(By Terry Jones, Edmonton Sun)
BRANTFORD, ONT. – When they turned on the TV cameras for the first time this season Thursday, it signified the beginning of curling’s big countdown.
It’s 106 days to another Brier in Edmonton.
And it’s the final season of acquiring points for one of eight positions in next December’s Roar of the Rings Olympic trials in Winnipeg, where the winner qualifies for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games.
Team Gushue (PEICurling.com photo)
“From here on it’s really important,” said Newfoundland’s 2006 Olympic gold-medal skip Brad Gushue who performed a major makeover on his team last year and now needs a string of success to capture one of the four remaining straight-through to the trials spots.
Edmonton’s Kevin Martin and Coldwater, Ontario’s Glenn Howard have already punched their trials tickets. The next team to qualify will come from the Canada Cup Nov. 28-Dec. 5 in Moose Jaw.
“Everybody has different strategies,” said Gushue of the stretch run.
“We haven’t been going hard, saving ourselves for Moose Jaw and this,” he said of the Sportnet Masters, the first of four $100,000 Grand Slam events with $100,000 bonus money split among the top-three finshers or a $1-million bonus if the same rink wins all four.
“We wanted to go into this and Moose Jaw fresh and ready. Others are going hard every week to collect as many points as possible.
“We need a couple of good Slam events and a big Brier would really help. Kevin Koe, Jeff Stoughton and John Epping have had really good starts to the season, but who knows if they get to the Brier.”
Unlike most of the top teams who have no guarantee they’ll get out of tough provinces like Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario, Gushue looks to get through Newfoundland with a chance to be in the final four in Edmonton.
“The Brier is our big chance,” he said of the event which set a record attendance of 281,985 in 2005 and is already out of the gate with 112,652 tickets sold and package sales for the opening and playoff weekends of the new no mid-week morning-draw format just going on sale now.