#LLSTORY - Robbie Doherty
Hey! It's Friday, that means Local Legends Story time! This week we hear from a guy we're sure many of you know and love. He's a curler, a lover of country music, the former lead singer of PEI's favourite cover band, and an all-around great guy. Here's Robbie Doherty's story!
"I was born on August 6th, 1988 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown. I have two amazing parents, a brother and a sister. We grew up in Brighton, where I was fortunate to have some amazing friends who I still keep in touch with to this day. I know this sounds cliché, but I truly believe that PEI is the greatest place on earth. I challenge anyone to find another place that offers the same quality of life and opportunities that PEI does.
My story is very unique. I am a very motivated person, but for different reasons than most. I have been fortunate to accomplish a lot in my life thus far, but no matter what I am doing, there is one thing that is always consistent: I am addicted to the journey and not the destination.
My first taste of success came in the sport of curling. I didn’t start until I was 16 years old, so I knew that I had a lot of time to make up for. I was instantly addicted. The feeling of the cold air and adrenaline pumping is one that can’t be matched. I am a junkie for it. After two years at university, I told my mother that I was going to drop out and move to Fredericton to curl. This was a risk at the time, but in the long run, it has paid off many times over. In ten years, I have won three Provincial Men’s Championships, competed in two Tim Horton’s Briers, two Provincial Mixed, one Canadian Mixed Championships and one Provincial Junior Championships (New Brunswick). I have curled in every single province in Canada, the United States and Switzerland. It has shown me the world, and also has given me a deep appreciation for my home. I am currently in the process of getting myself into shape to try and battle through the relegation round at the Tim Horton’s Brier in St. Johns, and give PEI a seat at the table for the main event.
I took a hiatus from curling in my early twenties to embark on another adventure. I was the front man for a local show band called “Sunday Punch” who worked our way up through the local scene and was eventually given the chance to do it professionally and play all over Atlantic Canada and Ontario. I learned more with this group about the real world than I ever could have anywhere else. We saw a niche market and pounced on it. We were young, somewhat fit with spikey hair, so we played top 40 music to try to appeal to 19-32 year old women. We never thought of ourselves as a band, we thought of ourselves as a small business that plays music to generate revenue. I believe that one of the biggest reasons we were successful, was that we never tried and tell our fans what to dance to, we listened to what they wanted to hear and delivered it consistently, with great energy. These guys grew to be my best friends and we still talk regularly.
This is a small look into my story as an islander. The humble teaching’s from my PEI family has kept me focused, grounded and as open-hearted as I can be. I truly credit my community and our island way of life for giving me the courage and skills to achieve my goals. I am engaged to my best friend and biggest support, Jill Duffy. We are getting married in September. We have a house in Charlottetown and plan to raise our children here, as it is the best place to live in the world.
My advice to young people: Don’t wait for your break… Create your own."
Robbie Doherty // Curler, Musician, CBMF Super Fan
"I was born on August 6th, 1988 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown. I have two amazing parents, a brother and a sister. We grew up in Brighton, where I was fortunate to have some amazing friends who I still keep in touch with to this day. I know this sounds cliché, but I truly believe that PEI is the greatest place on earth. I challenge anyone to find another place that offers the same quality of life and opportunities that PEI does.
My story is very unique. I am a very motivated person, but for different reasons than most. I have been fortunate to accomplish a lot in my life thus far, but no matter what I am doing, there is one thing that is always consistent: I am addicted to the journey and not the destination.
My first taste of success came in the sport of curling. I didn’t start until I was 16 years old, so I knew that I had a lot of time to make up for. I was instantly addicted. The feeling of the cold air and adrenaline pumping is one that can’t be matched. I am a junkie for it. After two years at university, I told my mother that I was going to drop out and move to Fredericton to curl. This was a risk at the time, but in the long run, it has paid off many times over. In ten years, I have won three Provincial Men’s Championships, competed in two Tim Horton’s Briers, two Provincial Mixed, one Canadian Mixed Championships and one Provincial Junior Championships (New Brunswick). I have curled in every single province in Canada, the United States and Switzerland. It has shown me the world, and also has given me a deep appreciation for my home. I am currently in the process of getting myself into shape to try and battle through the relegation round at the Tim Horton’s Brier in St. Johns, and give PEI a seat at the table for the main event.
I took a hiatus from curling in my early twenties to embark on another adventure. I was the front man for a local show band called “Sunday Punch” who worked our way up through the local scene and was eventually given the chance to do it professionally and play all over Atlantic Canada and Ontario. I learned more with this group about the real world than I ever could have anywhere else. We saw a niche market and pounced on it. We were young, somewhat fit with spikey hair, so we played top 40 music to try to appeal to 19-32 year old women. We never thought of ourselves as a band, we thought of ourselves as a small business that plays music to generate revenue. I believe that one of the biggest reasons we were successful, was that we never tried and tell our fans what to dance to, we listened to what they wanted to hear and delivered it consistently, with great energy. These guys grew to be my best friends and we still talk regularly.
This is a small look into my story as an islander. The humble teaching’s from my PEI family has kept me focused, grounded and as open-hearted as I can be. I truly credit my community and our island way of life for giving me the courage and skills to achieve my goals. I am engaged to my best friend and biggest support, Jill Duffy. We are getting married in September. We have a house in Charlottetown and plan to raise our children here, as it is the best place to live in the world.
My advice to young people: Don’t wait for your break… Create your own."
Robbie Doherty // Curler, Musician, CBMF Super Fan
