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If you've been to a draw at this week's Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling Boost National 2022 at Memorial Gardens, you'll surely remember the energetic and informative pre-game introductions by the "Voice of the Pinty's."
The man handling the duties is Peter Steski and he has North Bay roots
A common topic of conversation among the curlers and broadcasters this week has been all the player turnover leading to new team combinations. Steski says it's going to be a fun year behind the mic with all the changes.
See related: Kevin Martin says finding chemistry is key for Pinty's rinks
"I was introducing Brad Gushue's team the other day and made eye contact with EJ Harnden and for a split second, I thought I was announcing the wrong team. He's curled for many years with Brad Jacobs of course."
He admits the announcements can get repetitive so he always tries to put in new information on the curlers for the fans.
Steski says he's been doing this for eight years at all the Grand Slams.
"I love coming to North Bay and my family, my parents and grandfather are from here. The players are great, and the fans are great. I love these crowds. I would say the best crowd we've ever had was here, in 2019."
He says there's a vibe here.
"When I turned on the Worlds in 2018, I was shocked. The attendance was unbelievable. I didn't know there were that many curling fans in North Bay. Dawn McEwan won the gold medal and said that was the best environment she's ever played in."
While not visiting North Bay, Steski says the Toronto stop is his favourite.
"Our season is wrapping up with the Players Championship, the Jays are usually in town, the Leafs are in the playoffs, lots of restaurants and the hotel is right next to the arena so it's a short walk."
