1999 Brier
SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Curling
1999 BRIER
ON THE ROCKS
INTERACTIVE
ALSO ON SLAM!
Have game, will travel
It's a leap 51-year-old Gerry Campbell never figured he'd make after taking over as sports editor at the Charlottetown Guardian.
However, when Guardian brass slashed Campbell's curling travel budget, the P.E.I. native called it a career at the daily and struck out on his own as a freelance curling writer.
"I wanted to travel and they didn't want me to, so we kind of separated," he explained. "I wrote a column (for the Guardian) for a long time after that.
"I started covering Briers in 1975 and I haven't missed one since '77. I've missed one Worlds since '78, that was in Berne a couple of years ago because I'd been there and done that.
"I didn't have enough work to warrant me spending $4,000 to go over there and not make anything back."
At the '88 Worlds in Lausanne, Switzerland, Campbell ran across Finnish skip Jussi Uusipaavalneimi.
According to Campbell, in the days before the free-guard zone, the Finns played a defensive style. The duck-and-cover approach netted Uusipaavalneimi a couple of wins and a seat on press row next to Campbell for the playoffs.
"Jussi is a big guy and built like a brick you-know-what," said Campbell, who ran the junior curling program at the Charlottetown Curling Club and was runner-up on two occasions to the P.E.I. Brier representative.
"Their goal in '88 was to keep the scores down. They had one or two games get out of hand. They didn't re-qualify for the Worlds again until (Winnipeg in) 1991. When I found out they qualified, I phoned over and asked if I could act as their coach. They talked about it and said, 'Yes.'
"I was basically their biggest cheerleader. I can't throw the rocks for them, but I can sit on the press row and mark down things strategy-wise. Another of the things I did do was I was taped the Brier games and sent them the tapes. I think that was of the biggest help to the Finnish national team."
The following spring, the Finns and Campbell found themselves back at the Worlds but didn't medal. By the time the Finns did re-qualify for the Worlds, Campbell had hooked up with the Australians - after a fashion.
"I got to know Hugh Millikin, who played second for Dave Van Dine at the 1986 Canadian Mixed," Campbell said. "Hugh's in computer software and moved to Australia and took his company with him.
"I helped with the Australians' delivery. Steve Hewitt was the only bonafide Australian on the team. I went to Europe in '93 and '94 and this is the first time in seven years the Australians aren't going to the Worlds. New Zealand won.
"I haven't talked to them yet. Basically, I'm kind of a broker. If they want curling help I can supply all the videos and the technical stuff that they want to help boot their game up.
"All I did with the Finns was say, 'Hey, do you want to beat the Canadians at their own game? I can help you do that.' "
These days, Campbell handles the statistical and public relations duties for the World Curling Tour and works TSN's curling coverage, providing player background and trivia for each of the telecasts.
He's also looking to get a trivia and record book akin to the Sporting News baseball and hockey registers into print sometime before the millennium.
"I'm trivial, that's the only way you can put it," Campbell chuckled. "But the people at home love the trivia. I've written a book and I'm hoping this is the year.
"I'd like to get it out in time for Christmas 2000. It's the first record book, ever, for curling. It's also a who's who of curling. I have about 1,500 names each year with their win-loss records and stuff like that.
"Curling has been good to me. I've been in the right place at the right time for almost everything I've done."