Doing any one thing for over 70 years is an impressive feat and that is true for Olds resident Ken Gillrie, 89, who has been curling for 73 years.
Gillrie has been curling since 1945 and grew to love it for not being as rough as a sport like hockey.
“My kid brother was a good hockey player. I can’t skate very good and I wanted to be as good at a sport as he was at hockey,” said Gillrie. “My grandfather asked me what I wanted to do, I said 'curl' and I did.”
A special exception had to be made with the Didsbury Curling Club back in 1945 to let someone who was not yet an adult play the game.
“My grandfather and several other men said they would boycott the curling club if they didn’t allow me to curl. That’s why I haven’t missed a year since,” Gillrie said.
After 14 years of playing in Didsbury and Medicine Hat, Gillrie ended up in Olds in 1959.
He came to Olds to open his men’s clothing store named Gillries Menswear, which has since closed.
With making Olds the place where he lives and worked that also means that’s where he has curled for nearly 60 years.
Gillrie was the first person in Olds to advocate for kids' curling and coached the boys' teams for a number of years.
When reflecting on how the sport has evolved over the years Gillrie has seen a major difference.
“Women, men and juniors are much more competitive than when I grew up and when I came to Olds,” he said.
Gillrie is disappointed in the lack of interest from young people in curling and wishes that more people would see its appeal.
He hopes more young people will give curling an honest shot in the future.
“I think there’s a lot of young people that would enjoy the sport if they would come and try it,” Gillrie said.
“Curling is not a rough game, it’s a finesse game. You don’t have to be 200 pounds to be a curler; you can be very small and still be a good curler,” said Gillrie. “How many people are playing hockey or football at my age?”
Looking back, Gillrie doesn’t recall ever having any serious rivals as he was more focused on just doing his best than worrying about the others he played against.
“We always did our best, tried to beat the hell out of you if we could; if you beat us so be it,” Gillrie said. “You tried hard to win but if you didn’t you didn’t cry about it.”
The best advice Gillrie has for a newcomer is to not allow yourself to get worked up on the ice.
“Don’t be angry on the ice, don’t lose your cool; it’s a fun game,” said Gillrie. “It’s a gentleman’s or a ladies' sport, it’s different than any contact sport; you’re just there to have fun.”
Aside from the medals, ribbons and trophies he has won over the years, perhaps the most valuable thing Gillrie has gained from his curling career are the friends he's made.
“I’ve got many lasting friendships. A good curler likely has many friends,” he said.
Gillrie has wrapped up his 73rd year of curling and looks forward to many more seasons in the future.
