(JIM MORRIS, The Morning Roar) Just over 8,800 kilometres separates Winnipeg from Sochi. That journey has become even longer for several Canadian curling teams with Olympic aspirations. A day of near misses and blown chances left four teams undefeated and pushed several others to the brink during Monday’s play at the 2013 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Canadian Curling Trials, presented by Monsanto.
In the evening’s marque match, Val Sweeting of Vegreville, Alta., remained the lone women’s team with an unblemished record after defeating Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones 9-6. It was a toe-to-toe match that hinged when Jones’s last shot slid through the house in the seventh end, giving Sweeting a steal of four points and an 8-4 lead. Jones came up light on her final shot of the next end to give Sweeting another point. “I don’t think the scoreboard really dictated what was happening out there,” said Sweeting, who improved her record to 3-0. “Even when you get a lead like, the teams are so good. You
have to be careful.”
Defending Olympic champion Kevin Martin of Edmonton, Brier champion Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and John Morris, who has hooked up with Jim Cotter’s B.C. rink, all won their afternoon games to remain undefeated on the men’s side. Sweeting had to battle her way through the pre-trials in Kitchener and came to Winnipeg as another face in the crowd. Few people gave her a chance at winning an Olympic berth but after two days of play she has beaten a former world champion in Jones and Rachel Homan, the defending Hearts champion. “We are 3-0 but there’s a lot of week left,” said the 26-year-old service delivery agent. “We don’t have a playoff spot yet or anything like that. We are still taking it one game at a time, just trying to stay tough out there.”
Jones said a couple of bad shots cost her control of the game. “We let one slip away tonight,” she said. “Live and learn.” It other games Homan came up short on a last-rock draw, allowing Chelsea Carey of Winnipeg a 9-8 victory. Heather Nedohin of Edmonton earned her first win of the trials by beating Sherry Middaugh of Victoria Harbour, Ont., 6-3 while Stefanie Lawton of Saskatoon defeated Renee Sonnenberg of Grande Prairie, Alta., 8-6. Jones and Carey both have 2-1 records. Homan, Nedohin,
Middaugh, Lawton and Sonnenberg are all 1-2. A frustrated Homan said she probably can’t afford another loss. “I don’t think anybody can,” she said. “We learned from that
and will move on to the next game.” Nedohin plays Sweeting on Tuesday. The two rinks practice together in Edmonton. “They are a great dynamic team,” said Nedohin. “She’s very talented.”
During the afternoon draw Martin defeated Winnipeg’s Jeff Stoughton 6-5, Jacobs beat Mike McEwen of Winnipeg 7-5 and Morris downed Kevin Koe of Calgary 6-4. Glenn Howard of Tiny, Ont., earned his first victory of the trials with a 9-5 win over Toronto’s John Epping. Both teams are 1-1. McEwen, Stoughton and Koe are all 0-2. Martin held a comfortable 5-2 lead after six ends but Stoughton fought back with three in the ninth. That forced Martin to draw the four-foot for the victory.
Full story in The Morning Roar, the Canadian Curling Association-supported daily newspaper at the 2013 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Click to read.