Another North Okanagan curling club will likely be packed on Saturday.
Of course, it is the sport’s off-season but when the community loses two great ambassadors, both involved with curling, it’s a perfect venue to celebrate their lives.
Such was the case in early June at the Armstrong Curling Club, as the community said goodbye to city councillor and curling club president Ron (Sully) O’Sullivan, 79. Close to 400 people crammed into the folding chairs on the curling club floor.
I expect there will be an equally large crowd Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Vernon Curling Club as the community remembers longtime club manager Ron Houston, also 79, who died June 27 after a battle with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
A native of Manitoba, Houston was the manager at the curling club for 25 years before retiring in 2000.
From his office adjacent to Sheet No. 3, Houston not only managed the club but promoted curling.
He created and organized a seminar for area club managers and executives, sensing how valuable sharing great ideas could be. He could also share those ideas with the public, and keep people up-to-date on what was happening in the sport through his longtime curling column in the local newspapers.
Houston was a strong promoter of youth curling. He helped establish a not-for-profit Junior Interclub League and was able to get some government funding to purchase things like video equipment.
“That demonstrates his initiative by being one of the first to use video analysis to help with instruction of curling,” said Houston’s longtime friend Janice Mori, who shared Houston’s office for 22 years as a curling club employee.
Houston put Vernon on the world curling map by being instrumental in the growth of the Vernon Car Spiel, the precursor to today’s Prestige Inn Twin Anchors Houseboat Cash Spiel.
Many of the game’s best curlers from around the globe came to Vernon each October in pursuit of the top prize of four brand new automobiles.
He also brought the 1979 Canadian Senior Women and 1992 Pepsi Junior Canadian Championships to the Vernon Curling Club.
Houston was no slouch in the hack.
He competed in mens, mixed and seniors leagues, and realized a goal of competing in the 1991 national senior mens championships with teammates Larry Wynn, Guy Schmirler and Don Kelly.
I dealt with Ron in my past career many times and a friendlier, kind, more helpful man I’ve never met. He always had a smile, always greeted me warmly and patiently answered my questions about in-turns, out-turns, hacks, corn brooms, sliders, angle-raise takeouts and guards.
RIP Ron.