Fritz Kirstein is being inducted into the Wetaskiwin and County Sports Hall of Fame as an Athlete for his athletic achievements in soccer, curling and golf from 1907-1935. Although we have had teams from that era inducted into the WCSHF, he is the first Wetaskiwin athlete who competed in the 1920s to be inducted.
Fritz was born in Rovno, Russia (now part of the Ukraine) in 1891. In 1891, because of the conflict between the Russians and the German immigrants, the family left Russia. His parents August and Wilhemine (nee Draeger) immigrated to Canada and settled in Winnipeg. In 1902, when he was 11 years old, the Kirstein family moved to Wetaskiwin area to join Wilhelmine’s family members who were already in the area. Fritz grew up on a farm and went to school in the Pleasant Prairie district. In 1907 his family moved to Wetaskiwin and settled on an 18-acre location that is the present site of Denham Motors and Toyota City. From 1921 to 1961 Fritz owned and operated the family business, City Meat Market, in the building now occupied by Mikes Western Wear. Fritz lived in Wetaskiwin until he passed away in 1968.
When Fritz was 16, he and his older brother Rudolph were on a soccer team that won the 1907 Alberta Football Championship. Fritz was one of the early members and shareholders of the Wetaskiwin Golf Club and served on the board in the 1920’s. He was the club champion in 1925. In 1928 he was the winner of the first Wetaskiwin Open Golf Tournament, a tournament he won again in 1934. In those days the Wetaskiwin Golf Course and courses in the small Alberta towns were nine-hole courses with sand greens. During his golfing years Fritz golfed against many of the top golfers in Edmonton and our surrounding central Alberta towns. A quote from the history booklet produced for the 100th Anniversary of Wetaskiwin Golf Club (1923-2023) said “Fritz put the Wetaskiwin Golf Club on the regional map in the 1920’s, winning many local tournaments”. Fritz was awarded a Life Membership by the Wetaskiwin Golf Club in 1955.
Fritz also won the Eastern Alberta Golf Tournament (Camrose) in 1934. According to the Camrose Canadian newspaper, "he played sterling golf throughout to win the final match of the championship flight. Mr. Kirstein, who has been a strong competitor for several years, is a popular champion."
According to the article in the Wetaskiwin Times “Playing sound and at times brilliant golf, Fritz Kirstein of Wetaskiwin was the winner of the fifth annual golf tournament."
It was also noted in the Edmonton Journal: “Fine putting in the pinches was a feature of Kirstein’s game." In many of the newspaper articles he was often described as a popular winner or a popular member of the Wetaskiwin Golf Club and it sounds like all facets of his golf game were strong.
Fritz was also a pretty talented curler. In the 1920’s Fritz competed against teams from other centres with a Wetaskiwin group composed of two curling teams. They won the competition and were awarded the Ash Trophy for Central and Northern Alberta. Wetaskiwin curlers frequently travelled to Edmonton to compete in city bonspiels, Fritz did so during the ’20’s and early 30’s. In 1928 Fritz was on a team that won Edmonton Bonspiel Visitors’ Competition. His teammates were S. Poole, George Graham, and R. Cleland.
We have to remember that in the 1920’s and 1930’s the main highway to Edmonton was a gravel road and probably the routes to Camrose and other Central Alberta towns were dirt roads so travel couldn’t have been that easy or speedy. Fritz purchased his first car in 1916 so he must have driven those roads many times.
Besides his golf and curling prowess, Fritz was an avid sportsman. Hunting and Fishing were lifelong pursuits, and he was a “fixture” on Ma-Me-O Beach during the 30’s, 40’s & ’50’s, either fishing from the pier or at the north end of the beach near the weeds. He was a good pool player and frequented the local pool halls. His natural athletic ability was especially evident when he was wielding a knife at his meat market often carving intricate designs on the beef carcasses.
Fritz was also a community minded citizen and was a charter member in both the Wetaskiwin Kiwanis Club and the Elks Lodge. He played in the Wetaskiwin Band from 1909 to 1912. As his family grew up, he took a keen interest in his four boys progress in hockey. In 1935-36 he was a coach with the first Wetaskiwin Colonels Hockey Team. His oldest son Ken was a member of the team. When called upon he could prove himself a “Chef Excellence” at social functions and took great pride in his cookery. It was a great occasion to be present when he served up his famous potato pancakes or corned beef and cabbage. It was fun for his sons to help their dad sell hot dogs and chocolate bars in the Concession stand at the Elk’s Carnivals that were held quite frequently in the Elks Hall.
Fritz Kirstein competed in an era none of us can imagine. Athletic opportunities, facilities, equipment, coaching and funds did not even compare to today’s situations. The small town nine-hole golf courses with sand greens and the curling rinks with natural ice are long gone and so is the 5 ½-day Wetaskiwin work week. It was quite an achievement for Fritz Kirstein to be competitive in golf and curling with competitors from the big cities. We take great pleasure in being able to induct Fritz Kirstein into the Wetaskiwin and County Sports Hall of Fame.
The 2025 Induction Dinner will take place on Saturday, April 5, 2025 at the Best Western Wayside Inn Banquet Room in Wetaskiwin. Invitations are open to everyone and banquet tickets are available for purchase at the Wetaskiwin and District Heritage Museum. The deadline for purchasing tickets will be March 29.
