He’s Lac Lac La Biche County’s oldest active curler, and Don Tournier shows no signs of slowing down … or playing less of the sport he’s loved since he was a young man.
Tournier, 93, was recently recognized for his commitment to the sport of curling in the community.
It was by chance that the farmer, who has spent his entire life in Lac La Biche County, stumbled upon the game that would soon become a major part of his life. One cold winter in the early 1960s, he remembers a group of local businessmen took a notion to host a bonspiel at the old curling quonset in Lac La Biche. Farmers played off against each other while the business owners served as team skips.
“We were little more than a bunch of greenhorn farmers who had never thrown anything in our lives, except perhaps for rocks in the field,” he said.
Tournier, who by that time was already an avid baseball player, decided to give it a whirl.
“We were little more than a bunch of greenhorn farmers who had never thrown anything in our lives, except perhaps for rocks in the field,” he said lightheartedly. “The town’s former postmaster, Paul Bouvier, served as the skip for my team.”
Hooked by the camaraderie but also the technical aspects of the sport, Tournier entered various bonspiels, making friends, and winning numerous trophies as he played across northern Alberta.
“Back in the 1970s, the Elks Lodge in Lac La Biche and the Order of the Royal Purple hosted a bonspiel where our local teams competed against visiting teams from Vegreville, Hairy Hill, St. Paul, and other communities,” Tournier said.
Over the past six decades, this veteran of the rink has juggled curling with the heavy and time-consuming responsibilities of farming. The rocks continue to be part of both of those lives, he says with a laugh.
While he never competed in any tournaments at the national level, Tournier — who prefers to play as a team’s third — has participated in many prominent local, regional, and provincial bonspiels.
He takes that experience and passion for the game with him every time he steps on the ice. In more recent years, as soon as the cold winds blow in to signal the onset of winter, Tournier can be found at the Bold Center curling rink every Tuesday for seniors’ day, where he plays against curlers a little younger … and much younger.
As the years have gone by, the veteran says he has changed his style a little. Some changes were made to improve his skills, others were made to accommodate bones that have spent 60 years on the ice.
“I’ve had to modify my play just a bit,” he said, explaining that it’s no longer possible for him to get down like he once could, so he now uses a stick to move the rock down the ice.
His eyes still gleam as he describes playing with old friends and new ones. He says there is still a group of about a dozen senior curlers who share the ice … and the stories … each week.
“There are 12 seniors who are still avid curlers,” he said.
Tournier was recently presented with a plaque by the Lac La Biche and District Curling Club, honoring him for his decades of play and dedication to the sport.
A group of local curlers at the presentation said Tournier is known for his good sportsmanship, making sure to compliment other players during games. He was also congratulated for his years of service to the curling association as a board member and volunteer.
Target shooter
Curling club director Darrell Shymoniak made the presentation. He said Tournier is a bit of a sniper when it comes to shooting double and even triple-take-outs. Shymoniak says that’s why the veteran curler likes to play third — lot of targets to hone his skills.
“He loves take-outs. Don’s successes allow him many double and other occasional triple, which many of us personally witnessed this year,” said Shymoniak. “Most folks could not see the opportunity for a triple, but Don just said, ‘Put your broom down here,’ and proceeded to make the shot.”
When he looks back on his life in curling, Tournier says he has made many good friends and that the game isn’t quite as easy as it looks.
“Curling is very methodological in nature,” he said. “You need to hit the broom the right way and overall, be very accurate while on the ice.”
