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From Cadder to Korea – Gary’s journey through Curling!

In the first major stop of a busy sporting year, the eyes of the world will be on Italy this month as the 25th Winter Olympics are held in Milano and Cortina. 

Will this year produce another Eddy the Eagle or Jamaican Bobsleigh team? Or will gold be the goal for the GB curling teams?  There is a very good chance of this – trying hard here not to spook it – with both the Women’s, Men’s and mixed Doubles teams fielding outstanding players. 

Curling is a surprisingly popular sport still, despite the lack of rinks around the country.  However, there are numerous local clubs who all share their nearest rinks. There are some pretty impressive amateur players within these local clubs and none more so than our very own Fife Club co-ordinator, Gary Waddell, who is also a Welsh Senior World Curling Championships team stalwart, but more of that later... 

We sat down with Gary to find out how this early sporting love came about and how he remains as passionate about it to this day. 

Gary, when did all this curling start? 

After I left university, but before I got married, I joined Cadder Curling Club - the local club to Lenzie where I lived at the time. I was part of the rink that won the league trophy in my first year where all games were played at the Crossmyloof Ice Rink. Sadly this rink with the fabulous name closed in 1986 and, in fact, there is no longer any dedicated curling rink in Glasgow. 

You mentioned marriage, did your wife share your enthusiasm? 

Just before we got married, I introduced my wife-to-be to curling by going to a coaching session run at the old Stirling Ice Ring. The coaching was run by my boss at the time. Following our wedding and when my job took me to the east coast, we both joined Gogar Park Curling Club, another rink which also no longer exists when the site was taken over for the new Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters. The ice rink building remains but is now the storage for all the grounds maintenance equipment.  

However, Mrs W. never really got to grips with curling and at times she was like Bambie on ice which is a worry when you are trying to focus on playing your own game! Suffice to say we both gave up curling when life, children and work got in the way.  

What happened next Gary? 

It wasn’t until 2009 (age 49) when my neighbour, who knew I had curled, asked me if I would be interested in playing again for the local club, Inverkeithing Curling Club. With the children at High School and not just as demanding I thought this was a good idea. I was invited to play in the clubs 175 anniversary bonspiel in the year before I “officially” joined and I ended up being in the winning rink (again) and receiving a lovely DAB radio which I still use today.  

Restarting curling was the best thing I could have done. It gave me a renewed interest which filled the winter months, a sport which, at my age, I felt I could still improve at and a bunch of new friends. 

(Gary (right) with fellow Curlers at Kinross Rink)

So far it would appear that you are Scottish and played in Scotland – where does Wales come into all this? 

Well, it’s a bit of a story.  The next significant step in my curling life took place in 2013 when I was playing in an event at Stranraer and got to know a group of curlers who all played with the Welsh Curling Association and curled out of the Deeside Leisure Centre in North Wales. I mentioned in the passing that my mother was Welsh making me half Welsh. The upshot of that was that I was invited to join them up in Dumfries where they played their main events and was asked to join the Seniors team (50+). Before I knew it, I was playing in the 2014 World Seniors Curling Championships which happened to be held that year in Dumfries.  

I have since gone on to play in a further five world championships, twice in Sweden (Karlstad 2016 and Ostersund 2018), one in Canada (Lethbridge in British Columbia 2017), one in Norway (Stavanger 2019) and once in South Korea in 2023 (Gangneung which hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics curling events). 

(Gary (left) in South Korea)

Wow Gary, that’s very impressive.  Were there any wins along the way? 

By far and away my (our) greatest achievement was beating the Scottish Senior Champions not once but twice at the 2017 World Championship in Lethbridge, Canada and reaching the quarter finals losing to the eventual winners, Canada and being ranked overall as the sixth best senior team.  

Do you encourage others to try this sport? 

Having turned a hobby into a passion I have since gone onto coach hundreds of newbies and beginners who have gone onto join clubs and who I have curled against competitively. I have also become a part-time stand-in ice technician which means I help prepare the ice for play.  

Winters wouldn’t be the same without curling. A fantastic team sport which is always played in the “Spirit of Curling” whereby the winners always buy the losers a drink afterwards.    

Thank you Gary for sharing your love of curling and we shall be watching Team GB with renewed interest.