The members of the Chestermere Junior Curling program were having just a regular Sunday afternoon practice on March 15th, when who should walk out onto the ice, curling rock star, John Morris. Eyes widened and mouths dropped as the youngsters tried to keep their composure and finish off their practice with coach, Marla Forth.
For those of you who don’t know, John Morris (nicknamed “Johnny Mo”) is a Canadian curler, and Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic gold medalist. You may recognize his name as it is a street right here in Chestermere.
After finishing second at the 1997 Canadian Junior Championships, Morris, who at the time curled out of the Ottawa Curling Club, went on to win the next two national championships in 1998 and 1999, setting records for most wins by a skip along the way. In 2006, Morris joined forces with veteran skip Kevin Martin on a four-year plan aimed at winning a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics and they did indeed take that gold medal win.
His most recent victory came earlier this month when he, alongside his team mates, won The 2015 Tim Hortons Brier. Aside from curling, Morris, a certified personal trainer, currently serves as a full-time firefighter for Rocky View County Fire Services. Drawing on his degree in Kinesiology from Wilfrid Laurier University, in 2009 Morris co-authored the book Fit to Curl, a sport-specific training manual. In 2010, Morris was featured by ET Canada in a Valentines special as one of Canada’s most eligible bachelors.
Given all that he has accomplished in the world of curling, the very humble Johnny Mo, took time out of his busy life to not only stop by the curling rink at the Chestermere Rec Center, but also to go out on the ice and sweep stones for the kids and give a few pointers. The kids soaked it up as to them, he is a rock star.
Morris commented, “It was awesome to be able to get out and join the kids. I can remember when I was that age and really looked up to the Champion curlers we had at our club. It is wonderful to see the program doing so well”.
