SUBMITTED
By Nathan Stone,
Trident Staff
Playing started as a childhood holiday tradition, but now Personnel Support Programs (PSP) Physical Exercise Specialist Noel Redmond is competing at the highest level of one of Canada’s oldest board games.
Redmond is a Crokinole expert. He competed at the 23rd annual World Crokinole Championships in 2024 and is preparing to attend again in 2025.
He was introduced to the game during the Christmas seasons of his youth. His family owned a crokinole board that was brought out annually during the break. He would play matches against visiting friends and family over the holidays, then the board would be packed away until next December.
Crokinole is a Canadian dexterity-based board game where players flick small discs onto a circular board, aiming for high-scoring zones while knocking opponents’ pieces away.
Redmond says he doesn’t remember being a strong crokinole player as a child, but he eventually began to enjoy practicing on his own. He would set up solo games and challenges to test his skills.
“I really started to enjoy practicing, just shooting at the other discs on the board, even if there was no one else to play… I think because I enjoyed doing that, I learned the angles and what happened when you hit a post at a certain angle.”
Despite his growing appreciation for the game, crokinole remained something he only played during the holidays. He had previously searched for local crokinole groups, but found little interest outside of a group on Prince Edward Island. He kept practicing and playing when opportunities arose, but for many years, that was the extent of his participation.
On Boxing Day 2023, Redmond once again checked for crokinole clubs in Nova Scotia and found a group who play out of the Church Brewery in Wolfville once a month. He joined their January meetup and, for the first time, connected with competitive opponents to test his skills against. He says playing year-round has sharpened his abilities and made him more passionate about the game.
In June 2024, just six months after he began playing competitively, Redmond traveled to Tavistock, Ontario, for the World Crokinole Championships. The event drew over 200 players from Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Japan.
Redmond surprised himself with a strong finish in the competitive singles category.
“Six months after I started playing in a more competitive fashion, I played in the World Championship and placed 13th in the competitive singles category. So, I’m probably going to do this for the rest of my life,” he said. Looking ahead, he’s planning a return to the World Crokinole Championship in June, where his goal is to place in the top ten. He’s also preparing for a potential national tournament planned for Wolfville in 2026.
Through the sport, Redmond has connected with top players and enthusiasts worldwide — he even met with the family behind Tracey Boards, manufacturer of the top-of-the-line boards and accessories used at the Worlds.
He says the crokinole scene in Nova Scotia is expanding and believes a Halifax club will emerge in the future.
Despite now competing at a high level, Redmond still plans to uphold his childhood Christmas tradition of playing Crokinole with family.
“We play, but just recreationally for fun. I take it easy on them.”
