Growing through curling: The balance of life and competition

It all started on the cool and quiet sheets of the Kelowna Curling Club for Tyrel Griffith.

Since then, curling has grown into a life long passion that has taken the Kelowna resident everywhere from Newfoundland to Japan.

"The professional curling circuit is definitely fun but that doesn’t mean it’s easy," said Griffith.

"It's great to play around the world and see people come out and cheer you on but there is a lot of side variables that go into it as well."

While curling is synonymous with Canadian sports, the professional side of the game doesn’t share the same celebrity status as it’s ice sport affiliate hockey.

"I wish we could say that we make a living curling but we all have full time jobs to go home to," noted the 31-year-old.

"Every curler has a lot of people supporting them and their dreams and goals."

A solid support circle is necessary because Griffith and his team have large goals for the coming future. The first step is B.C. Provincials in Abbotsford this February, where a successful tournament would mean a trip to the Tim Horton's Brier and the chance at competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Recently, Griffith and his mates on the Okanagan based Team Morris were in North Battleford, Saskatchewan competing in the Canadian Open.

"We've been working hard, putting in a lot of time and we played really well, so it was one of our better events," said Griffith.

"We really came together as a team, made a lot of shots and the crowds were phenomenal."

Seconds @bpgallant & @TyrelGriffith share their thoughts on qualifying for the Canadian Open playoffs via B brackets https://t.co/KlND5GYCUj

— Jonathan Brazeau (@JonathanBrazeau) January 6, 2017

Coming together as a team has been a work in progress for the group led by Olympic gold medalist John Morris, but the chemistry is finally starting to click and at just the right time.

"John Morris is a very out going, high energy guy,” said Griffith of his teams skip.

“He’s accomplished everything in the sport, from winning Olympic gold in Vancouver and winning World Championships.”

Playing with such high caliber teammates has taken Griffith's dedication to the next level, on the ice and off.

Competing against the world’s best means year round training. Luckily for Griffith, training all year also does wonders for his golf swing.

When he’s not throwing stones or sweeping ice, Griffith works at Black Mountain Golf Course as the club pro.

"A lot of the mechanics that go into a golf swing are similar to curling, being flexible and creating power, so a lot of the training is suitable for both sports."

While Kelowna’s curling scene is not quite the hotbed that the city's golf scene is, the Kelowna Curling Club has had strong influence on Griffith journey to professional curling.

"I'm very grateful to the city and all the people in the community for giving me the opportunities to reach this level," said Griffith.

“I owe it all to the Kelowna Curling Club.”

To show appreciation, Griffith does everything he can to give back to the community from helping out local high school teams to hosting clinics for younger curlers looking to take their game to the next level.

Up next for Griffith and his mates on Team Morris is Provincials where the team will have an opportunity to qualify for The Brier in St. John’s, Newfoundland later this year.

You can follow Griffiths through his Twitter account and watch Team Morris online right here.