task" she points out. "Then again, you don't often see the skip of a curling team take to the ice with a leg in a cast" Nathalie is forced to admit.

"To my knowledge, it may have occurred once in the past in a major event where a male curler was involved. In a major women's event, I may well be the first to ever curl with a casted leg."

No hesitation.

The petite pioneer of the women's curling world is somewhat surprised at the lack of difficulty that she has experienced in getting the stones into the house.

"In the beginning, the cast certainly forced me to modify my technique", she says, "But presently, everything is going fine as I have no hesitation about my being here and I feel confident that I can make any shot called for."

This was certainly anything but a fact before my arrival here in Dolbeau where the games are being held.

"Originally, my Doctor was somewhat reluctant about my competing here as he was concerned about the proper healing of my injury, a severely sprained right ankle that happened while playing a game of handball."

"As far as I was concerned, I did not expect to have as much ease at playing the game as I would be normally capable of. In fact, I figured on having so much difficulty playing that had a last minute replacement been found, I would certainly have hobbled aside. Mind you, I would have been tremendously disappointed."

In the end, it was decided that Nathalie would indeed represent her region at the games accompanied by three other curlers.

"Being 17 years old and thus in my last Quebec winter games, it is now or never as far as my making it to the podium. I've participated in two previous games and came up empty on both of those occasions. Cast and all, I've promised myself that I'd be on the podium."