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Larry McGrath rode horses to go curling.
As a boy, his father would take him via cutter (a sleigh) on Saturday mornings to practice on a sheet of natural ice in Dodsland, Saskatchewan.
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Larry honed his skills in local bonspiels as a teenager and eventually came up against the famous Richardsons, and won. He initially found success teaming with Darlene Hill, John Gunn and Marlene Dorsett to win back-to-back Canadian mixed championships in 1967 and ’68. Another mixed title came in 1971 (with Marlene replaced by Audrey St. John) but a purple heart still evaded him.
Larry finally scored his heart in 1974, competed at the Brier in London and fell just one game short of a playoff against the eventual champion, Alberta’s Hec Gervais.
Larry shares stories from his early days to the many events and carspiels (he won three), being a driver for Paul Gowsell (and his opponent in the famous “pizza” game) and dealing with Russ Howard’s headsets as player representative for the CCA in the 1980s.
Larry passed away on August 20, 2023.
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