Curling Legends Podcast

Curling Legends Podcast episodes:

• 02.17.2024

  Episode 88 - Dorenda Bailey

  Dorenda Bailey did it all by twenty-two. Growing up in Moose Jaw, a provincial High School championship was followed by multiple collegiate victories representing the University of Saskatchewan. Junior girls curling was limited to regional events in the sixties but...

  
• 02.10.2024

  Episode 87 - Jim Waite

  Jim Waite learned honour in curling at an early age. Playing lead in a bonspiel final, their opponent's last stone picked and Jim's skip, Don Anderson, allowed Alfie Phillips Sr. to throw it again. Jim got his purple heart in...

  
• 12.02.2023

  Episode 86 - Susan Seitz

  Susan Seitz kept knocking at the door. After winning an Alberta Junior Championship in 1968 it would take 13 years and several close calls before capturing her first women's provincial championship. Susan and third Judy Erickson, second Myrna McKay and...

  
• 10.19.2023

  Episode 85 - Larry McGrath

  Larry McGrath rode horses to the curling club. His father would take him via horse and sleigh on Saturday mornings to practice on a sheet of natural ice in Dodsland, Saskatchewan. Larry honed his skills in local bonspiels as a...

  
• 03.20.2023

  Episode 84 - Eugene Hritzuk

  Eugene Hritzuk walked over to curl after hockey practice. Planted in goal with no face mask, the team took shots at him. After one puck whizzed past Eugene's ear and another hit him in the collarbone, it was time to...

  
• 03.05.2023

  Episode 83 - Hersh Lerner/Wally Ursuliak and Will Pacarynuk

  Hersh Lerner says if you're not nervous it's BS. Hersh grew up in Winnipeg, learning to curl at the Maple Leaf Curling Club. His talent for golf was matched by his prowess on the ice, scoring three 8-enders in one...

  
• 03.01.2023

  Episode 82 - George Karrys

  George Karrys bought The Curling News. February 15, 2023 was the 25th anniversary of the Olympic men's curling final in Nagano, Japan. George and teammates Mike Harris, Richard Hart and Collin Mitchell of Canada won a silver medal after losing...

  
• 02.22.2023

  Episode 81 - Heather Houston

    Heather Houston isn't a stereotypical skip. She never felt a need to be the centre of attention, often avoiding the limelight. When Heather and Lorraine Lang formed a new team in 1987 with Diane Adams and Tracy Kennedy at...

  
• 02.22.2023

  Episode 81 - George Karrys

  George Karrys bought The Curling News. February 15, 2023 was the 25th anniversary of the men's curling final at the 1998 Winter Olympic games. George and his teammates Mike Harris, Richard Hart and Collin Mitchell of Canada won a silver medal...

  
• 12.14.2022

  Episode 80 - Al Hackner

  Al Hackner always concentrated on the game. His deep focus, cool demeanor and absence of emotional display led to his nickname "the Iceman". Al's partnership with third Rick Lang in 1979 led to four trips to the Brier final in...

  
• 11.13.2022

  Episode 79 - Joe Gurowka

  Joe Gurowka believes curling associations need to engage players. He shared this perspective in his retiring address as Ontario Curling Association (OCA) president in 1984. Joe’s career as a player and administrator covers over half a century. He skipped Tom...

  
• 04.08.2022

  Episode 78 - Orest Meleschuk

  Orest Meleschuk could accept when an opponent threw a good stone. But he was less tolerant when chaff from a corn broom turned a terrible miss into a made shot. In 1972 the luck of the chaff fell his way...

  
• 03.24.2022

  Episode 77 - Georgina Wheatcroft

  Georgina Wheatcroft always wanted to be an Olympian. Initially kept out of the evaluation camps, she needed a Scotties victory with Pat Sanders in 1987 to qualify for the first ever Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. She eventually reached her goal,...

  
• 02.28.2022

  Episode 76 - Don Lewis

  Don Lewis was an innovator. Being a curling icemaker in the 1970s was as much art as science. Don learned the craft in Saskatchewan, honed his skills with winter sojourns to Toronto in the early sixties and eventually became head...

  
• 04.24.2021

  Episode 75 - Erika Brown

  Erika Brown started young. At the age of 15 she qualified for the 1988 Olympic Games and would compete in her first World Junior Championships a month after her appearance in Calgary. Erika shares her experiences growing up in the...

  
• 03.12.2021

  Special Episode - Jim Wilson

  There are many legendary nicknames in curling. The Wrench, Snake, Moose, Arrow, Ice Man and the Round-Mound-Of-Come-Around are only a few.  But you may not have heard the legend of "Rock Bottom". Coach for Team Epping at the 2021 Tim...

  
• 02.27.2021

  Episode 74 - Rae Kells/Donna Boyle

  Rae Kells was prepared for the challenge.  Her experience as a probations officer provided ideal training for work as a curling official.  Her steady approach to controversial finishes at the 1993 Canadian Junior Women’s and ’94 Junior Men’s championships led...

  
• 01.25.2021

  Episode 73 - Don Aitken

  Don Aitken misses corn brooms. With two players pounding in unison, the sound and rhythm was a thing of beauty. In the 1970s, Don practiced on linoleum during summer months and by winter, helped sweep up purple hearts, winning Quebec...

  
• 12.28.2020

  Episode 72 - Terry Jones

  Terry Jones wanted to have fun. As a kid he ran errands for the press box during the local baseball tournament and saw the thrill of being a sportswriter. Over his career "Jonesy" has covered it all, including succeeding Don...

  
• 12.03.2020

  Episode 71 - Elaine Dagg-Jackson

  Elaine Dagg-Jackson pursued her passion to coach curling. The decision led her to amazing experiences across the globe and eventually her dream job as National Women's Coach with Curling Canada. Her introduction to the sport came from father Lyall, winner...

  
• 11.19.2020

  Episode 70 - Bert Gretzinger

  Bert Gretzinger has a few stories to tell. Born in Winnipeg, he spent his middle-school years in Calgary and eventually landed in Vancouver, winning his first purple heart as vice for Bernie Sparkes in 1976. After moving to Kelowna, Bert...

  
• 11.06.2020

  Episode 69 - Resby Coutts

  Resby Coutts is a real life Les Nessman. Farm reporting was the primary job but having been a member of the Murray Nye team that lost the final of the 1981 Manitoba Tankard, curling was added to his radio duties....

  
• 07.17.2020

  Episode 68 - Lindsay Sparkes

  Lindsay Sparkes was driven by a desire to improve rather than by competition. Leaving figure skating for curling she replaced judges with a scoreboard and by focusing on her own ability, eventually the winning took care of itself. Joined by...

  
• 06.16.2020

  Episode 67 - Glen Jackson/Doug Wilson

  Glen Jackson was young and brash but made a mature decision when it mattered. A coin flip to determine who would be third for Paul Gowsell on their high school rink went to Neil Houston and Glen chose to stay...

  
• 05.16.2020

  Episode 66 - Matt Hames/Warren Hansen

  Matt Hames was a mad man. Once a copywriter, just like fictional TV character Don Draper, Matt gave up three martini lunches at Bay and Bloor for six packs and road trips to bonspiels in Thunder Bay and a chance...

  
• 04.27.2020

  Episode 65 - John Ferguson

  John Ferguson developed management skills from behind the tee-line.  Dealing with a contentious boardroom seemed easy after numerous years as vice for two of the most eccentric skips in curling history. As third for Paul Gowsell, John won the 1977...

  
• 03.21.2020

  Episode 64 - Guy Hemmings

  Guy Hemmings found curling by accident. Having moved to Montreal for University, during a Sunday morning walk he saw a sign to try curling at the Outremont Club. This chance encounter would eventually lead him to skip Quebec to the...

  
• 03.01.2020

  Episode 63 - Alison Goring

  Alison Goring likes to be around people. Socializing was also a form of sports psychology. She couldn't face the alternative of quiet solitude in a hotel room the night before a big game.  Alison won the 1983 Canada Winter Games...

  
• 01.28.2020

  Episode 62 - Julie Skinner

  Julie Skinner was always driven. Recognizing this, she was hesitant to return to curling when Kelley Law asked her to play third years after she'd stepped away. With the support of her family, Julie jumped head first into her second...

  
• 01.13.2020

  Episode 61 - Don Bartlett, Part 3

  Don Bartlett returns for more conversation. He shares thoughts on the Brier boycott era and Team Martin with Carter Rycroft. Don discusses the Ferbey Four, playing a bonspiel with Paul Gowsell, split times and 5 rock Free Guard Zone. You...

  
• 01.07.2020

  Episode 60 - Peter Gallant

  Peter Gallant never took to skating. His father was a hockey coach and while his older brother reached for a stick and puck, he chose a broom and slider. His choice led to nine Brier appearances with Prince Edward Island...

  
• 11.14.2019

  Episode 59 - Ray Grant

  Ray Grant's father Andy felt one trip to the Brier was enough. After skipping Ontario at the first Regina Brier in 1955, Andy's experience was so fantastic he believed every competitive curler should be given a chance to go. However,...

  
• 11.06.2019

  Episode 58 - Bernie Sparkes

  Bernie Sparkes loves the Brier. From his first purple heart as second for Ron Northcott in 1966 to his twelfth and final appearance skipping British Columbia in 1987, every visit to the Canadian Men's Curling Championship meant as much as...

  
• 10.07.2019

  Episode 57 - Earle Morris

  Earle Morris always knew how to prepare. Years before appearing in a Brier he studied the best teams, collecting binders of notes on how to approach the game. Travelling with the military made it difficult to establish himself but eventually...

  
• 09.23.2019

  Episode 56 - Pat Sanders

  Pat Sanders was always determined to knock over obstacles.  Still a knee slider when starting university, she changed her delivery and fought to make the school team, later moving from toe slide to flat foot to improve even further.  Reaching...

  
• 07.12.2019

  Epsiode 55 - Larry Wood

  Larry Wood doesn't like puff pieces.  He became editor of the Tankard Times, a daily newspaper at the Brier, on one condition; he wasn't going to pull any punches. As columnist at the Calgary Herald, Larry was scribe to many...

  
• 05.02.2019

  Episode 54 - Harvey Mazinke, Part 2

  In Part 2 of my conversation with Harvey Mazinke we begin with a Paul Gowsell story, discuss the original Labatt Brier cresting, re-writing of the "burnt stone" rule, hogline officials and the controversy surrounding the qualifying for the 1988 Olympics....

  
• 04.18.2019

  Episode 53 - Harvey Mazinke, Part 1

  Harvey Mazinke influenced curling as a player and a builder.  Growing up in Manitoba, Harvey reached the Brier in 1964 with Bruce Hudson, but moved to Saskatchewan a few years later.  Eventually he built a team of Billy Martin at...

  
• 03.29.2019

  Episode 52 - Anne Merklinger

  Anne Merklinger understands the mind of an athlete. As a swimmer she competed with the University of South Carolina and Canada's national team, a choice that delayed her curling pursuits for four years. Eventually Anne returned to Ottawa and skipped...

  
• 03.17.2019

  Epsiode 51 - Bob Weeks/Mickey Duzyj

  Bob Weeks joins Kevin to discuss TSN's recent attempt to rank Canada's Greatest Curlers (35:45).  Bob explains how the process came together and they discuss the many challenges of trying to rank curlers from different eras.  Eventually they dig into...

  
• 02.28.2019

  Episode 50 - Rick Folk

  Rick Folk was meant to throw the last rock.  His ability to focus while remaining calm under pressure worked for both golf and curling.  After coming up short in his first two Briers (1978 and '79), Rick, along with Ron...

  
• 02.14.2019

  Episode 49 - Bob Picken

  Bob Picken had a voice for curling.  An accomplished skip who nearly won a Purple Heart at the 1963 Manitoba Provincials, Bob became widely known for his other contributions to the sport.  His distinct broadcasting sound covered many Briers and...

  
• 01.14.2019

  Episode 48 - Rick Lang

  Rick Lang had an awkward start with success.  His first purple heart was won as third for Bill Tetley, but he had spared for Tom Todd and the uncertainty of who would go to the Brier hung over that evening's...

  
• 12.20.2018

  Episode 47 - Ron Anton

  Ron Anton was the original boy wonder.  He started skipping a men's team at the age of sixteen.  With his father at third, they reached the semifinals of the Swift Current Carspiel in 1959, holding their own against the great...

  
• 12.04.2018

  Episode 46 - Lloyd Yerama/Brian Chick

  Lloyd Yerama would sooner curl than eat.  The second of 13 children, Lloyd grew up in Gilbert Plains, Manitoba, learning to curl on a unique two sheeter that had the hockey rink sandwiched in between.  It was in 1968 that...

  
• 11.17.2018

  Episode 45 - Robin Wilson

  Robin Wilson grew up a fighter.  She was active in supporting social change during the early 1970's and, after earning her business degree, applied for positions in male dominant companies. Her path eventually led to one of the greatest sponsorships...

  
• 11.01.2018

  Episode 44 - Pierre Charette

  Pierre Charette may have been a little feisty. Regardless of his position for Team Quebec at the Brier (and he played them all) he was intensely focused on trying to win.  During a phenomenal run in the late nineties, he...

  
• 10.18.2018

  Episode 43 - Ron Green

  Ron Green grew up in the Toronto curling scene of the 1960s. After a close loss in the Ontario school boys, the opposing skip asked if he would join up the following year.  Ron would go on to curl with...

  
• 10.05.2018

  Episode 42 - Linda Moore

  Linda Moore was always willing to have an open mind.  After losing the Scotties final in 1986, instead of a direct entry to the first ever Olympic Trials, the Moore rink had to participate in the evaluation camp before qualifying...

  
• 09.20.2018

  Episode 41 - Ian Tetley

  Ian Tetley isn't afraid to give his input.  Sometimes a front-end player has to speak out before the wrong shot is called.  According to Ian, his teammates were often too quiet to speak up...so he had to.  His enthusiasm for curling...