Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The pre-amble to the Roar

As we get close to the first rocks of the Olympic Trials, aka the Roar of the Rings (really, do they roar? I mean really?) the stories about the athletes getting uptight or nervous or anxious or excited are starting to come fast and furious. 

Joe Pavia of the Ottawa Sun details the sentiments of the curlers from the capital who will be vying for medals in Winnipeg and, as usual, comes up with a solid lead to his story:

MTS may stand for Much Too Stressful. 
The Ottawa area athletes competing in Winnipeg at the MTS Center in the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Olympic trials next week believe that how teams handle pressure will go a long way in determining the winners. 
“I firmly believe that the team that wins will be the one who embraces the pressure of the trials and uses it to fuel their performance,” said Lee Merklinger, Sherry Middaugh’s second, 
Team Middaugh is eliminating as many outside distractions as possible. 
“It’s important that we control what texts/messages/emails we receive. Husbands and boyfriends are great but they can sometimes be critical too,” said the Merlinger. As of Sunday, the phones get shut off. 
Craig Savill of Glenn Howard’s rink said, “I think the team that stays the most level headed is going to come out on top. If we do that we have a great chance.”Rachel Homan, however, feels “It‘s just like any other tournament we prepare for.”
More to come, I can guarantee you!

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