News will be released officially in the next couple of days, but it appears that Neil Harrison and Lino Di Iorio will be hired by the Russian Curling Federation to work with the national teams in that country.
I spoke with both men on Monday from Russia where they’ve been working with the men’s teams at a clinic. While they haven’t signed their names on the contact yet, they expect to in the next 24 to 48 hours. Harrison will handle the strategic aspect of the game while Di Iorio will take over the technical side. This comes after a plan to bring Randy Ferbey over fell away.
Di Iorio told me that he was contacted by a Russian official, who asked for the names of some possible coaches for their team as it prepares for the Olympics. Di Iorio, who developed a innovative and logical delivery method that has been met by rave reviews among those who to whom he’s taught it, offered up Harrison’s name on strategy and said the only person he could recommend for the technical side was himself because all the rest were teaching the CCA’s methods, which he believes are not scientifically beneficial for any player.
After submitting a proposal that was met with positive reaction, he told the Russians that he and Harrison would travel to Russia on their own dime and show them just what he was capable of. That’s the trip they’re on right now and it’s paid off.
Despite admitting they were not ready to win a gold medal right now, Di Iorio was full of optimism for the Russian curlers.
“They are exceptional athletes,” he stated. “They can slide, they can sweep but right now they’re having trouble hitting the broom. That’s what we’ll correct. I’m confident we can get them throwing consistently.”
Harrison was equally positive. “Once they start hitting the broom, the strategy becomes a lot easier,” said the former world champion who will travel with the team to B.C. next month as they play some events.
Asked if there was any trepidation over the sudden change of heart shown Jason Gunnlaugson, Harrison said he wasn’t certain of all that went on with that deal but that both sides have out clauses that can be exercised.
“Right now, it’s a three-year deal with the aim of the Olympics,” Harrison said.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
This and that from the Brier
Some thoughts after the London Brier:
* The bronze medal game certainly isn’t a popular contest as far as the curlers are concerned. All four teams that made the playoffs spoke out against the game, calling it dumb. The CCA handed out a seven-point memo saying why it was brought in and this paragraph caught my attention: “Contrary to the popular belief of some, it will make little or no difference to ticket revenue, even though a person can still purchase a single game ticket, but it does make the weekend ticket package more attractive.” Not sure I understand the logic there. It would seem there’s a value attached to every ticket and so the 7,000 people who attended obviously paid something towards their seat.
* Congrats to Jim Henderson of Sweep, the late, great curling magazine. He won his third Scotty Harper Award at the Brier. Not bad for a photographer.
* So who was that guy in the patch last night who had people lined up to have their picture taken with him? Why none other than Jack Cox, the Ontario flag-waver who was put into a harness this week. He was as popular as most of the curlers and there were even T-shirts made up with his likeness on it.
* Speaking of the Patch, Chairman Peter Inch told me today there were just under 3,000 there last night. In what may be the only criticism I had of this event, the lineups to get a beer were ridiculous, taking about 20-30 minutes. A guy can get thirsty in that time.
* London won’t break any attendance records but it certainly did have a great atmosphere all week. And it will finish in the black, which is always a good way to end things. I don’t suspect the CCA will be getting rich from its take, but it’s better than the last time the big shootout was in Ontario. I’m thinking we’ll be back here within the next decade.
* Finally a Mea Culpa on my last post on the CCA directing the Olympic Trials to Toronto (which shows why I need to review my Journalism 101 texts). So it seems the CCA DID approach the Toronto Curling Association and ask them to put in a bid. And it seems the TCA DID get together to try and put in a bid. So kudos to both. But the real Bad Guys in all of this were the folks at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Seems they weren’t willing to move the Leafs or the Marlies from the Air Canada Centre or the Ricoh Centre for the Trials and they weren’t willing to punt the Royal Winter Fair from the Direct Energy complex where it’s been a fixture and would be held at the same time as the Trials. Apparently no other facilities were appropriate for the event.
* The bronze medal game certainly isn’t a popular contest as far as the curlers are concerned. All four teams that made the playoffs spoke out against the game, calling it dumb. The CCA handed out a seven-point memo saying why it was brought in and this paragraph caught my attention: “Contrary to the popular belief of some, it will make little or no difference to ticket revenue, even though a person can still purchase a single game ticket, but it does make the weekend ticket package more attractive.” Not sure I understand the logic there. It would seem there’s a value attached to every ticket and so the 7,000 people who attended obviously paid something towards their seat.
* Congrats to Jim Henderson of Sweep, the late, great curling magazine. He won his third Scotty Harper Award at the Brier. Not bad for a photographer.
* So who was that guy in the patch last night who had people lined up to have their picture taken with him? Why none other than Jack Cox, the Ontario flag-waver who was put into a harness this week. He was as popular as most of the curlers and there were even T-shirts made up with his likeness on it.
* Speaking of the Patch, Chairman Peter Inch told me today there were just under 3,000 there last night. In what may be the only criticism I had of this event, the lineups to get a beer were ridiculous, taking about 20-30 minutes. A guy can get thirsty in that time.
* London won’t break any attendance records but it certainly did have a great atmosphere all week. And it will finish in the black, which is always a good way to end things. I don’t suspect the CCA will be getting rich from its take, but it’s better than the last time the big shootout was in Ontario. I’m thinking we’ll be back here within the next decade.
* Finally a Mea Culpa on my last post on the CCA directing the Olympic Trials to Toronto (which shows why I need to review my Journalism 101 texts). So it seems the CCA DID approach the Toronto Curling Association and ask them to put in a bid. And it seems the TCA DID get together to try and put in a bid. So kudos to both. But the real Bad Guys in all of this were the folks at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Seems they weren’t willing to move the Leafs or the Marlies from the Air Canada Centre or the Ricoh Centre for the Trials and they weren’t willing to punt the Royal Winter Fair from the Direct Energy complex where it’s been a fixture and would be held at the same time as the Trials. Apparently no other facilities were appropriate for the event.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
CCA makes the wrong choice for Trials
Winnipeg.
Really?
You’re kidding, right?
The next Canadian Curing Trials will be held in Winnipeg, the CCA announced on Wednesday to just about no one’s surprise. Winnipeg is a safe curling centre. Just like Edmonton and Regina and Brandon. To some extent, even Halifax. Those cities hosted the previous Trials.
By choosing Winnipeg to hold the biggest event in curling – the fourth Western city in five events, surprise, surprise -- the CCA took the sure and safe route. There’s little doubt this will be a huge success. Winnipeg has an almost spotless record with big curling events (there was that little blip in 1998 let’s not forget) and will likely put on a good show.
But this decision also showed just how myopic the CCA is in its vision for the game.
Either that, or how secure it wants to be at the bank.
To be sure, the Canadian Curling Trials, which will determine the two teams that will represent Canada at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, is a cash cow for the CCA, an event with which it can generate funds to operate the many other programs it runs. The association asked for a minimum fee of $750,000 for hosting the big bonspiel. And it gets half of any profits after that too. So it makes sense to put this shootout into a corral where it’s a sure thing. But this event – and only this event – is a sure thing no matter where you hold it.
And that’s the point the governing body has clearly missed -- you could hold this in just about any centre in Canada (OK maybe not Quebec) and fill the building up to the rafters.
So why not take a chance? This was an opportunity, a genuine door opening to have really impacted the game. Instead of trying the double-takout and roll for five, it elected the open draw for one. With five sweepers on a 12-foot sheet of ice.
Since the bottom line for this is just about guaranteed, why not get creative and drop this into Toronto? You want to grow the game? You want to move up to the big time? You want to attract culturally diverse audiences?
That would happen in Toronto. Ain’t going to happen in Winnipeg. The fact that this is tied to the Olympics makes it work. Folks would come out in droves, maybe only for one draw or two but that’s all you need. And by the way, there are more curling clubs and more curlers in Toronto than any city in Canada. You’re already starting from a pretty good base.
The CCA has dreamed about hitting the Toronto market for years with the Brier but has always been a little shy. While the Brier might still not work, there’s little doubt the Trials would be a success. It’s that Olympics thing. And then you have, finally, the roaring game on display at its finest, in the largest media market in the country.
Now maybe Toronto has to get off its duff and be proactive and get a bid committee together to make this happen, but the CCA could have at least encouraged that.
Instead we have Winnipeg, which will be a success, no doubt. But to me it says the CCA is more interested in making money than growing the game of curling.
Really?
You’re kidding, right?
The next Canadian Curing Trials will be held in Winnipeg, the CCA announced on Wednesday to just about no one’s surprise. Winnipeg is a safe curling centre. Just like Edmonton and Regina and Brandon. To some extent, even Halifax. Those cities hosted the previous Trials.
By choosing Winnipeg to hold the biggest event in curling – the fourth Western city in five events, surprise, surprise -- the CCA took the sure and safe route. There’s little doubt this will be a huge success. Winnipeg has an almost spotless record with big curling events (there was that little blip in 1998 let’s not forget) and will likely put on a good show.
But this decision also showed just how myopic the CCA is in its vision for the game.
Either that, or how secure it wants to be at the bank.
To be sure, the Canadian Curling Trials, which will determine the two teams that will represent Canada at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, is a cash cow for the CCA, an event with which it can generate funds to operate the many other programs it runs. The association asked for a minimum fee of $750,000 for hosting the big bonspiel. And it gets half of any profits after that too. So it makes sense to put this shootout into a corral where it’s a sure thing. But this event – and only this event – is a sure thing no matter where you hold it.
And that’s the point the governing body has clearly missed -- you could hold this in just about any centre in Canada (OK maybe not Quebec) and fill the building up to the rafters.
So why not take a chance? This was an opportunity, a genuine door opening to have really impacted the game. Instead of trying the double-takout and roll for five, it elected the open draw for one. With five sweepers on a 12-foot sheet of ice.
Since the bottom line for this is just about guaranteed, why not get creative and drop this into Toronto? You want to grow the game? You want to move up to the big time? You want to attract culturally diverse audiences?
That would happen in Toronto. Ain’t going to happen in Winnipeg. The fact that this is tied to the Olympics makes it work. Folks would come out in droves, maybe only for one draw or two but that’s all you need. And by the way, there are more curling clubs and more curlers in Toronto than any city in Canada. You’re already starting from a pretty good base.
The CCA has dreamed about hitting the Toronto market for years with the Brier but has always been a little shy. While the Brier might still not work, there’s little doubt the Trials would be a success. It’s that Olympics thing. And then you have, finally, the roaring game on display at its finest, in the largest media market in the country.
Now maybe Toronto has to get off its duff and be proactive and get a bid committee together to make this happen, but the CCA could have at least encouraged that.
Instead we have Winnipeg, which will be a success, no doubt. But to me it says the CCA is more interested in making money than growing the game of curling.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Scotties wrap up, Brier preview
So some notes on the wrap up of the Scotties and the upcoming Timmies Brier:
* The Scotties final was a wonderful game filled with all sorts of stuff: great shots, misses and a dramatic ending. That resulted in a huge television audience of around 1.2 million. Not a huge surprise there, really considering the high-profile Team Canada and a prime time start. But don’t forget this was up against the Academy Awards. The bigger surprise, to me, was the 870,000 that the bronze medal game drew. I have to admit to being stunned at that, although having an Ontario team is always a help because of the huge population base in that region.
* Charlottetown proved to be a tough place to leave. I’ve said that often when I’ve been there in the summer, but not so much in winter. A major winter storm hit late Monday, cancelling all the flights and forcing a major rebooking that meant some folks didn’t get home until three days after their scheduled departure. Amber Holland’s team, that was to fly out of Moncton, ended up spending an extra day at Chez Howard, sleeping on various beds and couches in Russ and Wendy’s suddenly converted Bed and Breakfast. I had a couple of extra days in PEI, which wasn’t awful considering there was great chowder at the Olde Dublin and great accommodation at Rodd’s Charlotttetown.
* Speaking of travel, Jennifer Jones didn’t stay home for long. She’s going to be in Toronto on Sunday conducting a clinic at the Bayvew Country Club and will likely head down to London after that.
* By the way, it was a One-Two-Three finish for Equalizer broom heads at the Scotties. Just sayin’.
* I really liked Kelly Scott’s words on the ice conditions in Charlottetown. She agreed that it was some of the trickiest ice she’d played on in all her Scotties, but then said, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means teams have to work harder and smarter. More team should understand that.
* I was in London last night conducting some interviews that will appear on the TSN Tim Hortons Brier preview show on Saturday at 7 p.m. One of the best stories I got was from Brad Gushue. I asked him where he keeps his gold medal and he said he has no one resting place for it and admitted that one time, for about a week, he couldn’t find it. Turns out it was in his wife’s bedside table.
* There will be a Weeks in the Brier this year, but won’t be me (obviously). My distant cousin Blair Weeks will be the coach of the PEI team. I understand that the four guys on this team may not exactly be the best of friends. They spent much of last week practicing on the arena ice at the Scotties.
* So the Twitter account of the Imposter Kevin Martin (@fakekevinmartin) has reached the MSM with this fine story by Mario Annicchiarico.If you haven’t seen it yet, log on and follow as it can be pretty funny. This is one of my favourite Tweets: Thought about using Ferbey's number system for weight calls; realized it won't work for us because Ferbey's a bit of a knob
* I've been chuckling about this NDP-inspired petition to Keep Northern Ontario in the Brier. Actually, aside from some idle chatter, there's no official talk about removing the NONT entry. So the petition is sort of like on to Keep the CN Tower in Toronto.
Finally, the picks for the Brier:
Favourites
Alberta: Kevin Martin admits his team hasn’t played as much this season as most but did ramp it up in the last month. Hard to bet against them.
Ontario: Glenn Howard always plays well at Ontario Briers – two of his three wins have been in his home province – and he said he loves the support he gets.
Manitoba: Jeff Stoughton has had a pretty solid year and his toughest game so far may have been to get out of his province where he had to beat Mike McEwen. I like this team, especially with Jon Mead in the lineup.
Next Tier
Newfoundland and Labrador: Brad Gushe admitted to me that his team has struggled somewhat this year and he’ll be opting for a defensive style this week.
Northern Ontario: Brad Jacobs may be hard pressed to repeat his great performance of last year, but it won’t be due to a lack of hard work.
B.C.: To me, the sleeper in this field. Overlook them at your own peril.
The Rest:
Sorry gang, I don’t see anyone else from this field making a run.
* The Scotties final was a wonderful game filled with all sorts of stuff: great shots, misses and a dramatic ending. That resulted in a huge television audience of around 1.2 million. Not a huge surprise there, really considering the high-profile Team Canada and a prime time start. But don’t forget this was up against the Academy Awards. The bigger surprise, to me, was the 870,000 that the bronze medal game drew. I have to admit to being stunned at that, although having an Ontario team is always a help because of the huge population base in that region.
* Charlottetown proved to be a tough place to leave. I’ve said that often when I’ve been there in the summer, but not so much in winter. A major winter storm hit late Monday, cancelling all the flights and forcing a major rebooking that meant some folks didn’t get home until three days after their scheduled departure. Amber Holland’s team, that was to fly out of Moncton, ended up spending an extra day at Chez Howard, sleeping on various beds and couches in Russ and Wendy’s suddenly converted Bed and Breakfast. I had a couple of extra days in PEI, which wasn’t awful considering there was great chowder at the Olde Dublin and great accommodation at Rodd’s Charlotttetown.
* Speaking of travel, Jennifer Jones didn’t stay home for long. She’s going to be in Toronto on Sunday conducting a clinic at the Bayvew Country Club and will likely head down to London after that.
* By the way, it was a One-Two-Three finish for Equalizer broom heads at the Scotties. Just sayin’.
* I really liked Kelly Scott’s words on the ice conditions in Charlottetown. She agreed that it was some of the trickiest ice she’d played on in all her Scotties, but then said, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means teams have to work harder and smarter. More team should understand that.
* I was in London last night conducting some interviews that will appear on the TSN Tim Hortons Brier preview show on Saturday at 7 p.m. One of the best stories I got was from Brad Gushue. I asked him where he keeps his gold medal and he said he has no one resting place for it and admitted that one time, for about a week, he couldn’t find it. Turns out it was in his wife’s bedside table.
* There will be a Weeks in the Brier this year, but won’t be me (obviously). My distant cousin Blair Weeks will be the coach of the PEI team. I understand that the four guys on this team may not exactly be the best of friends. They spent much of last week practicing on the arena ice at the Scotties.
* So the Twitter account of the Imposter Kevin Martin (@fakekevinmartin) has reached the MSM with this fine story by Mario Annicchiarico.If you haven’t seen it yet, log on and follow as it can be pretty funny. This is one of my favourite Tweets: Thought about using Ferbey's number system for weight calls; realized it won't work for us because Ferbey's a bit of a knob
* I've been chuckling about this NDP-inspired petition to Keep Northern Ontario in the Brier. Actually, aside from some idle chatter, there's no official talk about removing the NONT entry. So the petition is sort of like on to Keep the CN Tower in Toronto.
Finally, the picks for the Brier:
Favourites
Alberta: Kevin Martin admits his team hasn’t played as much this season as most but did ramp it up in the last month. Hard to bet against them.
Ontario: Glenn Howard always plays well at Ontario Briers – two of his three wins have been in his home province – and he said he loves the support he gets.
Manitoba: Jeff Stoughton has had a pretty solid year and his toughest game so far may have been to get out of his province where he had to beat Mike McEwen. I like this team, especially with Jon Mead in the lineup.
Next Tier
Newfoundland and Labrador: Brad Gushe admitted to me that his team has struggled somewhat this year and he’ll be opting for a defensive style this week.
Northern Ontario: Brad Jacobs may be hard pressed to repeat his great performance of last year, but it won’t be due to a lack of hard work.
B.C.: To me, the sleeper in this field. Overlook them at your own peril.
The Rest:
Sorry gang, I don’t see anyone else from this field making a run.
Monday, February 21, 2011
At the Scotties
Thoughts through the opening weekend of the Scotties:
* Rachel Homan’s rink is the real deal and while some may disagree that they play a different game, I do think they play a very confident and bold strategy. They aren’t afraid to play freezes when other teams play hits, and they are the absolute best in this field at throwing big weight with consistency. It would also be hard to find a better prepared team than this one. They have really laid out a plan and, so far, stuck to it. Having said all that, however, it’s important to note that three of her four games so far have been against Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and PEI, not exactly the powerhouses of the field (with all due respect to those teams). The Ontario foursome did look pretty solid against a shaky Alberta rink and overall I love their chances of being around on Sunday, but I think I’ll wait a bit before crowning them champs.
* The ice continues to be a question mark for many of the teams, especially trying to find consistent draw weight. That seems to be a tough task because, as the curlers will tell you, it’s streaky – it’s not the same speed across the sheet. The result is some shots that look rather embarrassing, coming way short or way long. In a lot of cases they’re guessing and guessing wrong. Doesn’t seem to be any frustration setting in. Yet.
* I had a flood of emails (OK, seven) about the relegation system the CCA is testing out at the Seniors and Mixed next year. I mentioned the subject on my TSN piece last night. I guess if the game had been on the main TSN channel instead of the deuce, I would have had, say eight or nine emails. In any case, the proposal would see the CCA move to a 14-team system. Team Canada, Northern Ontario and separate Yukon and Northwest Territories entries. The field would still be 12 teams with the 12th-place finisher from the previous year dropping into a pool with two other teams which didn’t make it in playing a relegation round just before the start of the national event (probably at a curling club in the same locale). On the plus side you get a better entry with a Team Canada and a battle for 12th place late in the week between teams that would otherwise by out of it. On the minus side, two teams don’t get in at all. And if you think that would always be the Territories, think again. In the last decade of the Scotties, the following teams have finished 12th: Territories (3 and 1 tie); New Brunswick (2); N.S. (1 and 1 tie); Manitoba (1 tie); Newfoundland and Labrador (1); and Saskatchewan (1 tie).
* One of the craziest things going on this week are the substitutions. Games in which players normally would shake hands are being extended to allow subs to play an end or two. Why? Because in order to qualify to receive jewelry from Scotties a sub must play one end in two different games. So this morning, for example, Trisha Affleck entered the PEI-ONT tilt with the score 8-1. It’s really sort of a silly rule that just makes a mockery of things. Just give them the damn ring and let them go home.
* Great to see this event in Charlottetown. While the rink here is a bit tight for all that needs to get done (all right, really it’s a selfish note because the interview area is awkward), the city is awash in Scotties paraphernalia. On Queen Street, the main drag, every store window is dressed up, all the restaurants are calling out to the fans to come in an imbibe, and a local told me this is a huge shot in the financial arm for the local economy. Nice to see, although I hope my next visit will be when things are a little greener and the golf courses are open.
* Rachel Homan’s rink is the real deal and while some may disagree that they play a different game, I do think they play a very confident and bold strategy. They aren’t afraid to play freezes when other teams play hits, and they are the absolute best in this field at throwing big weight with consistency. It would also be hard to find a better prepared team than this one. They have really laid out a plan and, so far, stuck to it. Having said all that, however, it’s important to note that three of her four games so far have been against Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and PEI, not exactly the powerhouses of the field (with all due respect to those teams). The Ontario foursome did look pretty solid against a shaky Alberta rink and overall I love their chances of being around on Sunday, but I think I’ll wait a bit before crowning them champs.
* The ice continues to be a question mark for many of the teams, especially trying to find consistent draw weight. That seems to be a tough task because, as the curlers will tell you, it’s streaky – it’s not the same speed across the sheet. The result is some shots that look rather embarrassing, coming way short or way long. In a lot of cases they’re guessing and guessing wrong. Doesn’t seem to be any frustration setting in. Yet.
* I had a flood of emails (OK, seven) about the relegation system the CCA is testing out at the Seniors and Mixed next year. I mentioned the subject on my TSN piece last night. I guess if the game had been on the main TSN channel instead of the deuce, I would have had, say eight or nine emails. In any case, the proposal would see the CCA move to a 14-team system. Team Canada, Northern Ontario and separate Yukon and Northwest Territories entries. The field would still be 12 teams with the 12th-place finisher from the previous year dropping into a pool with two other teams which didn’t make it in playing a relegation round just before the start of the national event (probably at a curling club in the same locale). On the plus side you get a better entry with a Team Canada and a battle for 12th place late in the week between teams that would otherwise by out of it. On the minus side, two teams don’t get in at all. And if you think that would always be the Territories, think again. In the last decade of the Scotties, the following teams have finished 12th: Territories (3 and 1 tie); New Brunswick (2); N.S. (1 and 1 tie); Manitoba (1 tie); Newfoundland and Labrador (1); and Saskatchewan (1 tie).
* One of the craziest things going on this week are the substitutions. Games in which players normally would shake hands are being extended to allow subs to play an end or two. Why? Because in order to qualify to receive jewelry from Scotties a sub must play one end in two different games. So this morning, for example, Trisha Affleck entered the PEI-ONT tilt with the score 8-1. It’s really sort of a silly rule that just makes a mockery of things. Just give them the damn ring and let them go home.
* Great to see this event in Charlottetown. While the rink here is a bit tight for all that needs to get done (all right, really it’s a selfish note because the interview area is awkward), the city is awash in Scotties paraphernalia. On Queen Street, the main drag, every store window is dressed up, all the restaurants are calling out to the fans to come in an imbibe, and a local told me this is a huge shot in the financial arm for the local economy. Nice to see, although I hope my next visit will be when things are a little greener and the golf courses are open.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Should Team Canada be at the Brier?
It's a simple question without a solid answer: Should there be a Team Canada at the Tim Hortons Brier?
I wrote a column on the topic in this morning's Globe and even I don't have a real solid take on what I'd do if the choice was mine. On one side, I love the tradition of the Brier and part of that great tradition is that every team that wins has to earn its way back to the national championships. Now the days of the Brier winner starting out in his or her club are, for the most part, gone. These days provincial champions often get byes to their respective finals, such as Ontario does.
Another part of that tradition is that every province and territory gets into the championship. Well, they used to until we started creating more territories. Now I'm not sure that both the Yukon and Northwest Territories deserve separate entries, but I'm sure if I curled up there I'd feel differently.
And finally, there's always been a Northern Ontario and an Ontario and I see no reason to change that. It's one of the quirky things about the Brier that makes it great.
As for the relegation system that Warren Hansen outlined to me in the column, I think it can be a little scary in that I think the same three or four teams will continue to sit out. Sure, the odd time a Have province might miss, but I'm not so sure. I like the fact that all provinces play and I like the fact that there are opportunities for a Jack MacDuff story.
To me what this is all coming down to is a big separation between the teams that are essentially professional and those that are part-timers. For about that past seven or eight Briers, maybe more, the number of teams that have a legitimate chance of winning is small and predictable. You can look over this field and see that there are five maybe six teams that have a legitimate shot at winning. The others will be out by Tuesday. So isn't it better to try and expand that group to include another possible winning team at the expense of a bottom-feeder?
If you're trying to sell tickets, you'd answer yes in a heartbeat. And folks, there aren't enough tickets being sold to these events these days.
In the end, it all comes down to the realities of the bottom line.
I wrote a column on the topic in this morning's Globe and even I don't have a real solid take on what I'd do if the choice was mine. On one side, I love the tradition of the Brier and part of that great tradition is that every team that wins has to earn its way back to the national championships. Now the days of the Brier winner starting out in his or her club are, for the most part, gone. These days provincial champions often get byes to their respective finals, such as Ontario does.
Another part of that tradition is that every province and territory gets into the championship. Well, they used to until we started creating more territories. Now I'm not sure that both the Yukon and Northwest Territories deserve separate entries, but I'm sure if I curled up there I'd feel differently.
And finally, there's always been a Northern Ontario and an Ontario and I see no reason to change that. It's one of the quirky things about the Brier that makes it great.
As for the relegation system that Warren Hansen outlined to me in the column, I think it can be a little scary in that I think the same three or four teams will continue to sit out. Sure, the odd time a Have province might miss, but I'm not so sure. I like the fact that all provinces play and I like the fact that there are opportunities for a Jack MacDuff story.
To me what this is all coming down to is a big separation between the teams that are essentially professional and those that are part-timers. For about that past seven or eight Briers, maybe more, the number of teams that have a legitimate chance of winning is small and predictable. You can look over this field and see that there are five maybe six teams that have a legitimate shot at winning. The others will be out by Tuesday. So isn't it better to try and expand that group to include another possible winning team at the expense of a bottom-feeder?
If you're trying to sell tickets, you'd answer yes in a heartbeat. And folks, there aren't enough tickets being sold to these events these days.
In the end, it all comes down to the realities of the bottom line.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Bernard team calls it a day
My column in the Globe this morning is on the breakup of the Bernard rink, slated for the end of this season.
Al Cameron of the Calgary Herald broke this story earlier this week and since then, there’ve been lots of great takes from different writers on this squad.
In reflecting on the team, I really had a hard time trying to place their spot in the history books. As an Olympic team, they are
something special for sure. And in winning the 2009 Trials, I really think they altered the game in terms of what teams must bring physically and mentally to the biggest games. They were just so prepared for that event and you could see it in their faces and their play.
But are they one of the great teams? Not in my opinion. Not that they aren’t very, very good, but I wouldn’t put them in the same spot at Sandra Schmirler or Colleen Jones or even Jennifer Jones. That’s because those in that latter group all have multiple national and international wins.
The one thing I will really admire about the Bernard team, however is their personality both on and off the ice. All four were professional and fun. I don’t think they ever took themselves too seriously. As a media person, Cheryl was exceptional to deal with, easily one of the best in the business. I think she had a great respect for what journalists have to do and how the press could benefit her rink. I think she’d make a great television commentator by the way (hello TSN?).
But I also expect you’ll see Cheryl back on the ice before too long. I think she’s got a lot left as far as curling goes. We’ll see.
Al Cameron of the Calgary Herald broke this story earlier this week and since then, there’ve been lots of great takes from different writers on this squad.
In reflecting on the team, I really had a hard time trying to place their spot in the history books. As an Olympic team, they are
something special for sure. And in winning the 2009 Trials, I really think they altered the game in terms of what teams must bring physically and mentally to the biggest games. They were just so prepared for that event and you could see it in their faces and their play.
But are they one of the great teams? Not in my opinion. Not that they aren’t very, very good, but I wouldn’t put them in the same spot at Sandra Schmirler or Colleen Jones or even Jennifer Jones. That’s because those in that latter group all have multiple national and international wins.
The one thing I will really admire about the Bernard team, however is their personality both on and off the ice. All four were professional and fun. I don’t think they ever took themselves too seriously. As a media person, Cheryl was exceptional to deal with, easily one of the best in the business. I think she had a great respect for what journalists have to do and how the press could benefit her rink. I think she’d make a great television commentator by the way (hello TSN?).
But I also expect you’ll see Cheryl back on the ice before too long. I think she’s got a lot left as far as curling goes. We’ll see.
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