In most communities, the manager of the local Beer Store is, well, just the manager of the Beer Store. It’s a slightly different story in Midland, where the manager is a world-renowned champion curler with his own website.
Born in 1962 in Midland, Glenn Howard is the brother of Russ, another world-famous curler, and now a fellow individual member of the Midland Sports Hall of Fame. Together, they have made a huge mark in the sport. Glenn’s record is enviable: 2007 world cham-pion, Brier finalist in 2006 and 2008, 1987 and 1993 world and Brier champion (with Russ), two-time Players champion, and four-time Mc-CainfTSN Skins Game champ. In total, Glenn has qualified for 10 Briers and eight finals, winning three.
His resume is far from complete. This year, as he is inducted into the Hall of Fame, he has already earned a berth in the Olympic trials for the 2010 Winter Games in British Columbia.
Glenn started curling at the age of 10 and played much of his early career at third with Russ as his skip before his brother moved to New Brunswick in the late 1990s. After forming his own team of third Richard Hart, sec-ond Brent Laing and lead Craig Savill, Glenn struggled somewhat before winning the 2006 provincial final, thus qualifying for the Brier which they lost in the final to Quebec 8-7.
The next year was a different story. Not only did they not lose a game, not one went to the full 10 ends. At the Brier, they lost only twice before defeating Olympic gold medalist Brad Gushue of Newfoundland/Labrador 10-6. They moved on to the World Men’s Curling Cham-pionship in Edmonton, losing only one game in the round-robin to Team USA. But they beat the Americans 7-2 in the playoff game and then thrashed the Germans in the final 7-2.
In his attempt to repeat at the 2008 Brier, Howard lost 5-4 in the final to Alberta. Howard clinched a spot at the Olympic trials when he won the 2008 Players Championship, which was held in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Howard finished the tournament with a perfect record and beat Alberta in the final.
Not content with his on-ice fame, Howard made a guest appearance on the CBC comedy Little Mosque on the Prairie in an episode entitled “Jihad on Ice”.
