For close to 20 years, Archie Griffith has travelled all the way from Rocky Mountain House, AB, to compete in the Terrace Men’s Loggers Bonspiel.
“It’s such a good bonspiel,” said the Alberta curler, who is also a 93-year-old grandfather.
“Actually the bonspiel is a side bit,” he said when asked, noting that he really comes up to visit his son and family, and curl with them.
Archie acts as skip for the Griffith rink, playing with his son Mitch Griffith and grandsons Kieran, 25, and Aidan, 22.
They’ve been curling together as a team for the last 10 years, and the sport pretty much runs in the family.
Archie and his wife Evelyn started playing back as a couple, and passed it onto their son Mitch as a little boy. Mitch and his wife Sylvia then got their sons Kieran and Aidan involved, with the boys competing in their first Loggers Bonspiel when they were 11 and 13.
“It was just a good chance to be able to play together,” said Mitch adding that not all sports give families that opportunity.
And having moved here 28 years ago, Mitch says he’s always appreciated the small town atmosphere at the Loggers Bonspiel.
“My dad (Archie) has been coming here for 20 years now, and it’s like everybody in the club treats him like he’s a member,” said Mitch, noting that everybody always comes up to greet his parents and welcome them back.
“I’ve always really appreciated that,” he said.
And playing with his boys, Mitch says he enjoys the chance to know and interact with them differently.
“You’re almost like peers, when you’re all together on the team, it’s not that father-son relationship so much,” said Mitch, adding that he enjoys seeing them develop every year, and now watching them surpass him as curlers.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said.
A total of 32 teams competed in the Loggers Bonspiel this year, and many players and teams come from out of town to compete.
The John Kennedy Rink (with Kevin Jefferies, Jason Harris and Andy Hoffman) beat out the Smithers Vanderstar rink to win the A event.
The B event winner was Team Dodderidge, C winner was Team Bowles, and D winner was Team Sallenback.
