Gordon Sparkes – Curler / Builder

Gordon Sparkes started curling at age eleven at the Deer Lodge Curling Club. He curled competitively from 1964 to 1979. During that time frame he was a finalist in the 1964 Junior Men’s Championship, the 1972 Mixed, and 1975 British Consols.

It was 1979 where his fortunes changed, playing on the front end for Barry Fry they won the coveted purple heart and went onto the 50^th and final Macdonald Brier in Ottawa, where their round robin record of 10-1 made them Canadian Champions. They represented Canada at the Air Canada Silver Broom in Berne, Switzerland where they had a third place finish.

It was after that memorable season that “Sparkie” decided to hang up the broom and joind the executive of the Deer Lodge Curling Club. Serving fourteen years, including a term as President 1991-1992 . In that time frame he also became involved in the Manitoba Curling Association elected council from 1981-1990.

He has chaired the Scottish Tour to Canada in 1983 and again in 1993. He has been the chairman of team services at the 1991 and 2003 World Championships hosted in Winnipeg. In 1995 he was host chairman for the Provincial Seniors hosted at Deer Lodge. In 1988 he was a director in charge of hosting for the Brier hosted in Winnipeg.

Gord was also instrumental in the initial set up of the major cash spiel bonspiel that Manitoba hosted. For fifteen years he chaired the former Canadian Open, Pacific Western and Coca Cola Classic bonspiel, which was the forerunner to the large dollar bonspiels we see today. In that time frame the purse money paid out totaled over one million dollars.

Gordon Sparkes was a made a Honourary Life Member of the Deer Lodge Curling Club and Manitoba Curling Association in 1993.

Gord was Inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Hame in 2004.

Last modified : Feb 20, 2006, 10:00 am