(with stories from the CCA)
Four curlers, born in PEI, but currently playing out of Calgary, Edmonton, and St. John’s, are vying to represent Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, as the Capital One Road to the Roar Pre-Trials, presented by Monsanto, get underway at 10 Atlantic this morning at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium in Kitchener, Ont.
Twelve and 12 women’s teams are entered in the Pre-Trials, and two of each gender will advance to the final step of Olympic qualifying: the 2013 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Canadian Curling Trials, presented by Monsanto, running Dec. 1 to 8 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg.
The format will see the teams in a triple-knockout draw, with four teams of each gender moving to a championship playoff to determine the two Trials qualifiers. The women’s qualifying games are Saturday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 10, at 3 p.m. The men’s Trials qualifiers are Saturday, Nov. 9, at 3 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m.
TSN and RDS will provide exclusive coverage on the closing weekend. Note that due to programming conflicts, Sunday’s 3pm AT draw will be shown on CTV2, and streamed live at TSN.ca.
The Canadian Curling Association will be providing live results, and extensive coverage at http://www.curling.ca/2013roadtotheroar-en/
For the event draws, click here for the men’s schedule; click here for the women’s schedule; and click here for the playoff schedule.
Here are the Island natives who are competing:
Brett Gallant and Adam Casey, on the Brad Gushue rink from St. John’s
Brad Gushue, PEI natives Brett Gallant and Adam Casey, and Geoff Walker (Photo Michael Burns)
Gushue heads into the Pre-Trials event on a confident note after winning seven straight games to take the championship title at last weekend’s Challenge Chateau Cartier de Gatineau with teammates Stratford PEI native Brett Gallant, Adam Casey, originally from Seven Mile Bay PEI, and Geoff Walker.
“We’ve had a pretty good year,” said the skip, hailing from St. John’s, NL. “We’ve won two ‘spiels… we’ve had some low points as well, but overall we’ve been playing pretty well. Hopefully that continues in Kitchener.”
In the run to the Gatineau title, Gushue defeated Rob Rumfeldt and Brad Jacobs, two teams he’ll be facing again at the Road to the Roar.
“It’s nice to beat those guys, and it probably gives us a bit more confidence, but I don’t put too much on it. Past wins don’t mean that much really. We know they’re capable of beating us in any given game.”
After living the Olympic dream once in a competitive career that also includes 10 appearances at the Brier, Gushue said there’s added inspiration to return. “Absolutely, I know what it’s like to wear the maple leaf and march out in the opening ceremony… and to win the gold medal. It’s definitely something I want to do again.
“I think my experience in winning the 2005 Trials, and going on to win the gold medal, will help our team. But the challenge of getting to this year’s Trials in Winnipeg is definitely not an easy one. We’re going to have to play extremely well and hopefully get a little bit of luck along the way.”
Summerside native Geri-Lynn Ramsay, on the Crystal Webster rink from Calgary
Crystal Webster will have experience on her side when she leads her Calgary team to the 2013 Capital One Road to the Roar, presented by Monsanto, Nov. 5-10 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex.
In 2009, she took the Pre-Trials route on the way to the 2009 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings in Edmonton, and she’s hoping for the same results this time out in a bid to secure one of the final two women’s berths in the Canadian Curling Trials this December in Winnipeg.
Webster has also added significant experience at the third position, recruiting veteran Cathy Overton-Clapham, longtime third for Jennifer Jones, who has competed 12 times in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and three at the Trials.
The team is rounded out by Geri-Lynn Ramsay and Samantha Preston on the front end.
(L-R) Crystal Webster, Cathy Overton-Clapham, Geri-Lynn Ramsay and Samantha Preston (CCA Photo)
Summerside native Erin Carmody, on the Laura Crocker team out of Edmonton
Laura Crocker’s current address on the competitive curling circuit may be Edmonton but her roots in the game are firmly entrenched in Ontario. So you know she’ll be feeling right at home at the 2013 Capital One Road to the Roar, presented by Monsanto, Nov. 5-10 in Kitchener.
The 22-year-old skip, competing out of the Saville Centre in Alberta’s capital city, played lead for the Rachel Homan team that won the gold medal at the 2010 Canadian Junior Women’s Curling Championship and took silver at the world championship in Flims, Switzerland.
Crocker will be leading the youngest crew in the 24-team field at the Road to the Roar with the opportunity to advance to the 2013 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings, Canada’s stepping stone to Sochi in 2014. Third Erin Carmody, at the age of 25, is the veteran on the team that includes 23-year-old Rebecca Pattison and Jen Gates on the front end.
Laura Crocker, Erin Carmody, Rebecca Pattison and Jen Gates (CCA Photo)
The entire team has excelled in junior championship play, but Carmody is the only one with experience at the top level of national competition. In 2010, she threw last stones for Kathy O’Rourke’s Prince Edward Island team that came within an extra-end of upsetting Team Canada’s Jennifer Jones in the final of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Crocker and Gates, representing Wilfrid Laurier University, have come out on top in the past two CIS-CCA Canadian University Championships, earning a trip to Trentino, Italy in December to compete in the Winter Universiade (World University Games).
Cheryl Bernard
Also competing in the Pre-Trials, and looking to make a second appearance on the Olympic podium is Calgary’s Cheryl Bernard, who is not from PEI, but has Island connections – her father, Thayne, was born in Freetown, and several aunts, uncles and cousins live in the area.
Bernard (CCA/Michael Burns)
Bernard lived the ultimate curling dream in the 2009 season, winning the women’s gold medal at the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings and the right to represent Canada at the 2010 Olympic Games.
In Vancouver, she came within an extra-end of putting the final touches on a storybook ending, losing in the emotional gold-medal match to Sweden’s Anette Norberg.
Bernard is clearly focused on a second appearance at the Olympics and the opportunity to stand on the top level of the podium at the medal presentation this time around. But she also understands the challenge that lies ahead.
“For sure I have extra motivation to get back, but the depth of women’s curling in Canada is amazing… it’s a bit scary. It can be any team’s week in any event. It’s really a matter of getting hot at the right time. But that’s why we compete and what makes it so much fun. I just can’t wait to get out there and start playing.
“But at times it gets to the point where you have to temper it. It’s a really long road ahead and all the teams have had the their eyes on the goal for the past couple of seasons. It’s hard to focus on the game at hand sometimes. I’m trying to take it not just one game at a time, but one shot at a time.”
The Bernard foursome, including third Susan O’Connor who shared the 2010 Olympic experience and front-enders Lori Olson-Johns and Shannon Aleksic, has taken a different approach to the new season with an increased emphasis on training.
“It’s an interesting year,” said the skip. “We’re playing a limited competitive schedule and focusing more on practice and training. It’s a different situation because you’re working to peak for the Pre-Trials and then the Trials… and then hopefully one more time after that.
“Training together as a team last year was tough with two of the girls (Olson-Johns and Aleksic) not being from Calgary and we were playing in so many events,” said Bernard. “This year we’ve been flying them in every second weekend and we do two full days of on-ice training.”