Reigning gold medalist calls new process to quality for Games ‘time -consuming and difficult’

ROBIN SHORT
The Telegram

Eight months after the Canadian Curling Association released its revamped qualification process for the 2009 Olympic Trials, Brad Gushue is still scratching his head trying to decipher the information.

“I still haven’t gotten it all figured all out yet,” smiled Gushue. “Chris (Schille, Gushue’s second stone) knows it inside out, though. He tells us where we stand after each event. It’s very technical.

“To me, it’s just a matter of going out and playing.”
….

Read the article over at The Telegram (St. John’s)

Nearly two years since her last appearance on The Curling Show — right before the 2006 Winter Games — Amy Nixon of Team Kleibrink was back to talk about her life in the sport since that time.

SOURCE: TheCurlingShow.com

THE CURLING SHOW has an interview with Anette Norberg ..

Annette Norberg Interview.
April 12th, 2006

It’s another interview with a representative of the women’s game (yes, we’ll be mixing it up with our next edition) as we talked to Annette Norberg of Sweden. It’s the first trans-Atlantic interview in the show’s history – we take our milestones wherever we can find them at The Curling Show. Annette talks about her team’s remarkable season, the state of the game in Sweden and their plans for 2006-2007.

Psssttt… yes it’s a typo.. just click on the above link and go enjoy that podcast!

Canadian Press
3/16/2006 2:13:40 PM

REGINA (CP) – Manitoba skip Jeff Stoughton says he’ll appeal his $1,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct at the Canadian men’s curling championship.

The Canadian Curling Association disciplined Stoughton after he kicked rocks and slamming his broom in a game against New Brunswick on Wednesday, but Stoughton also said he was told by the CCA he had been accumulating offences, some of which he was unaware.

“I thought they would at least let me know I was accumulating some fines,” Stoughton said Thursday. “We’ll write a letter and see what they do.”

“A thousand dollars, give me a break.”

Stoughton was upset after New Brunswick scored four points in the fourth end of Wednesday morning’s game. Stoughton’s team, former world and national champions, were on route to a fourth straight loss in that game.

Stoughton said he kicked a couple of rocks in the corner and banged his broom on the ice in disgust, and when he was admonished by an official, he did it again.

But Stoughton said he received a letter from the CCA accusing him of throwing a water bottle during a game against Quebec and couldn’t remember doing so and that he had also committed an infraction against the Territories that he couldn’t remember either.

Both the CCA’s rule book and the competition guides each player receives has codes of conduct for players and what players can be fined for is in the latter.

“If someone goes ranting and raving and throwing chairs on the ice or something for 10 minutes, then certainly that’s a problem,” Stoughton said. “But if you can’t blow off some steam, I’m not really sure what you’re supposed to do.

“(The fine) seems a little extreme. They’re not paying me a salary. I’m not a professional football player getting fined because I spiked the football.

“We’re just arguing it’s seems a little extreme for a guy is out there trying to help the event and put on a show and have a good time.”

Each teams gets $14,000 at the Brier for wearing sponsors crests

and from the Athletes Assistance Fund and the top four split an extra $130,000 in prize money.

National and world champion Colleen Jones was fined $300 three months after the Canadian women’s championship in 2005 for signing autographs too long following a game, but her team did not have to pay it as the disciplinary process was later reviewed.

Source

© 2006 Bell Globemedia All Rights Reserved.

By ANGELA MACISAAC – Calgary Sun
Wed, March 15, 2006

There will be a new face on Team Kleibrink next season.

The Calgary-based curling rink announced yesterday Glenys Bakker is leaving the fold of the Olympic bronze medallists.

Bakker, second, has elected to step down because skip Shannon Kleibrink, third Amy Nixon and lead Christine Keshen are ramping up the competitive schedule next season.

Bakker, while stepping aside, is still interested in curling at a high level.

“I just had my best season ever,” the 43-year-old mom of two said.

“I’m not ready to retire.”

After winning the Canada Cup and the Canadian Olympic trials in 2005, the team is staying together for the BDO Player’s Championship at the Corral, April 12-16.

“We’re gunning for that,” Bakker said. “It would be nice to end the season with another win.”

Word is Bakker will be replaced by Bronwen Saunders, who skipped her own rink until abdicating the responsibility to Crystal Rumberg last fall.

Kleibrink could not be reached for comment.

Source

Copyright © 2006, Canoe Inc. All rights reserved.

Howard rink on top rung at Brier

`Russ has always been in limelight’

Mar. 15, 2006. 01:00 AM
BRIAN MCANDREW
STAFF REPORTER

REGINA—Glenn Howard has always curled in the shadow of his big brother Russ, but he doesn’t mind standing in the shade.

Even now that the younger Howard, 43, has made it to the national men’s curling championship as a skip, he’s already been upstaged by 50-year-old Russ Howard’s gold-medal performance at the Olympics with Brad Gushue. And the attention will turn away from the front-running Howard rink here at the Brier when the Gushue team arrives tomorrow night in advance of Friday’s day-long adulation and autograph sessions.

Glenn Howard doesn’t need reminding he’s relegated forever to the role of second banana (the preferred snack of curlers here during the fifth-end break). That came yesterday from a fan sitting at ice level.

“Russ would have got that out of there,” the critic called wryly as Howard furiously swept an opposition stone that halted at the back edge of the rings during a 7-4 win over Newfoundland’s Ken Peddigrew.

“I said to them: `Ten years ago I’d get that rock out, but I’m older now and I can’t drag it,’” Howard recalled. “The crowd is wonderful. They’re always kibitzing with me. I like that. It’s a lot of fun.”

Howard remained upbeat even after his first loss, 7-4 to Alberta’s Kevin Martin. Howard and Martin were tied for first place at 6-1 followed by Jean-Michel Menard at 5-2. Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton fell to 4-3 after losing to Menard and Jamie Koe of Northwest Territories/Yukon.

“Kevin was on fire. I thought it was a fun game. I enjoyed it,” said Howard, who was never able to mount an attack against Martin. The two-time Brier champion countered every opportunity Howard had to score more than a single point in any end after the Albertans snatched three in the second.

“Our guys were solid. They played well and we lost to one of the best teams in the world. No harm,” Howard added.

Martin was relieved by the way his team of third Don Walchuk, second Carter Rycroft and lead Don Bartlett took command for their first well-played game.

“That was better,” Martin said. “That was our first good game as a team. … That was a different team to show up on the ice today and it was good to see.”

Howard described his style of game — like his brother’s — as one of finesse compared to some former “bang-bang” teams that specialized in running rocks out of play — like Martin at one time — that have adapted to a game that requires both sets of skills.

That happened because of Russ Howard. Without the innovations he brought to the sport, there might never have been the chance for him to win the Olympic gold medal.

International rules based on a game played by the Howard brothers while practising in the mid-1980s created a new and exciting version of curling compared with the predictably dull and low-scoring takeout games of the past.

It was that new style of play that caught the attention of the International Olympic Committee and brought curling to the Winter Games.

Russ Howard went full circle from practising with his brother in small-town Midland to standing on the Olympic podium. And that’s why Glenn Howard has never felt threatened by his brother’s success.

“I figure that’s just the way it is,” he said. “Russ has always been in the limelight. There’s nobody more deserving. He’s won 13 purple hearts (provincial titles); he’s got two Canadian and two world championships. It was his idea for the rule (changes), so he virtually revolutionized the game.

“The only question I find bizarre now is, `Do I face more pressure because he’s won the gold?’ Absolutely not. I’m here to try and win this for Ontario and it has nothing to do with Russ winning.”

Source

Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved.

Welcome Back Team Canada

I would like to post some excerpts of Coach Daryl’s Diary for their last day … If you haven’t been reading his daily diary during the 2006 Winter Olympics, you can still go back and read each day and be treated to great insights of Team Kleibrink over in Torino. I enjoyed looking at the pictures, and all of the commentaries and even the words of the day

Source: http://www.fieldlaw.com/team_kleibrink.html#diary

HOME

Anyone requesting appearance appointments for one or members of the team should contact Paul Webster (Canadian Curling Association) by e-mail.

COACH DARYL’S DIARY (with guests!)

February 26 and 27

Team Kleibrink is home safe and sound in Alberta and British Columbia.

This update covers our last day in Torino (Sunday February 26) and our trip home on Monday February 27.

The hi-lite for Sunday was the Closing Ceremony. Unlike the Opening Ceremony, the athletes from all countries marched in together and in no particular order. This represents the coming together of the nations in the Olympic Spirit.

We had much better seating than we did for the Opening Ceremonies, located immediately behind the main stage. We could see everything quite clear.

It was a spectacular ceremony. See photos attached.

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Committee was part of the presentation (see the Inukshuk photo). The Olympic flag is on it’s way to Vancouver and will be raised there on Tuesday afternoon!

One of the hi-lites for the athletes is the trading of Olympic Clothing.

Shannon and Sandra traded their jackets with a couple of Chinese Athletes, Glenys traded her jacket with an Italian Athlete, Amy traded her closing ceremony toque for a “volunteer” fleece jacket and Christine did the most trading getting a Swiss vest and lots of other stuff. It was neat to be a part of all this! (see photos attached)

Early Monday morning (7:00 a.m.) we boarded a bus to travel to Milan to catch an Air France flight to Paris. From Paris, it was Air France to Toronto, where Air France, Air Canada and the Toronto Airport Authority helped expedite our gathering of luggage, getting us through customs and putting our luggage on flights to Calgary, Kelowna and Edmonton. Their help was much appreciated!

Shannon, Amy, Glenys and Christine flew Air Canada to Calgary and arrived home to a hero’s celebration at the Calgary International Airport. Their flight was pretty much on time.

Daryl, flew West Jet to Edmonton (leaving an hour and a half late) and arrived home to a smaller celebration of wife Bonnie and 8 colleagues from EBA Engineering Consultants Ltd. who were all decked out in Olympic gear, presented me with my own “Bronze Medal” and a limo ride home with Champagne!

It was a very long day…for me it was in the order of 24 hours of continuous travel to get home.

In closing, the Olympic Diary, let me say on behalf of Team Kleibrink….Thank You to all who have visited the website, sent e-mail to our team e-mail address or individual team members personal e-mail addresses and provided support throughout for us.

There is nothing more uplifting than knowing that those close to you are providing their support through thick and thin! Without you, Team Kleibrink would not likely have achieved the incredible goal of being Olympic Medalists!

We would also like to thank Field Law and Tammy Wiebe for facilitating the Team Kleibrink website and updating the Coach’s Diary on a daily basis. Tammy did this every day including on weekends from her home computer and this is much appreciated!

Mille Grazie!

Arrivedercie!

Coach Daryl (on behalf of Team Kleibrink)

Russ Howard turns 50 today … Happy birthday!

From The CBC Torino 2006 – The Olympic Games Site

Brad Gushue – Curling – men’s skip

Birthdate: June 16, 1980
Birthplace: St. John’s
Hometown: St. John’s

Olympic Outlook

Under Russ Howard’s guidance, the 25-year-old Gushue matured by leaps and bounds at the Canadian curling trials, winning nine of ten matches against an extremely deep field. His rink will arrive in Turin as favourites to win Canada’s first Olympic gold medal in men’s curling.

Season Highlights

* Won Canadian men’s curling trials as skip
* Third at World Curling Tour Oslo Cup as skip

Career Highlights

* Won 2004 Canada Cup East as skip
* Won 2001 Canadian junior championships as skip
* Skipped Newfoundland and Labrador in three Briers (2003-2005)
* Skipped Newfoundland in five Canadian junior championships (1996, 1998-2001)

Quotations

“They’re five of my best friends in the world, and if we weren’t curling, we’d still be best friends. This is incredible to share it with them.”
- Gushue on winning the 2005 Canadian curling trials with his close-knit teammates.

Noteworthy

At 25, Gushue will be the youngest man to skip a Canadian rink at the Olympics since curling became a full medal sport in 1998. Mike Harris was 31 and Kevin Martin 36 when they skipped Canada to silver medals in1998 and 2002, respectively.

Copyright © CBC 2006

From The CBC Torino 2006 – The Olympic Games Site

Mark Nichols – Curling – men’s third

Birthdate: Jan. 1, 1980
Birthplace: Labrador City, N.L.
Hometown: St. John’s

Olympic Outlook

Though Russ Howard and Brad Gushue get most of the attention, Nichols is vital to his team’s success. A terrific shot-maker, he beat Randy Ferbey in the final of the Hot Shots skills competition at the 2005 Brier.

Season Highlights

* Won Canadian curling trials as third for Gushue
* Third at World Curling Tour Oslo Cup as third for Gushue

Career Highlights

* Won 2005 Canadian mixed championships as Newfoundland and Labrador skip
* Won 2005 Hot Shots skills competition
* Won 2004 Canada Cup East as third for Gushue
* Won 2001 world junior championships as third for Newfoundland and Labrador skip Gushue
* Won 2001 Canadian junior championships as third for Newfoundland and Labrador skip Gushue
* Played in three Briers (2003, 2004, 2005) as third for Newfoundland and Labrador skip Gushue
* Named to two Canadian junior championships all-star teams (2000 and 2001)
* Named 2001 Labrador City Athlete of the Year

Quotations

“He’s in my opinion probably the most talented curler out there.”
- Brad Gushue on Nichols’s shot-making abilities after Nichols made two dazzling shots in the last four ends to propel his team to a win over Jeff Stoughton at the 2005 Canadian curling trials.

Noteworthy

Besides Russ Howard, Nichols has the most years of curling experience among members of Team Gushue. Nichols has been playing the game for 18 years, since he was seven.

Copyright © CBC 2006