Archive for the ‘ Pro Curling ’ Category
by Molly Bonner
[Click photos to view larger]
Moll on the Wall: the Great Wall of China
BEIJING – The Chinese people hold so much pride in their culture, people, and nation. We’ve had the opportunity to spend wonderful time with our two tour guides, Linda and David, over the past 24 hours and I wanted to take some time to highlight what we have been able to see and learn about Beijing and their people.
Here are some quick facts about Beijing:
• There are over 20 million people
• Those 20 million people own 8 million bicycles…
• And 5.3 million cars!
• You can find 20 million McDonalds restaurants – honestly – in Beijing. But there are only 160 KFCs…
• Get this: it takes between three and four hours by automobile to drive from the city center to the city limits.
Upon arrival it became quite clear that Beijing is one of the cleanest cities we have ever seen. In speaking with our tour guides about a variety of noticeably spotless items, they are quick to reply: “Beijing is the capital city.”
As you travel along roadways, we see that they are lined with workers dressed head-to-toe in orange uniforms, picking up any trash or debris that may taint the appearance of the city. It’s very rare to see any amount of litter or debris accumulated on their amazing, complicated (remember the 5.3 million cars) roadway system.
Very shiny airport floor
Along our drive to the Great Wall, we passed a military base where there were a sea of men training on the roadside. Every male in China is required to serve a minimum of two years of military service.
Another interesting aspect of the Chinese lifestyle is that families typically have three generations living together under one roof. For example, after a couple gives birth to their first son, the mother’s parents then come and live in their home (typically an apartment). This way, the mother and father can continue to work and the grandmother’s responsibility is childcare, cleaning, and cooking.
The expectations of a parent upon the birth of a son are considerably higher than the expectations when graced with the birth of a daughter. This is in line with the belief that the men do take care of the women in many ways; as a result, the boys must be raised and poised to support a future wife.
The Chinese have a list called “The Big Three” that parents must be able to supply their son with, and these have certainly changed over time. Thirty years ago the Big Three were a sewing machine, a bicycle, and a watch. Ten years ago: gold earrings, a gold necklace, and a gold ring. Today? 1) car 2) apartment and 3) diamond ring.
Linda told us that parents who have a son “must work very hard” to ensure that he succeeds and has “The Big Three,” if not, it is unlikely he will be able to find a wife and reproduce.
Linda and David have asked us quite a bit about sport and athletes in the United States, and you may be surprised to hear what they’ve told us about athletes in China.
Great Wall toboggan ride? Yes please!
As you may know, Chinese athletes are working for the government. And because China is extremely selective about which athletes they choose (they select a small number to fund heavily for success) there is an immense amount of pressure for these athletes to perform.
The performances of Chinese athletes in Olympic and World competition is telling of what their retirement package will look like. For example, if a Chinese athlete never earns an international medal he or she is likely to have a tough living, and his or her family may rank lower on the Chinese caste system.
While many of us play a sport for enjoyment, Chinese athletes that are essentially government employees do not have the leisure of playing solely for enjoyment; rather, they have the future of their family and their own livelihood on the line.
We awoke this morning, well-rested, to a wonderful breakfast buffet. Our hotel in Beijing is very much international, so there are a variety of western, European, and traditional Chinese options on the menu. My personal favorites: the omelette bar and make-your-own latte machine. Caffeinated and nourished, we met Linda and David in the lobby promptly at 8:00 AM to begin our 2-hour drive to the Great Wall of China.
Two hours of Chinese driving is surely enough to send anyone’s stomach for a whirl; the near-accidents and quick turns would likely not fly with police officers in the U.S. But traffic is not regulated here as it is in other parts of the world.
We reached the Great Wall and had a couple of options on how to get to the top: chair lift, gondola, or a hike. It was an easy decision as taking the chair lift gave you the option of a toboggan ride back down the mountain!
Hiking the Great Wall is as challenging as it is scenic. The uneven stairs, high altitude, and steep inclines are enough to put many workouts to shame. The views are truly stunning – too stunning to ever be accurately portrayed unless you have been here yourself.
Restaurant signage!
The Great Wall spans just over 3,000 miles. All of the areas that tourists are allowed on have been refurbished over the years, and aside from that area, the Great Wall remains as it was originally built. Our visit comes at the very low season for tourists, so it was quite pleasant to take our time enjoying the sights and stopping for photos. In the summertime, the Great Wall can be very difficult to navigate through the seas of foreign tourists.
We had certainly worked up an appetite, so it was on to lunch at a local roadside stop for some traditional Chinese eating. We were served jasmine tea and Yanjing Beer (a local brew) along with our six-course meal.
Post-lunch we went on to a tailor shop, a silk shop, and the market. All very typical tourist stops in Beijing. Unfortunately for me, the traditional Chinese cuisine (although they swear we didn’t eat donkey meat) left me a bit under the weather. Good thing we packed quite a few snacks and protein bars!
Until tomorrow… “sshi-sshi” – which is “thank you” in Chinese – for reading.
The Curling News
Two more berths for the 2012 British Columbia Scotties Provincial Championship presented by Best Western will be awarded this weekend in Kamloops. The McArthur Island Curling Club will be hosting the Women’s Open Event #3 on December 3 and 4.
Eight teams will be vying for the two spots including: Jill Andrews, Simone Groundwater, Patti Knezevic from Kamloops, Kristy Lewis, Kristen Meersman, Jen Rusnell, Karla Thompson and Leanne Ursel. The 2012 British Columbia Scotties Provincial Championship presented by Best Western takes place January 23 to 29 at the North Shore Winter Club in North Vancouver.
Live scoring results on Playdowns.com – Women’s Open Event #3.
Playdowns.com – Curling news and playdown results
Look who’s back… it’s TCN Blog Superstah Margo, fresh off a family vacation. Are you ready for some TV curling? She certainly is…
Jeff Stoughton battled rival KMart on Friday aft
by Margo Weber
CALGARY – There’s curling on TSN tomorrow! Woot!
Yes. Instead of silly football, or that whole hockey nonsense that’s going on, it’s finally my turn to control the remote at my house. Booyah.
Let’s do a little update for those of you who haven’t been stalking the curling websites over the past few days.
The Capital One Canada Cup of Curling is well under way in Cranbrook, B.C. with some big name teams on the men’s side doing very well. Kevin Martin’s Edmonton squad (4-0) and Jeff Stoughton’s Winnipegers (4-0) are leading the pack and are battling head-to-head as I write these words. Mike McEwan’s team, also from Winnipeg, has to be disappointed with their (2-3) start. Ontario’s Glenn Howard beat out Edmonton’s Kevin Koe earlier today, so the guys in green are still hanging around.
On the women’s side, Manitoba’s Chelsea Carey (4-1) is alone at the top of the standings with Calgary’s Shannon Kleibrink (3-1) following close behind. Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones (2-2) is currently scuffling with Carey, and needs the win. Hanging tough is Edmonton’s Heather Nedohin and Ottawa’s Rachel Homan and bringing up the rear is Amber Holland’s Saskatchewan foursome at 1-3.
The women’s and men’s semis will be televised live on TSN on Saturday, with the finals playing out on Sunday.
The winner of the event, which has seven teams on both sides, will go directly into the 2013 Olympic Trials – the very first teams to qualify. Because there are only seven teams, you can bet there are quite a few players sitting at home this weekend, quite frustrated that they aren’t in Cranbrook competing for one of these spots. Make it a double-whammy that they aren’t even eligible for the points that would come with qualifying in this event. Needless to say, the foursomes competing this weekend have been training for it as one of the most important events of the year, with the Sochi 2014 Olympics being very much on everyone’s mind.
I think I’ll flip on the tube tomorrow and give the women’s semi a watch for sure. I’m feeling a little Vic Rauter withdrawal, to be honest. Then, if I can convince my hubby to watch the men’s semi with me, we’ll have a glass of wine and thoroughly disappoint the kids with a night of curling.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with some of the tweets from the players:
BennyHeebz (Ben Hebert): 4-0 going into Friday… Huge battle vs #TeamGHow! Always a #barnburner… #Bearstillattacking #CanCup #SpiceRum Now!!
mcewencurling (Team Mike McEwen): 2-3 record, need to beat Kmart and @TeamStoughton to TKO Howard! #stayin’alive #CanCup #curling
TeamHoman: Tough one, good battle but extra end loss this morning. Last round robin game tonight vs Kleibrink. Need a win! #CanCup
TeamKevinKoe: Not sure we deserved the chance to win in 10 but we couldn’t quite pull out our deuce and lost. Need win and some help now! #cancup #curling
CraigSavill (of Team Howard): Three deer just outside the arena in Cranbrook, BC. Someone tell me again why I live in Ontario.
[CCA photo COPYRIGHT by Michael Burns: click on image to view larger]
The Curling News
Event pin from the 1988 World Juniors in Füssen
Jim Sullivan, the tall, quiet skip of the 1988 world junior men’s curling championship team and finalist at the 1990 Brier, died on Saturday in Fredricton, New Brunswick at age 43.
Sullivan skipped his New Brunswick squad to victory at the 1987 Canadian Juniors with a victory over Wayne Middaugh of Ontario in the final. The following year, his team scored world junior gold at the global championship in Füssen, Germany.
Just two years later his squad made an impact at the Labatt Brier in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. After an exciting victory over hometown hero Al Harnden of Northern Ontario in the semifinal, Sullivan lost the championship final to a resurgent Ed Werenich of Ontario.
Team Sullivan was elected into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.
Through much of his competitive curling career, Sullivan was accompanied by his cousin Charlie Sullivan at third stone. Jim’s father, David Sullivan, represented New Brunswick at the Brier in 1972, winning the Ross G.L. Harstone Trophy as voted by his fellow competitors.
Jim Sullivan is survived by his wife, Sonya, and two daughters as well as David and Carol Sullivan, amongst other family members.
Visitation takes place at Brenan’s Funeral Home in Saint John, New Brunswick on Wednesday and Thursday, November 16 and 17 from 2:00-4:00pm and 7:00-9:00pm. The funeral service will be held on Friday, November 18, 2011 at noon from the Church of St. Andrew and St. David in Saint John. Interment will take place in Ocean View Memorial Gardens. For those who wish, remembrances to the Sotos Syndrome Support Association of Canada or the Canadian Mental Health Association would be appreciated by the family.
The Curling News
Who will you root for, curling fan?
From a curling perspective, Vancouver 2010 was always going to be the Olympic sport’s high-water mark.
In just under three years, the world will gather in Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and boy, we were surprised when they won that bid!
Shortly thereafter, we gave you a sneak peek on the cities that were assembling a bid for the 2018 Winter Games.
The list of 2018 candidate cities has been whittled down to just three – Annecy in France, Munich (Germany) and PyeongChang, South Korea – and the big decision will be made in less than three months, on July 6.
All three cities just finished selling themselves at today’s session of SportAccord, the massive international sport conference in Monaco. How massive is this annual gathering? Well, it’s big enough to attract World Curling Federation Secretary-General Colin Grahamslaw who would otherwise be in attendance at his organization’s flagship event in Regina, wouldn’t you think?
Here’s the lowdown on the candidates – from that curling perspective…
Was ist los? Schwimmensstockschießen?
ANNECY – The last time a tiny French town hosted the Winter Games was Albertville in 1992. Although curling was only a demonstration sport that year, The Roaring Game was tossed into an even smaller town – Pralognon-La-Vanoise – and it was a complete disaster. Nobody showed up to watch – and we mean nobody – and two of the four sheets of ice melted and were unusable for the entire tournament. Yes, France desperately needs a curling boost and yes, it is great to see the wonderfully stubborn Thomas Dufour playing so well in Regina, but who is to say that a decent curling showcase in Annecy will make any difference to the sport’s shameful level of domestic ignorance?
MUNICH – The German city lost out on a chance to host next year’s world men’s curling shootout (to Basel, Switzerland) but they just might land the Olympic Winter Games. The event would be hosted in the same European time zone as Annecy and the Germans, like the French, are also desperate for grassroots curling growth. Based on what we’ve seen to date, Munich would be great for curling; the organizing committee has shown some dynamic creativity in including the sport throughout its marketing activities (see the photo at left). And something tells us the German people would be more enthusiastic for our grand game than our Gallic friends.
PYEONGCHANG – A betting man would pick the Koreans to win this one, hands down. This is their third consecutive bid to host the Winter Games (they finished a surprisingly strong second to Vancouver in 2010 and they also lost the 2014 vote to The Vlad Putin Show) and they are determined to win this one. Plus, Sochi is pretty close to Europe, which could be a negative for both Annecy and Munich, and 2018 will mark the 10th annniversary of the Beijing 2008 Olympic (Summer) Games.
From a curling perspective, the Koreans have done their share of winning at the annual Pacific Championships to qualify for various worlds over the years. This year alone, Korea qualified for both the worlds in Esbjerg (women’s) and Regina. Moreover, Korea hosted the last Asian worlds – the 2009 world women’s in Gangneung, located fairly close to PyeongChang – so they have a venue ready to go.
So there you go. If you were an International Olympic Committee bigwig – and a curling fan – which candidate city would you vote for?
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The Curling News
Youth Olympians headed to Innsbruck
by Jill Officer
REGINA – It was a packed house last night as Team Canada stepped on the ice. You couldn’t even hear the lone bagpiper during the pre-game march because of the loud Canadian fans.
In front of that same crowd, the Canadian Youth Olympic curling team was introduced at the fifth-end break. The Youth Olympics is a new initiative from the International Olympic Committee that is like the Olympics, but for youngsters between the ages of 16 and 18. The first Summer Youth Olympics was held last year in Singapore, so now the first Winter Youth Olympics will take place in Innsbruck, Austria in January of 2012.
“It was unreal,” said Thomas Scoffin, the skip of the team, after the introduction in front of the large Canadian crowd. “I’ve never been part of anything like that before.”
COME OOOONNNN!
The team, made up of two girls and two boys, was selected after a comprehensive process that combined on-ice performance at the recent Canada Winter Games as well as a formal application process – and that included a written essay, academic consideration, involvement in their communities and interest in other athletic and cultural activities.
Wow – I don’t know any curler that has to go through all that to get on a team! These guys, and gals, must be good!
The lucky athletes that were selected are Scoffin, who is from Whitehorse in the Yukon; Emily Gray of O’Leary, Prince Edward Island; Corryn Brown of Kamloops, BC and Derek Oryniak of Winnipeg. The team leader and coach will be Helen Radford of Halifax. It was nice of the Canadian Curling Association to fly them all in for the on-ice presentation, which saw them march out in their different provincial jackets and then be presented with their new Team Canada colours!
The team will execute some preparations and team building in the fall leading up to the event. “We’re going to meet up a couple of times in the upcoming months,” Brown told me. “We need to figure out how everyone plays, and each of our different releases.”
This is interesting for a number of reasons. First of all, this is only the second Canadian national team that is selected – the other being the wheelchair curling team. All other national teams “win to get in” and there are always a few people calling for coaches and officials to select all-star teams for other competitions… like the regular Olympics.
Jon Mead shows Jeff Stoughton his “Hulk Face”
And here’s something really interesting: there will be two types of events taking place at the Youth Olys. The first is the regular mixed event, and the second will be… Mixed Doubles, which was not put forward by the WCF for Olympic consideration (this is important as five new disciplines were approved this week, from women’s skip jumping to things like team figure skating and mixed relay biathalon… but that’s another debate).
But the real twist is that these mixed doubles duos will be made up of two curlers from different countries! I wonder how that will work with language barriers?
The editor informs me that my fellow TCN columnist Roger Schmidt, who is based in Switzerland, wrote about the approaching Youth Olympics stuff almost two years ago, and commented at that time how the WCF was scrambling to get its member countries to ensure that they could even field a team. Apparently, that youth age curling bracket is really underdeveloped around the world, and that is easy to understand when we in Canada have a U18 championship that is a) combined with the U.S. and also includes teams from Japan, b) named after a charity and c) isn’t sanctioned by any official associations.
Sweden plans to rock hard today
Now back to the event we’re all watching right now! The men’s worlds are down to the crunch. Whether I’m sitting on the media bench or competing down on the ice, I love playoff time. The music gets pumpin’ between ends, emcee extraordinaire Stu Brown entertains the crowd and the atmosphere is awesome.
Unfortunately, the Page playoff 1 vs 2 game itself wasn’t so awesome. Not that it was terrible, but it certainly didn’t have the entertainment value that people hope for in the playoffs. It was played reasonably wide open, and Scottish skip Tom Brewster missed a few late shots, and all that matters (to me!) is that Canada won and are into the world championship final on Sunday!
Earlier in the afternoon, the red-hot Norwegians beat the scrappy French 5-4 in a tiebreaker and will face Sweden in the Page 3 vs 4 game this afternoon. Earlier in the week, Team Thomas Ulsrud had to accompany Team Niklas Edin out onto the ice before their game against Canada, bow before them, and serve them with their brushes and curling shoes on bended knee… like servants! Pretty funny stuff, and all this was because of a bet the two teams made during a couple of pre-worlds practice games – and the Swedes won both games!
Something tells me today’s game, while friendly, will be taken very seriously. At stake is a spot in tonight’s semifinal (for the winners) while the losers will be bumped down to Sunday’s bronze medal match.
Anil Mungal photos copyright The Curling News® – click on image to increase size
The Curling News
Pregnancy sidelines hard-throwing Jill Officer
Joelle Sabourin, second from left, with Team Osborne
First, Winnipeg got the Jets. Now, the world’s best women’s curling team – based in the Peg, of course – gets a bit of joie de vivre this fall.
Winnipeg curling star Jill Officer started the ball rolling with an online reveal – her first pregnancy!
Officer then told The Curling News that Quebec curling veteran Joelle Sabourin will replace her on the powerhouse Jennifer Jones foursome this fall and winter, in tandem with regular Jones alternate Jennifer Clark-Rouire.
Officer’s due date is December 2 – right in the middle of the all-important Canada Cup in Cranbrook, BC – and with the curling season starting up well past the midway part of her pregnancy, it was decided that she will sit out the first half of the season entirely.
Officer plans to “stay loose” throughout the fall and is hoping to rejoin the team in time for the Manitoba women’s provincial scheduled for Portage La Prairie, January 25-29. Should they qualify, it will be Jones’ first provincial appearance since 2008.
Jill Officer (left) with Team Jones last February
After running through a draft list of substitute options, Sabourin was chosen by Team Jones as Officer’s replacement due to a couple of factors: her previous intention of not competing in 2011-2012 – so much for that! – and her friendship with Jones lead Dawn Askin.
Askin, an Ottawa native, was a teammate with Sabourin in 2005. The Quebecer was the alternate for Ontario’s Jenn Hanna – with Askin at lead – when Jones made that legendary in-off double-takeout to win the Canadian women’s championship final in stunning fashion.
Sabourin has competed in five Canadian women’s championships since 1997, including 2008 and 2009 with skip Marie-France Larouche. Her 2011 squad, skipped by Chantal Osborne, lost the Quebec final 8-7 to Larouche.
Sabourin confirmed that she will play in the major World Curling Tour events – plus the Canada Cup – while Clark-Rouire will fill Officer’s shoes at the smaller tour stops and also in the early rounds of Manitoba women’s playdowns.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity and an honour to play with these guys,” Sabourin told The Curling News.
“When Dawn called me… I had recently made my decision not to play next year and I was okay with it, but then she called soon afterward and asked me and I said ‘You’re kidding me, right?’
“I’m gonna work hard on my side – I’m not Jill, but I can throw hard and I’ll be practicing my peels for sure. I was biking because I have a race coming up… but now I’ve added kickboxing, four days a week, also to get ready.”
Team Osborne photo courtesy of Curling Quebec
Team Jones photo by Andrew Klaver / Kruger Products Ltd.
The Curling News
Sandra Schmirler Foundation Matching Funds Raised for equipment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Kelowna General Hospital.
The Sandra Schmirler Foundation is a Canadian Registered Charity dedicated to helping hospitals to care for premature and critically ill babies. It is named for Olympic gold medalist and three time world champion curler Sandra Schmirler and has been helping NICUs for over ten years.
This August 19th to 21st, the Sandra Schmirler Foundation is teaming up with a local committee to raise funds for the Kelowna General Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This two round golf tournament weekend will take place at Shadow Ridge Golf Course. On Saturday night, Rusty’s Steakhouse and Grill will feature an impressive silent auction, BBQ dinner, and a live band.
“This event is being organized to raise ,000 for the KGH NICU”, says Norm Allen, coordinator for the tournament. “The Sandra Schmirler Foundation will partner with the organizing committee and will match funds raised through cash donations to a maximum of ,000”.
Doug Rankmore, CEO for the KGH Foundation says “the Kelowna General Hospital is very fortunate to have such significant support from the Sandra Schmirler Foundation. Matching programs are a great way to encourage donations. For every dollar given, two dollars benefit local families in need”.
Entry fees for the Sandra Schmirler Charity Golf Tournament are 0 per player – register online at the Sandra Schmirler Foundation Charity Golf Tournament website. Donations can be made by calling the KGH Foundation at (250) 862-4438, online at the KGH Foundation website, or directly to the Sandra Schmirler Foundation’s website. To find out more about the tournament and how you can get involved, contact Norm Allen or visit the Sandra Schmirler Foundation Charity Golf Tournament website.
The Kelowna General Hospital Foundation is an independent, volunteer-driven charitable organization committed to enhancing the delivery of healthcare to the patients of Kelowna General Hospital and its associated facilities.
Playdowns.com – Curling news and playdown results
Olympic and world champions confirmed for second annual SickKids Foundation fundraiser
Only 20 spots remain – so act fast
Toronto, ON – No less than 30 of the world’s top curling athletes are confirmed to participate in the second annual Capital One Celebrity Bonspiel, a unique curling tournament which offers single-entry participants the chance to curl for fun with Olympic and world champion competitors.
Just 20 spaces are left for the event, which runs June 3 and 4 at the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club.
2010 Olympic curling champion John Morris (Edmonton, Alta.) and 2006 Olympic champion Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador) will be there, along with Scotland’s Eve Muirhead, the world’s only four-time world junior champion, and Cissi Ostlund and Sara Carlsson, the reigning world women’s champions from Sweden’s Team Anette Norberg.
The reigning Ontario champion skips will also participate. Veteran Glenn Howard of Coldwater is a three-time world champion while recent GP Car and Home Players’ Champion finalist Rachel Homan of Ottawa has turned the curling world upside down at the age of 21.
A special, anonymous celebrity skip will also be appearing to captain the Capital One team.
Last year’s inaugural event raised over ,000 for SickKids Foundation, the fundraising arm of Toronto’s world-renowned Hospital for Sick Children.
“Raising funds for the SickKids Foundation is a natural fit for Capital One as we strive to help Canadian children succeed in life,” said Ian Cunningham, Chief Marketing Officer, Capital One Canada. “Curling fans continue to be fantastic supporters of charitable causes and we are proud to help them raise monies for the SickKids Foundation, while also providing a great weekend of curling fun.”
Other celebrity curling imports include Winnipeg superstars Jennifer Jones, Mike McEwen and world champion Reid Carruthers from Team Jeff Stoughton.
“We have also confirmed Kim Schneider from Amber Holland’s Saskatchewan team,” said event co-chair Jeff Steski. “That means we have at least one player from every playoff team at this past year’s Brier and Scotties (Canadian) championships.”
The weekend kicks off with a junior curling clinic on June 3, hosted by the Capital One Rocks and Rings school educational program. The celebrity competitors will then meet their “new” teammates at an evening mixer.
Saturday, June 4 features the Celebrity Bonspiel, consisting of three four-end curling games, followed by the event finals and the closing gala dinner.
Registration for the 2011 Capital One Celebrity Bonspiel is conducted entirely online via celebritybonspiel.com
Fundraising and sponsorship inquiries are welcome by sending an email to: sickkidsbonspiel@rogers.com
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The Curling News
Th-th-that's all, folks!
by Jill Officer
REGINA – Everyone prepares differently for curling games, especially big ones like the world championship final. But Team Canada and Team Scotland had no problem signing autographs for fans along the boards prior to the pre-game practice. Great to see this.
Also before the practice session, the wife of Scottish skip Tom Brewster wife showed up with balloons and a birthday present for Tom: a Saskatchewan Roughriders football jersey! And wouldn’t you know it… as it turns out, it’s also Canadian third Jon Mead’s birthday, too!
Clearly it was going to be a great birthday for one of these guys tonight… and a disappointing one for the other. Brewster turned 37, while Mead turned 44. Just before the game, a portion of the crowd started singing Happy Birthday, but I couldn’t quite make out whether it was sung to Jon or Tom. Likely Jon, but maybe both!
Green + Schmirler Foundation = #winning
Remember Green Day earlier in the week? Well, the green Team Canada jackets that were donned by Jeff Stoughton’s team on Tuesday were signed by the boys and auctioned off in the patch after the bronze medal game. The total money raised was ,050 and it all went to the Sandra Schmirler Foundation – awesome! Below is how much each jacket went for…
Jeff Stoughton – ,000
Jon Mead – ,000
Reid Carruthers – ,100
Steve Gould – ,000
Garth Smith – 0
Norm Gould – ,000
Aside from the few green jackets in the crowd, it was mostly red and white today. The most, actually, that we’ve seen all week for a single draw. And these red and white fans were very excited and enthusiastic. They were also a very appreciative crowd, cheering for other teams that walked around the arena… including Team Sweden, who defeated Norway for the bronze medal earlier today.
I’m not going to lie… I didn’t have the greatest feeling during the first few ends of the gold medal game, as Scotland came out firing and the Canadians weren’t quite as sharp. As they did in the semifinal, the Scots jumped right into an aggressive tactical game and, well, Canada didn’t look as loose as they have all week for the first half.
Skipper Stoughton was still looking to score a deuce in the very first end, even as the Scots lay four stones in the rings. Jon and Jeff finally got something going, and lay two on Brewster’s final shot, but he made a spectacular double amid the mess of granite and, suddenly, Stoughton’s second shot was a draw against five. Gulp!
'Nuff said?
The Scots then took a deuce, and then stole to lead 3-1. They were making absolutely everything, and the 21- and 22-year-olds in front of Brewster looked like veterans.
But finally, in the fifth end, Canada strung some good shots together and scored a triple. It was noticeable to me that they then settled down. They started smiling more, and joking around. Stoughton even pulled his trademark spin-o-rama on a blank in the seventh end after the crowd loudly cheered for him on to do so.
In the end, it was some critical misses that seemed to unglue the Scots. A stunned Stoughton didn’t even have to throw his last one… Canada were champions again! and Jon Mead had won his first world title in three attempts… after losing to Scotland in both 1996 and also in 1987 (the world juniors!).
Congrats to the Canadians, one and all. Two global titles for Jeff and Steve, and what an amazing “rookie” Brier and worlds year for Reid!
As for Mr. Mead, what can I say? After quitting the sport after stunning Olympic Trials disappointment in 2006, he returned to play for a few years with Ontario’s Wayne Middaugh, then he rejoined Stoughton for this one-year experiment, and now the sky is the limit. He was the most passionate and pumped-up of the Canucks all week, and no wonder – he was moved to tears after the game, as he had competed this week in memory of his mother, who died two years ago… and he had just thrown a monkey off his back by winning his first global title in three attempts, after losing the 1996 world final and also the 1987 world junior final – both to Scotland!
Congrats also to the brave Scots, and the Swedes and Norwegians, who put on such a great show all week. Congrats to Pantsmeister Thomas Ulsrud, who won the coveted Colin Campbell Award for sportsmanship, as voted on by his fellow players… the second straight Norwegian to win it, after his third Torger Nergard won it last year in Cortina (as skip).
Heck, congrats to all the competitors!
Thanks for reading folks, and now I must run to do a final standup for Global TV Regina! Make sure you tune in to this here blog, and the Twitter account and of course CBC-TV next weekend (and here for online pay-per-view outside of Canada) for the season-ending Players’ Championship from Grande Prairie, Alberta! It all starts Tuesday night… and I’ll be out on the ice this time, without a computer or camera in sight!
Photos by Anil Mungal and Jill Officer copyright The Curling News® – click on images to increase size
The Curling News
