If you suggested to Glenn Howard 10 years ago that he’d still be competing in high-level men’s curling at age 60, he might have wondered if you hit your head on the ice.
“I’d have said ‘You’re an idiot,’” Howard said with a laugh this week.
Lo and behold, the man whose high-level career has spanned five decades is still going strong, a few months after his 60th birthday.
Howard and his teammates from Penetanguishene, Ont., are competing in the Grand Slam of Curling’s Boost National this week in North Bay.
The foursome, which includes Glenn’s son Scott Howard at third, David Mathers at second and Tim March at lead, is competitive with some of the top teams in the world — 16 of them are at the Boost National — and that’s a feeling the skipper simply doesn’t want to give up.
“I just enjoy it so much,” Howard said. “I have so much fun. I always have. Every time I lace up the shoes I can’t wait to get out there and throw some rocks.
“I’ve been asked to play seniors and I’ve missed 10 years of it already. I guess I’m probably in the masters now. I’ve been asked to do that with a lot of really great curlers and I think it would be a ton of fun, but I still like playing with the big boys right now. Playing in the grand slams and getting to the Brier, it just gets the blood flowing.”
Howard, a four-time world champion, has appeared in the Brier 19 times. His first time playing at the national men’s championship was in 1986. He has 14 Grand Slam titles, four Brier wins, has finished in the top three 14 times at the Brier and finished second at the Olympic trials in 2009.
He played in the Brier in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.
“I still can’t see myself sitting at home, watching it on TV,” Howard said. “I’m not ready for that.
“For years now, it’s always been a year at a time and that’s the way I look at it. See how this year goes and then assess and go on to the next year. I’m not embarrassing myself yet, so that’s kind of good.
“But I’m not naïve … if we start losing too much, the fun comes out of it. Cause that’s what it’s all about — fun. I just love being out there competing and doing my thing. Why not? If I can keep doing it, there’s no shame.”
While he’s still curling regularly on the men’s circuit, the now-retired (from his job) Howard has recently taken on a new role in the game as well.
Team Jennifer Jones, out of Manitoba, announced earlier this week that Howard is coming on board as coach. Viktor Kjell, who coached Team Jones for many years, recently left to become the national coach for the Swiss Curling Association and Jones saw Howard as a strong replacement.
“It really came out of nowhere, just recently,” Howard said. “Jen called me up and asked if I’d be interested in watching the team, or helping out for a couple of weekends.
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“So I helped them out (at the PointsBet Invitational) in Fredericton, helped them out (at the Stu Sells Tankard) last weekend in Toronto. All things have turned out well and they want to keep me on. It’s going to be a perfect fit for me. I told them that, obviously, I’m still curling, so I can’t give 100% but I’ll give as much as I can.”
Howard got his first taste of coaching with Team Eve Muirhead, out of Scotland, a few years back. He coached the team at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, where it finished fourth.
Muirhead and her teammates, with a different coach, went on to win the gold medal at the most recent Olympics in Beijing.
“That was my first real kick at it as a grand scheme coach,” said Howard, who hadn’t coached since 2018. “I dabbled with my kids here and there, but nothing permanent. That was the big one, for three years. That was interesting because I realized I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot about myself, as a coach. It isn’t cookie cutter.
“Because you’ve been a decent curler or had a good career, it doesn’t make you a good coach. I learned a lot about coaching and I learned that you see things a lot differently from the coaches’ bench. It’s very clear and you just sit back and watch the whole big picture.”
The Jones team is an intriguing one for Howard. Jones, a 48-year-old six-time Canadian women’s champion, Olympic gold medallist (2014) and two-time world champion, broke up with her long-time teammates after representing Canada in Beijing last season. She joined up with Mackenzie Zacharias and her young teammates (everyone other than Jones on the team is 23 or younger) and is gearing up for another Olympic quadrennial.
“From my perspective, Jennifer Jones is the GOAT,” Howard said. “There’s no question in my mind she’s the greatest female curler of all time. To have an opportunity to join forces with her is unbelievable.
“And then you’ve got Team Zacharias. Not only are they extremely talented, they’re extremely knowledgeable, they know the sport of curling very well and they are lovely young ladies. They are absolutely a pleasure to be around and they are mature beyond their years. It’s going to be a good combination.”
While many curlers stay competitive well into their 40s, what Howard is doing is unusual. His brother Russ, another all-time great, retired from the game in 2009, at age 53, while other greats like Jeff Stoughton, Kevin Martin and Randy Ferbey all stepped aside before they turned 50.
And yet, here’s Glenn, not ruling out playing for several more years, as long as he can stay competitive.
“It’s coming to an end fairly soon, I think,” he said.
“The body is starting to tell me. But, you never know. I’m still having fun.”
Twitter.com/Ted_Wyman
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