I had a chance to speak with David Murdoch yesterday in advance of the Grey Power World Cup of Curling and you can read the results of the interview here. (By the way, this marks the start of my 21st year as the Globe's curling columnist.)
I think Murdoch and his team are exceptional talents and in a country where we are so focused on Kevin Martin and Glenn Howard and the rest, you might underestimate just how good the Scots are (I know the Canadian curlers don't). They are two-time world champs and the reigning kings of the ice. They are legit contenders for the gold medal.
I was impressed with the hard work they've put in -- training six days a week with only a couple of weeks off after the worlds -- and the schedule they've put together this year to prepare for Vancouver. Of course, being selected so far in advance (hello? CCA, are you listening?) has made planning that much easier. They won't go through the madness that will fall on the Canadian teams who will have 10 weeks to prepare after winning the Trials.
One interesting note that didn't make it into the column was that a colleague of mine who covers the Olympics told me that Murdoch was being considered to carry the British flag in the opening ceremonies. I'm not sure where a guy gets information like this but when you think about it, it probably makes perfect sense -- it's not like the Brits have a great wealth of athletes on ice and snow. When I told him, Murdoch seemed a bit shocked but certainly saw it as a big honour. We'll have to wait and see if this is just a rumour or if there's some meat to it.
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