SPORTS FLASHBACK 2016: A backward glance at the Southeast sports scene

The Southeast lost another sports icon this week, with the passing of Vic Peters, after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. Peters, of course, was best known as a curler, one of the best in the world, but he was no slouch on the fastball diamond, the golf course, or at the hockey arena either.

I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend time with this wonderfully down-to-earth athlete, over the years in my role as a Carillon sportswriter, and later as a fan.

In some small way, I can even claim to have played a small role in launching Vic’s career as an icemaker at the Steinbach curling rink. After receiving a lot of friendly advice from curlers during the winter of 1976-77, I abandoned thoughts of a career at the curling rink and returned to the sports desk at The Carillon.

Vic Peters took over at the Steinbach Curling Club in the fall of 1977, and the rest, they say, is history. The curling rink was a perfect fit for Vic, who along with his parents, J.J. and Margaret, and brothers Wilf and Herb, ran the Steinbach golf course at the time. Vic was now afforded the opportunity to move his game (and his family) indoors for the winter months. Not to mention the extra ice time he would have to hone his curling skills.

That summer of 1977 was a memorable one for both of us. That fastball season, Vic was the star shortstop for the Steinbach A&W Stealers, and I had the opportunity to take care of all the off-field management duties for the sponsor, Jake Blatz.

In spite of playing hurt, and at a disadvantage because of an eye injury suffered in a hockey game years earlier, Vic helped his team to a provincial championship and I got a week’s holiday to the national championships at Quebec.

Vic could be best described as a “natural athlete”, excelling with little effort to the envy of anyone who ever played golf with him.

Although he was fiercely competitive, there were no hours to be spent on the driving range or the putting green for Vic. He would walk up to the first tee in his street shoes, drop a ball (never bothering to tee it up) and proceed to drive it more than 200 yards straight down the fairway.

It was that kind of natural talent that saw him shoot a 73 to lead his team to a high school golf championship in 1972, just two months after he was a member of the Steinbach Sabres hockey squad that captured the provincial high school championship for a second straight year.

For Vic, sports was supposed to be fun, not work, and his approach was to get together socially with teammates between games to discuss strategy for the next contest. A fastball manager, even an off-field manager, needed to be included in these discussions, and a full season of those between games strategy sessions made for a fun summer in 1977.

But Vic’s passion, after his family, was curling and March 27, 2016 the game lost the finest ambassador the game ever had. Vic Peters was the epitome of the sport.

Win or lose, club game, small town bonspiel, or Brier, Vic would always have time to sit down after the game with a sportswriter looking for a quote, or a fan appreciating the opportunity to rub shoulders with one of the true greats of the game.

And it will be Vic’s human side we will remember most. A never-give-up attitude, a relaxed approach and a smile in the face of adversity were his trademarks and will be his legacy.

Vic’s approach to life, both in good times and tough times, has been an inspiration.