Olympic champion Kevin Martin returned to the province of his greatest triumph on Saturday as he conducted a clinic at Archie Browning Sports Centre for admiring Island curlers of all ages.
Vancouver, where he won gold in the 2010 Winter Olympics, was “absolutely No. 1 for me,” Martin said.
Salt Lake City, where he won Olympic silver in 2002, and Albertville, where he placed fourth in 1992, sit at No. 2 and 3, while his 18th career Grand Slam championship is No. 4.
That’s quite a career hit parade. No wonder the participants attending his sold-out clinics hung on his every word.
“Jack Nicklaus got his 18th major in golf at age 46 and Roger Federer was stuck on 17 Grand Slam championships for so long in tennis before he moved and got to 18, and now 20,” Martin said.
“So that’s why that 18th Grand Slam at age 47 was so special to me because it’s a milestone in sports and is so hard to get.”
But nothing matches wearing the Maple Leaf at the Winter Games. “Representing my country in the Olympics was truly special,” he said.
So was winning four Brier national championships in 12 appearances for Alberta.
With his fit, toned physical appearance, Martin is a curler who looked like he hit the gym as hard as the ice, starting a trend now followed throughout the sport. “We brought in a personal trainer for the team in 2000,” Martin said. “No one had done that before in curling. We kept it quiet at first. But it definitely changed the sport.”
Martin is also a revolutionary figure in the financial aspects of the modern game, having played key roles in the development of the Grand Slam of Curling and World Curling Tour.
It is estimated his teams won nearly $2 million in career earnings. But the reason for establishing such events wasn’t totally monetary, he said.
“One thing that bothered me about our sport was that if you didn’t advance through playdowns, your season was done in January,” Martin said.
“How are you going to get better by shutting down your season in January? So this was really done to extend the season with more cash events. Now, you can curl from September to May and that sharpens everybody’s skills. When I started, the average age of champions was 36. Now you can’t find a 36-year-old champion. The age of champions has gone down as the longer curling season has seen young curlers improve and come up.”
As an indication of the sport’s growth, Martin was inducted into the World Curling Hall of Fame this year during the world championships held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
“No way would I have ever imagined a curling event being held in Las Vegas,” said Martin, who commentates on curling for Sportsnet and NBC.
Assisting Martin in the Esquimalt clinics is his former coach Jules Owchar, a legendary mentor. Island curling builder Al Sutherland brought Martin and Owchar in for the clinics.
“I’ve known Al for 25 years and played in the events he has put on,” Martin said. “My broadcast schedule doesn’t allow me to do as many clinics as I’d like to, but I thought coming to the Island was a great idea and said yes immediately when [Sutherland] phoned me over the summer.”
