Richard Dale “Rick” Folk (born March 5, 1950, in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

curler and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, where he represented the Progressive Conservative Party for one term from 1982 until 1986. He is a two-time world curling champion, representing Canada. When curling in Canada, Folk represented both Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

Curling career

In 1974, Folk skipped the Saskatchewan team to the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship that year. Four years later, he attended his first Brier, skipping the Saskatchewan team. In 1980, he won his first Brier and went on to win the World Curling Championships, posting an undefeated record and defeating Norway in the final. In 1983, Folk won another Canadian Mixed Championship. After serving in government, Folk moved to Kelowna,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. He represented British Columbia at the Brier for the first time in 1989, and won his second Brier in 1994, this time skipping the B.C. team. He lost just one game at the Worlds that year, and beat Sweden in the final to claim gold in a low scoring 3-2 decision. In 1995, Folk played in his last Brier. Folk and his rink from the 1994 World Championships were inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. Folk has also been honoured by the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame as well as the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame.

Political career

Folk ran in the riding of Saskatoon University in the 1982 Saskatchewan provincial election for the Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Party. Folk won the seat, and served as Minister for Culture and Recreation from 1983 to 1986. Folk was not re-elected in the 1986 election, losing to Peter Prebble of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party.

Personal life

Folk was born in Saskatoon at the Saskatoon City Hospital, the son of Alex and Jen Folk. At the time of the 1994 Brier, Folk owned a curling and golf supply store in Kelowna. His son, Kevin is also a curler. As of 2023, he was living in the Comox Valley of British Columbia, and is the head referee of BC Pickleball.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Folk, Rick Living people 1950 births Brier champions Canadian mixed curling champions Canadian male curlers Canadian sportsperson-politicians Canadian curling coaches Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan Politicians from Saskatoon Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan MLAs Curlers from Kelowna Curlers from Saskatoon World curling champions People from the Comox Valley Regional District Canadian pickleball players 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 20th-century Canadian sportsmen