Family Business

GRANADA – From the moment Britain’s Grant Hardie was born, he was destined to be a world-class curler.

“My Granddad has his own ice rink,” he said. ‘So, I’ve been on the ice since I was seven-years-old throwing rocks.”

Not only that, Hardie says he has spent every family holiday on the ice rink together with his family.

“When we were really young we’d sit on the rocks and [my Granddad] would push us down the ice,” he said.

But it wasn’t his Granddad who brought the family curling fame.

Hardie’s uncle Hammy McMillan is a Scottish curling legend who won the World Championship in 1999 in Canada.

But the University of Strathclyde student doesn’t let that intimidate him, he only uses it as motivation.

And it has got him pretty far.

He was on the British Universities Curling Championship team in 2013 and runner up team in the European Masters in 2014. And now, Hardie is participating at his first international competition.

“I think we’re the best prepared as we can be to do well,” said Hardie.

But as it’s Hardie’s first Universiade, he must rely on teammates like Kyle Smith to lead the team past their competition.

“It’s a whole different team this year,” said Smith, who was part of the team who won silver at the 2013 Winter Universiade.

But these British players have a good idea of what’s ahead.

“In the World Juniors we played against Norway, Canada, USA and the Czech Republic,” said Smith. “They’re all pretty good teams.”

And although this his Hardie’s first Universiade, he already has the mindset of a championship curler.

 “The key is to treat everyone equally,” he said. “We can’t take anyone lightly and we’ll see where it puts us at the end of the week.”

Kelcey Wright, U-Media Reporter