Brian Starkell is used to fighting fires. But when it comes to major curling events, he fires up the crowd.
If you come to the BKT World Men’s Curling Championship, however, you will hear Starkell’s booming voice yelling “Let’s go Canada, let’s go!” followed by a “Yay Canada!” throughout the arena, with fans clapping along.
Starkell is a retired Nipawin fire chief who spent 10 years as chief and 47 years in total as a firefighter. Nowadays, he spends his time volunteering.
He’s been a lifelong curling fan. Starkell played the sport as a kid before age caught up with him. These days, he has a bad back and can’t curl anymore, but he remains a fan.
Over the last several years, Starkell has become a staple at major curling events in Canada, especially those hosted in western Canada.
“We were out in Kelowna a couple of weeks ago, and then when the Brier was in Regina last year, and in Saskatoon, and all the men’s worlds in Regina—been to all of them as well,” Starkell said, speaking to Discover Moose Jaw between draws.
Even during draws when Canada isn’t playing, you can hear Starkell’s voice cheering on different teams. He says he likes to keep the vibes positive, although he chuckled that his voice is only good for a couple of draws.
So, how did his cheering with the fans all get started? Well, it’s just luck.
“I just dreamed it up one day and started hollering through the crowd, and people seemed to like it, so I just kept on going,” he said.
The BKT World Men’s Curling Championship continues all this week at the Temple Gardens Centre. If you want to join folks like Starkell in the stands, you can purchase your tickets at sasktix.ca.