Don Bartlett was a curler for many years under the Pat Ryan rink (team), mainly as an alternate. In 1990 he joined Kevin Martin’s team as lead and captured his first of seven Alberta provincial titles (1991-1992, 1995-1997, 2000, 2006), as well as a silver medal at the 1991 World Championships. His next stop was the 1992 Winter Olympics, where curling was a demonstration sport, and where Team Martin placed fourth. The rink’s next major international destination was the 1997 World Championships, where they once again placed fourth, and soon after missed their opportunity to represent Canada for curling’s official debut at the 1998 Winter Olympics by finishing as runners-up at the Olympic trials. They were more successful in 2001, however, and earned a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics, losing to the Norwegian rink in the final. The team’s results beyond this tournament were sporadic and, a year after exiting the 2005 Olympic trials with a losing record, they split. Since 1999 a curling tournament, known as the Don Bartlett Classic, has been held in his honor in Gander, Newfoundland. When not curling he works as a postal clerk for Canada Post.
Canada