Montreal resident Mark Callan has become an internet sensation with his effortless, fast moonwalks on ice. The 61-year-old is the man with the backpack and the house, shuffling back to the house in the almost empty Cortina curling stadium, spraying plumes of water to prepare the ice.
He was the center of attention at the Winter Olympics in northern Italy, far away from the Forest Hills rink in Aberfoyle, where he experienced curling for the first time. He has impressed audiences with his performance and vibrant personality, although some of his most vital moments mainly involve him falling over.
Despite all odds, he kept going back, and one day his curiosity got the better of him when he saw someone pebbling in the ice.
He believed I was continuing and I wanted to learn more; now I’m in this position. Callan explains that he carries a gravity-fed backpack containing 15 liters of water.
He explained that his job is to sprinkle the ice with water droplets of different sizes. Its sharply measured steps are designed to keep it balanced on the smooth surface and ensure even distribution of the water.
Callen has been in the Colosseum in Italy since mid-January. Arriving at his fourth Olympics, he found a “concrete floor and contractors everywhere” at a venue originally designed for ice hockey. The Cortina Stadium, which hosted the 1956 Winter Games as an open-air arena, now has a roof, although all the original features, such as the wooden spectator benches, remain. This is a challenging time for Callan and his small team, but the positive response from the athletes keeps him going.
