2009 Tim Hortons Brier Tankard Times Day 6

Issue Thursday, March 12,7,2009 Issue#6, #1, Saturday, March 2009

TANKARD TIMES OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE 2009 TIM HORTONS BRIER

Alberta始s John Morris, Ben Hebert and Marc Kennedy have helped skip Kevin Martin to a perfect 9-0 mark.

Wednesday, March 20, 2009 2

Albertans now 22-and-0!

Martin dominating . . . if not intimidating

By LARRY WOOD Tankard Times Editor

T

All four members of the Nova Scotia team — skip Mark Dacey, Kris Granchelli, Andrew Gibson and Bruce Lohnes — sweep into action.

here’s a question of intimidation creeping into the picture where Alberta’s Kevin Martin is considered at the Tom Hortons Brier.

The guy known as K-Mart, the defending champion from Edmonton, skipped his juggernaut to yet another pair of lopsided decisions on Wednesday at the Pengrowth Saddledome to stretch his unbeaten record to nine wins.

And if you want to take last year’s 13-zip record into consideration, this team has won 22 straight Brier contests.

But questions of intimidation came up, in the wake of an 8-2 afternoon thrashing of Northern Ontario’s Mike Jakubo and an evening 7-2 walloping of Manitoba’s twotime Brier champion Jeff Stoughton?

“Definitely not Jeff or Glenn or Gushue because we play them so often,” said Martin.

“I can’t imagine that. Maybe some of the teams that are here for the first time. But the guys who have been here lots, they just want to beat us bad, that’s all.”

All right then, if not intimidating, how does it feel to be dominating?

“Well sure, it makes you feel good but it doesn’t SEE mean anything,” said RESULTS, Martin. “Not if you lose the Page 12 semi or the final. But at least we can say that we are to that stage. We talked about milestones and I thought 7-and-2 would be a real good record at this point. But we can’t be in a better spot than we are right now. But, like I say, drop the semi or the final and it doesn’t make us feel very good.

“We came here trying to shoot 90 per cent, 90 per cent, 90 per cent. That’s why we trained so hard before it started. That was the game plan and that’s what we’re doing.”

And Wednesday’s effort assured Martin of a place in Friday night’s Page One-Two playoff fracas with a win there leading directly to Sunday’s final.

“It’s important to get into that Friday night game because the worst-case scenario then

would be to fall back into the semi-final with hammer,” he allowed.

Meantime, Ontario’s Glenn Howard dropped off the unbeaten pace in the afternoon when Quebec’s Jean-Michel Menard executed a fifth-end raise double-kill to score two. That gave Menard a 6-3 edge and led to an 8-5 decision.

Menard later clubbed Jamie Koe’s Territories bunch 8-4 to remain in the hunt for a tiebreaker with teams of Stoughton, veteran Russ Howard and Sean Geall of B.C. who has been operating under the radar but remained in contention with a pair of Wednesday wins.

Heading into today’s final three draws with each team facing a final two matches, Howard held second at 8-and-1, with Newfoundland’s Brad Gushue solidly entrenched in third at 7and-2. Then there’s the quartet on the bubble with four losses.

Here’s how it the round-robin winds down for the contenders today: Alberta (9-0) — 1 p.m. Nova Scotia (27), 6 p.m. Ontario (8-1).

Ontario (8-1) — 8:30 a.m. Nova Scotia (2-7), 6 p.m. Alberta (9-0).

Newfoundland/Lab. (7-2) — 8:30 a.m.

Manitoba (5-4), 6 p.m. Saskatchewan (3-6).

Mani to ba (5 -4 ) — 8:30 a.m.

Newfoundland/Lab., (7-2), 1 p.m.

Saskatchewan (3-6).

New Brunswi ck (5-4) — 1 p.m.

Territories (2-7), 6 p.m. British Columbia (54).

Quebec (5-4) — 1 p.m. P.E.I. (2-7), 6 p.m. Northern Ontario (1-8).

British Columbia (5-4) — 8:30 a.m.

Territories (2-7), 6 p.m. New Brunswick (54).

Howard experienced a shaky morning against Koe which the Ontario skip later described as the Polar Bear Scare. Trailing 63 after six, Howard fashioned three-baggers in the seventh and ninth and escaped with a 9-7 duke.

“JM made a phenomenal shot in the fifth end and that was the difference,” he said of his subsequent first setback.

Vice-skip Richard Hart termed it “a oneshot game”.

PLEASE SEE BRIER P8

3 Thursday, March 12 2009

BRIER PATCH

Keeping it safe at party central

By NORMA O’MALLEY Special to The Tankard Times

T

revor Thomas, radiophone in hand, decked out in a fluorescent yellow security vest, isn’t overly concerned about things getting out of control at the Keith’s Patch as he welcomes groups of thirsty fans into the Brier’s huge entertainment centre at the Big Four.

Thomas is one of 120 Patch security volunteers, part of a team that aims to make the venue, which seats 3,500 to 4,000, a safe place to party. “The majority of people who come in are here to have fun,� says Thomas. “Mostly it's just crowd control that we are trying to achieve.�

PLEASE SEE SECURITY P4

The KeithĘźs Patch is action central at the Brier, and the majority who come in just want to have fun.

Security From Page 3 So far, the job hasn’t been complicated. Thomas attributes this to the fact that access to the Patch is limited to people who have draw tickets for that particular day.

The busiest times for security volunteers are following afternoon and evening draws, when lineups occur.

But, says Thomas, curlers generally are not the most boisterous partiers. “It’s an educated crowd that comes to these venues for sure; very little violence,� he says. “Makes our job a lot easier.�

Security volunteers are trained to keep a close eye on the crowd for the occasional partier who might have had a few drinks too many.

Also, they’re the eyes and ears for the professional Stampede security. “If we see someone we think is going to get out the line, we just let

Thursday, March 12, 2009 4 our Stampede security staff know,� says Thomas.

The Stampede security team is responsible for breaking up any fights that may occur and have people on duty around the clock.

Thomas volunteered at the World Men’s Curling Championships at Edmonton in 2007 and considers volunteering at the Brier a great opportunity to give back to the community, meet new people and have fun. “I don’t think everybody is here just to see the Brier,� he says with a laugh. “I mean, I see enough curling because of my son.�

That would be 22-year-old Charlie Thomas, a two-time world junior curling champion who currently competes on the World Curling Tour. “I want to make everyone’s stay here worthwhile,� Trevor says.

It’s obvious, by observing the unique Brier Patch atmosphere — a cheery mix of two-stepping, conversation and celebration — that Thomas and his crew couldn’t be doing a better job. Or having more fun elsewhere.

QuebecĘźs Jean-Michel Menard-skipped Brier team gets the Calgary billboard play at the corner of 12th Avenue and Macleod Trail, S.W. The Quebeckers were delighted, of course, to draw Jim Pattison Signs as it honourary (sponsorship) coach for this weekĘźs rockfest.

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Thursday, March 12, 2009 5

Members of the 1999 World Junior MenĘźs silver sedallists gave an international feel to the Fan Funspiel: (l to r) Jens Piesbergen (coach), Christian Haller (skip), Pascal Albertin (second), RenĂŠ Kunz (lead).

ROCKIN’ THE HOUSE

By LINDA CUNNINGHAM Special to The Tankard Times

What do you get when you let a group of fun-loving curlers hungry for some sweeping action loose at a curling club?

You get the Brier Fan Funspiel, held this week at the North Hill Curling Club.

The adventure started out on the right paw with the arrival of Brier Bear, who threw out the first rock. Once everyone had drawn to determine which sheet and colour of rocks they would use, their adventure began.

In order to maximize the fun and interaction, teams played Musical Sheets after every end, with Sherry Meunier and her FANtastic assistants providing scoring challenges at each opportunity.

Whether scoring the end just like a normal end of curling, but giving the points to your opposition, counting the rocks furthest from the button or in the gutter, everyone had a good laugh.

The 27 participants ranged in experience

from a first-timer to members of the 1999 world junior men’s silver medal-winning team from Switzerland, which made for some interesting contrasts in delivery and sweeping styles.

Although they had lost to Canada’s John Morris foursome in the final back then, Jens Piesbergen (coach), Christian Haller (skip), Pascal Albertin (second), and RenĂŠ Kunz (lead) enjoyed the experience so much that they decided to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their success by travelling to Canada to watch the Brier. “What else would European curling tourists do?â€? said Piesbergen, who also played third for the Swiss foursome at the 1993 world men’s championships against Russ and Glenn Howard.

It isn’t every day that most curlers get such an opportunity, and the memories will be treasured by everyone who was able to talk with them at length. Most participants had a story to share from past Brier or world championship funspiels.

Not that it mattered, but the final score was Yellow 49, Red 35.

ST[XeTaX]V CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of the 2009 ‘Imagine a Better House’ Community Curling Club Improvement Progra

These curling clubs no longer have to imagine a better house, they earned one by sharing their stories with Monsanto.

Over the past two years, hundreds of rural community clubs have shared their stories of how they would improve their local curling club. After a difďŹ cult judging process, Monsanto has provided $160,000 cash awards to 50 different rural community clubs across Western Canada in these two years.

Join us in congratulating the 2009 Improvement Program winners for the strength of their submission and the strength of their community spirit. $5,000 Winners: Mallaig Curling Club – Mallaig, Alberta; Medstead Curling Club – Glaslyn, Saskatchewan; Strasbourg Curling Club – Strasbourg, Saskatchewan; Theodore Curling Club – Theodore, Saskatchewan

$2,000 Winners: 25 curling clubs across Western Canada. Visit monsanto.ca for the complete list of winners.

2009 Monsanto Canada Inc.

GRAND PRIZE $10,000.00 Winner: Holland Curling Club, Holland, Manitoba

Thursday, March 12, 2009 6

Bluenosers weren’t to be denied G

oing into the 2004 Labatt Brier at Saskatchewan Place in Saskatoon, Randy Ferbey’s Alberta team was generally regarded as the best curling team in Canada.

Throw in the fact that they came into the rockfest riding a 16-game Brier unbeaten streak, and it was small wonder that the Ferbey Four were prohibitive favourites to win an unprecedented fourth Classic consecutive Canadian championship.

Briers True to the conventional wisdom, the Alberta powerhouse stormed out of the starting blocks and won their first seven round-robin games, extending their record-breaking winning streak to

Alex ROBERTS

23 games.

However, a 13th-draw match with 2003 Brier runner-up Mark Dacey proved to be a harbinger of things to come. Nova Scotia counter-punched their way to an 8-7 win, despite being out curled 85 per cent to 77 pder cent and having to erase a three-point deficit after seven ends.

Alberta went on to win its last three round-robin games, while Nova Scotia lost only to Newfoundland in the fourth draw.

So the two finished 10-1 to gain spots in the Page system One-Two playoff game.

While Dacey and Ferbey sprinted away from the field, the battle for the other playoff spots proved to be a survival-of-thefittest scenario with Newfoundland’s Brad Gushue, British Columbia’s Jay Peachey, New Brunswick’s Russ Howard and Ontario’s Mike Harris jousting for the final two positions.

Despite losing two of their final four in the preliminaries, Newfoundland rode 23-

year-old Gushue’s hot shooting (he curled 83 per cent in the round robin) to an impressive 8-3 record and third place.

However, a loss to Saskatchewan in the penultimate round-robin draw ended Ontario’s hopes of a playoff berth. And Howard’s veteran New Brunswick foursome, which looked to have a lock on a playoff spot, lost its last two games and finished at 7-4 to set up a tiebreaker for fourth place with the Jay Peachey team from B.C. In the tiebreaker, Peachey rode the hammer to score three deuces and edged Howard 7-5 to advance to the Three-Four game against Gushue.

In the Page One-Two game, Alberta exacted a measure of revenge for its roundrobin loss, hammering Nova Scotia 10-6 and outcurling the Bluenosers by a 91-82 margin.

PLEASE SEE CLASSIC BRIERS P18

Mark Dacey staged comeback.

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Thursday, March 12, 2009 9

Brier

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“He misses, we steal two,� said Howard. “He sticks, he makes a three-banger and we’re right behind the eight-ball. It was as great shot.

A five-point spread on one shot.

They played really well. We never really made any precise shots after that and they didn’t miss anything.�

Both games on Wednesday were massive for Quebec who were down to the last gasp with four losses heading in. “That was a massive game for them,� said Howard. “They needed it to keep them in, so maybe they were more hungry than us. “Sure, it was a setback. We don’t want to lose any games. We want to win everything. We aren’t assured of anything right now. We may be guaranteed no worse than third but that’s not good enough. We obviously want to get to that One-Two (playoff) game.�

Gushue ran his win streak to four on Wednesday, thumping the Spud

Islanders of Rod MacDonald 8-2 before besting his Olympic teammate Russ Howard of New Brunswick 8-5. “We’re still not putting it totally together but we’re finding ways to win and that’s a positive thing,� said the 26-year-old Olympic gold medallist. “We’ll come around. Nobody is really struggling. It’s just one player, one game here and there. There are no real technical issues. It could be a very slight lack of focus or a mental issue. “It’s always fun to play Russ.

He’s arguably the greatest curler ever to play the game. We know each other and I think there was a little bit more of a comfort level going into it.�

One win in two outings today will assure the Newf-Labs of a playoff berth.

Menard said his pair constituted “the best two games we’ve had in a row�. “It builds momentum. We have better draw weight, we’re positioning our rocks better, and I think this makes a major difference when you

start your end, positioning yourself correctly so if you have to bail out it’s not disaster time.�

Quebec appears to have the easiest closing draw today but Menard isn’t buying. “Quite frankly, I’m 0-and-2 against Rod MacDonald the last two times so I’m not treating this as an easy game. I don’t think it will be too tough to motivate ourselves.�

Menard’s win over Glenn Howard was his first since the 2006 Brier final at Regina.

Stoughton opened the day with a 6-5 squeaker over lowly Mike Jakubo of Northern Ontario. Russ Howard rebounded to stop P.E.I. 74 on the late shift. And B.C.’s Geall whipped also-rans Mark Dacey of Nova Scotia 9-4 and Joel Jordison of Saskatchewan 10-6.

Said Russ Howard: “I’m very happy with the way I’m playing. I’m playing as well as anybody here in my opinion. But . . . that might not be good enough.�

Also on the night draw, Saskatchewan creamed Nova Scotia 7-4.

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9 Thursday, March 12, 2009 EDITOR Larry Wood ASSOCIATE EDITOR Dave Komosky PHOTOGRAPHER Mike Burns Jr. PUBLISHED BY The Calgary Herald

The Wood file B

rad Gushue, Olympic gold medallist, arrived at the Pengrowth Saddledome last weekend with a team on a newfound high.

Three nights later, the Newfoundland/Labrador aggregation had blown a couple of final ends to the Tim Hortons Brier’s heavy favourites, even though they’d controlled the first nine in each case.

“Could I be any more disappointed?” the 26-year-old St. John’s skip repeats a question. “Yeah, I’d be more disappointed if we didn’t win.

I’d be more disappointed if we didn’t give ourselves every chance to be in the playoffs.

I’d be more disappointed if I didn’t have a shot to win this Brier.”

The guy reeks with confidence and determination and it has been showing on the ice lanes.

“I think if we continue like we are . . . we’ll be there at the end of the week. I think we’re one of the better teams here and hopefully we can play up to our capabilities.”

The Gushues, with Manitoban Ryan Fry moving in at second to replace Albertan Chris Schille and long-time lead Jamie Korab returning to the lineup, have opted for assistance from a sports psychologist. And Ken Bagnell, the Halifax shrink who worked with the sixtime Scotties champ Colleen Jones and produced more than a snippet of success earlier in this decade, has been adopted as a full-fledged team member.

“We’ve been with Ken on and off since 2006-07, shortly after the Olympics, but full-time this year and it is working well,” says Gushue. “Everybody on our team

Larry WOOD

Brad Gushue, right, with sports psychologist Ken Bagnell.

really bought in. Schille wasn’t a big believer in the sports psychology but Ken wasn’t full-time with us at that point. Ryan and Jamie and Mark and I are all big believers in it so he’s been with us for a few events this season and, hopefully, he’ll be with us leading up to Edmonton next year.

“He’s had success with Colleen and he’s learned a lot from that experience, too, and he’s going to take some of that with us, and I really feel his input has been very constructive,” says the perennial champ from The Rock.

“He made a world of difference to

everybody on Saturday night after that big loss. He really put it in perspective for us and stressed the fact that getting over it as quickly as possible was germane. It was easier said than done, sure, but I think we did a pretty good job of it.”

Gushue admits it’s difficult “to teach an old dog new tricks” but estimates the younger generation of curler is more open to Bagnall’s sort of help.

“Let’s take Russ (Howard) as an example,” Gushue says. “Leading up to the Olympics, why would we have a sports psychologist come in

and talk to him? He has 30 years of experience that we’re trying to gain through sports psychology. He learned through trial and error. We’re just trying to speed up the process of getting to that point and maybe when we’re 30-35 we’ll have the knowledge about how to handle those situations that he gained from playing for 30 years.

“We work on how to control your emotions in each situation and how to deal with teammates, and body language; what to say to each other at the right times. You can say something to someone that you might feel is completely innocent

Gushue among top skips taking advantage of sports psychologists but it might be taken the wrong way. But the other guy might call you, er, insert-any-kind-of-bad-wordyou-want-in-there. You may not realize you’ve been offensive. So we’ve learned what to say and what not to say to each other and that’s all part of the sports psychology thing.

Thursday, March 12, 2009 10

Profiles: Alberta HOME CLUB: SAVILLE SPORTS CENTRE (EDMONTON)

FACTS

Kevin Martin SK

NICKNA IP ME: Old Bear AGE:42 RESIDEN CE FAMILY: : Edmonton W Shauna; ife son Karr ick (19) daug hters Kalycia (1 6) Mykaela (7) EMPLOY ME Kevin’s R NT: oc Racquets ks ‘n’ HE IS: E asy going, de dicated, focused LOVES C UR BECAUS LING E: It is very stra tegic.

John Morris THIRD AGE: 30 RESIDENCE: Calgary PARTNER: Single.

EMPLOYMENT: Firefighter, Chestemere Fire & Rescue

THE PROVINCE Population: 3,064,200 Area: 661,848 sq km Motto: “Strong and free” Joined Confederation: 1905 Capital City: Edmonton Languages Spoken: 81% English, 2.1% French, 3.2% German, 2.0% Ukrainian, 3.6% bilingual 8.1% other Principal Products: Natural Gas, Oil, Wheat ALBERTA AT THE SCOTTIES Last five years: 2008 — Kevin Martin, Edmonton (13-0) 2007 — Kevin Martin, Edmonton (8-4) 2006 — Kevin Martin, Edmonton (8-4) 2005 — Randy Ferbey, Edmonton (11-2) 2004 — Randy Ferbey, Edmonton (11-2) Last championship — Kevin Martin, 2008

Marc Kennedy SECOND NICKNAME: Kenbear RESIDENCE: Edmonton FAMILY: Fiancee Nicole and baby daughter Aubray Kennedy (8 mos).

EMPLOYMENT: Owners of an M&M Meats Shops, Edmonton HE IS: Competitive, boring, hard working LOVES CURLING BECAUSE: I can play at the top level and still have a lot of fun.

And you get to meet great people.

Canadian titles — 23 World titles — 10 DID YOU KNOW. . .

Although many people think of the Rockies when they think of Alberta, they are not an official symbol of the province.

Ben Hebert LEAD NICKNAME: Benny, Heebz AGE: 25 RESIDENCE: Calgary PARTNER: Single EMPLOYMENT: Sales and marketing for Fugro SESL Geomatics.

HE IS: Competitive, comedy, smooth LOVES CURLING BECAUSE: I can play a sport at the top level and the competition is great.

11 Thursday, March 12, 2009

Profiles: P.E.I. HOME CLUB: CHARLOTTETOWN CURLING CLUB

FACTS

Rod MacDonald

THE PROVINCE Population: 138,500 Area: 5,660 sq km sq Joined Confederation: 1873 Motto: “The small under the protection on the great” Capital City: Charlottetown Laguages Spoken: 96.6% English, 3% French, 0.4% other Principal Products: Potatoes, lobsters, printed materials, wood products

SKIP

NAME: R od MacDon ald AGE: 46 RESIDEN CE Summer : side FAMILY: Wife Karen, s tepdaug hters Chrik sta, Lori and Che rie EMPLOY ME Manage NT: r at D. Alex Ma cDo Ford / Lin nald co Dealersh ln ip

Kevin Champion THIRD NICKNAME: K. Champ AGE: 45 PARTNER: Girlfriend Carmedita; children Matthew, Brodie and Grace EMPLOYMENT: Golf pro at Green Gables in Cavendish HE IS: Fast, patient, fun LOVES CURLING BECAUSE: The Brier Patch and meeting people from other provinces.

P.E.I. AT THE SCOTTIES Last five years: 2008 — Peter Gallant, Charlottetown (3-8) 2007 — Peter Gallant, Charlottetown (4-7) 2006 — Rod MacDonald, Charlottetown (3-8)

Andrew Robinson SECOND NICKNAME: Andy AGE: 39 RESIDENCE: Charlottetown FAMILY: Partner Sasha.

EMPLOYMENT: General manager, P.E.I. Agromart LOVES CURLING BEACAUSE: The people and the Brier

2005 — Rod MacDonald, Charlottetown (4-7) 2004 — Mike Gaudet, Summerside (2-9) Last championship — None.

Canadian titles — None World titles — None DID YOU KNOW. . .

The Confederation Bridge, completed in 1997, is the world's longest bridge over freezing waters.

The island province owns the distinction of having red soil.

Mark O’Rourke LEAD NICKNAME: Rookie AGE: 46 RESIDENCE: Cumberland FAMILY: Wife Kathy EMPLOYMENT: Owner Beaton’s Wholsesale Dry Goods.

LOVES CURLING BECAUSE: The Brier

Thursday, March 12, 2009 12

STANDINGS Alberta (Martin) Ontario (G. Howard) NL (Gushue) B.C. (Geall) Manitoba (Stoughton) N.B. (R. Howard) Quebec (Menard) Sask. (Jordison) NWT/Y (Koe) Nova Scotia (Dacey) P.E.I. (MacDonald) N. Ontario (Jakubo)

W 9 8 7 5 5 5 5 3 2 2 2 1

L 0 1 2 4 4 4 4 6 7 7 7 8

DRAW SCHEDULE TODAY

LINESCORES WEDNESDAY DRAW 12 8:30 a.m.

NWT/Y (Koe) Ontario (G. Howard) S P NWT/Y 79 236

202 101 010 x — 7 020 010 303 x — 9 % S P % 75 ONT. 80 283 88

Nova Scotia (Dacey) B.C. (Geall) S P N.S. 64 186

010 101 10x x — 4 202 010 04x x — 9 % S P % 73 B.C. 63 193 77

PEI (MacDonald) 010 010 xxx x — 2 NL (Gushue) 102 104 xxx x — 8 S P % S P % PEI 48 123 64 NL 48 148 77 Manitoba (Stoughton) N. Ontario (Jakubo) S P MAN. 79 266

202 010 010 x — 6 020 101 001 x — 5 % S P % 84 N.ONT. 80 233 73

DRAW 13 1 p.m.

N. Ontario (Jakubo) Alberta (Martin) S P N.ONT. 48 132

000 101 xxx x — 2 221 030 xxx x — 8 % S P % 69 ALTA. 48 178 93

NL (Gushue) N.B. (Howard) NL

021 020 102 x — 8 100 102 010 x — 5 S P % S P % 78 253 81 N.B. 78 242 78

B.C. (Geall) 030 502 0xx x — 10 101 020 2xx x — 6 Sask. (Jordison) S P % S P % B.C. 62 203 82 SASK. 64 186 73 Ontario (G. Howard) Quebec (Menard) S P ONT. 79 269

010 201 010 x — 5 8 201 030 101 x — % S P % 85 QUE. 79 282 89

DRAW 14 6 p.m.

Sask. (Jordison) 001 301 20x x Nova Scotia (Dacey) 110 010 01x x

— —

7 4

Mark Nicholls (left) and Jamie Korab discuss strategy for Team Newfoundland/Labrador.

SASK.

S P % 63 212 84

S P % 64 175 68

N.S.

Quebec (Menard) 203 002 10x x — 8 NWT/Y (Koe) 010 200 01x x — 4 S P % S P % QUE. 63 214 85 NWT/Y 64 210 79 Alberta (Martin) Manitoba (Stoughton) S P ALTA. 56 199

201 102 1xx x — 7 010 010 0xx x — 2 % S P % 89 MAN. 56 175 78

N.B. (R. Howard) 021 201 10x x — 7 PEI (MacDonald) 200 010 01x x — 4 S P % S P % N.S. 71 228 80 PEI 72 209 73

Skip Third Second Lead TEAM

B.C.

Alta.

Sask.

69 73 76 86 76

75 82 77 86 80

89 88 93 89 90

72 80 75 85 78

Man. Ont. Que. After draw 13 79 80 88 85 81 90 86 86 84 86 87 90 83 88 85

FRIDAY PAGE PLAYOFFS One vs. Two 6 p.m.

SATURDAY Three vs. Four 10 a.m.

Semi-final 6 p.m.

SUNDAY Final 6 p.m.

SHOOTING PERCENTAGES (CUMULATIVE) N. Ont.

Draw 15 8:30 a.m.

A — Man. vs. NL B — PEI vs. N. Ont. C — N.S. vs. Ont. D — Y/NWT vs. B.C. Draw 16 1 p.m.

A — Que. vs. PEI B — Sask. vs. Man. C — N.B. vs. Y/NWT D — Alta. vs. N.S. Draw 17 6 p.m.

A — B.C. vs N.B. B — Ont. Vs. Alta.

C — N. Ont. Vs. Que. D — NL vs. Sask.

N.B.

PEI

N.S.

79 80 80 85 81

68 73 73 81 74

74 72 77 84 77

NLNWT/Y 87 82 83 83 83

74 78 79 81 78

Thursday, March 12, 2009 14

Maximum

Saddledomeʼs information board a group effort behind the scenes

By MARK STOWBRIDGE Special to The Tankard Times

I

t may not be called the Jumbotron any more, but it has a jumbo-sized role in keeping the audience in touch with the hot action on the Tim Hortons Brier ice.

The Saddledome’s Enmax Energy Board is run out of the Broadcast Control Room (BCR), a small, windowless room in the basement of the arena by a team of Calgary Flames staff.

Kairin Leaske is the guiding hand on the controls that keeps everything moving smoothly: She organizes what the cameras capture and sends out what the director chooses.

“This is a group effort,” she says.

“Everyone has to pull their weight, and you have to lend a hand and be able to pitch in where you need to. You have a show to produce.”

“The show” involves a director, an assistant director, a graphics technician, an engineer, several camera operators, three tape operators and the switcher.

In some ways, the entire operation hinges on the switcher, who is responsible for changes between video and audio sources during live broadcasts, and has to be familiar with the equipment and respond immediately when the director asks for a camera change.

The assistant director has to get the commercials out when they are needed and keep everyone on time, especially during Flames games.

Working from out of the Broadcast Control Room gives a unique perspective to events, one the ordinary viewers don’t share.

“It’s almost like a puzzle,” she says. “You have a number of cameras and it’s taking those pieces and arranging them in an order that fits the story you’re trying to tell.”

It takes a sharp eye and mind to keep

everything moving smoothly. What they shoot out there immediately goes to the screen for all to see.

“Things happen in here as fast as they do out there,” she said. “Everything we do is in real time. There is no delay. If we make a mistake in here, everybody is going to see it out there.”

TSN is the broadcasting partner for the Brier, so the majority of what the audience will see on the big screen is the television feed. That presents a special challenge. TSN has its own way of doing things. So does the BCR staff. One example, says Leaske, is juggling the commericals.

“We can’t show their commercials because people pay for those spots. We have to cover them up with in-house commercials.”

This extra level takes special awareness of timing. When there’s a commercial break, the BCR staff has to switch flawlessly between TSN’s feed and the in-house content.

“Each event dictates its own set-up,” she says. “Something like the Brier, it’s all the two semi-trailers parked outside.”

Again, it comes down to the communication between the Saddledome staff and the TSN crew: Each has to know roles and positions.

“We need to make sure we’re feeding out to where we need to. You get into a routine with something like this.”

The difficulty can be in keeping that routine moving freely.

After a couple of days of broadcasting, Leaske has learned an important lesson.

“Always expect the unexpected,” she says, with a knowing smile.

Where the BCR crew aren’t the sole producers of the feeds at the Brier, they don’t necessarily have total control over what the

fans in the stands see.

“If you’re prepared for change or you're prepared for something to come up, then you’re not surprised when it does. Never expect anything to go perfectly. If you expect it to go perfectly, then that’s when you'll encounter problems.”

An accurate observation from the booth with which, no doubt, the players below on the ice would agree.

(Stowbridge is a journalism student at Mount Royal College)

Kairin Leaske is the guiding hand on the Energy Board controls.

15 Thursday, March 12, 2009

ROAD TO THE TIM HORTONS BRIER

Focused Howard steamrolls the field Following up on a first-round zone defeat, Glenn Howard of Coldwater won four, then another three in the regionals and finished 10-1 in the 10-team round-robin Ontario shootout at Woodstock.

It was a record 11th provincial title for Howard and his fourth in a row as a skip.

Howard’s lone defeat of the championship piece was a 7-6 fourth-round loss to Joe Frans of Oshawa who stole the last end. But, thereafter, the defending champs won seven straight and capped the skein with back-to-back decisions over Corner, the former lead on the Howard-HowardMiddaugh-Corner juggernauts of the early Nineties.

It was 5-4 and last rock in the Page One-Two squabble and 8-1 in five ends of the final as Howard unloaded some heavy artillery and opened with back-to-back threes. “It feels pretty special,� Howard, 46, told Brian McAndrew of the Toronto Star. “To

ONTARIO (Combined 21 previous appearances) win four in a row is pretty tough. I think we’re one of the best teams in the game and now we want to prove that in Calgary.�

Added vice-skip Richard Hart: “This may be one of the best seasons any team has ever had. Part of our success is Glenn’s incredible ability to not be complacent and stay focused and it just spreads down the line to the other three of us.�

Fixtures on the Howard front end are

Brent Laing and Craig Savill.

Corner knocked off Frans 8-5 in the semi-final after Frans had drummed out Jake Higgs of Harriston 8-5 in the Page Three-Four, stealing the margin of victory over the last three ends.

Former champions Mike Harris of Donalda and Bryan Cochrane of Ottawa were among those left strewn in Howard’s wake.

Howard’s end run commenced with a 7-2 conquest of Peter Streski of Sarnia, another 72 job on Cochrane, and 11-5 whipping of Arnprior’s Chris Gardner. Following the Frans heist, it was 9-0 lover Rob Lobel of Whitby, 9-0 over Harris, 9-3 over Higgs, 6-5 over Corner and 7-4 over winless Rick Thurston of Dundas, Corner finished with an 8-4 record while Frans was 7-4 and Higgs 6-4. Trailing were Harris at 5-4, Lobel and Steski at 4-5, Cochrane at 2-7, and Gardner at 3-6.

Glenn Howard is in his 11th Brier.

Thursday, March 12, 2009 16

Wood

From Page 9 “Visualization is part of it, too, but it’s really just understanding each other as a team. There are certain things you can say and each one of us has a certain tolerance. Like, you can say a lot more to me than you can say to Mark (third Nichols). We each know our tolerance level.”

Gushue insists a little help from your braincrunching friends is going to be the trend rather than the exception in curling.

“You’re going to see more and more of it,” he allows. “When we played in the ’04 Brier we were the only ones who had it. I think at the Trials there might have been three teams? Jeff and I and one other. But when next year comes around we’ll probably see, I’d say, six of the eight teams with this kind of help. Either they

are working with a psychologist or have been working with one. All of the women are into it.

You see it in a lot of other sports, too. Golfers, all of those guys are working with them. It can’t hurt, really.”

Says Bagnall: “These guys are very professional in terms of knowing where they want to go and what work needs to be done. There are a few things we need to do to move to the next level and we’re exploring the ways. Obviously this is a quality team. It has been in the midst of every game here.

“Sometimes we need just that little bit extra whether it’s in training or in the game itself or in preparation. These four are determined to find the ways and we will. It’s a tossup as it is, we just want it coming up more on our side than not.

“Whether it’s the first or 10th ends, you have to come out with the same resolve. It’s that

determination to be the best in the world that’s really encouraging.

“There are so many good components here. I think the whole team has a lot of confidence in the preparation we’ve put into things. But having the team back together, having Jamie back adds to the comfort and familiarity. Ryan’s addition really brings in some other elements that are fantastic. There’s never a question of whether they’re on the same page, there’s never a question that we have to do everything possible, that’s just an assumption.

“When you start off with that it’s very strong.

They’ve made a serious commitment this year.

It’s always an extra flight somewhere that the other teams don’t have. It’s a day on either side really in terms of travel when they go to compete anywhere. That’s an incredible commitment. But they’re making it and commitment like that excites me.”

Gushue isn’t ashamed to admit he’s willing to

accept all the help he can get in his quest for curling’s holy grail, not to mention more Olympic gold.

“It’s a grind, it’s a silly grind but it is a complete grind we’re facing and you have to know how to deal with it and control your emotions and if you get two up or two down it becomes a scary ride so you want to find an even keel,” he says. “It’s better having everybody on board with something like this.”

But there’s more to it than endless determination and intensity.

“This is the most fun I’ve had in curling in a long time,” admits Gushue. “The last couple of years, with no disrespect to the guys I was playing with, I wasn’t into it as much because we weren’t on the same page and it wasn’t as much fun. Off the ice now we have a blast. And that’s turned into better performance on the ice. We’ve had a better year just because the four of us enjoy being around each other.”

17 Thursday, March 12, 2009

Brier Trivia

The sport of flag waving is always popular at the Brier. A New Brunswick fan gets into the spirit of the competition.

who did he beat?

6. There are five other two-time Brier TODAY’S QUIZ giant-killers. Name all five and you’ll qualify to write the trivia quiz next year at QUESTION OF THE DAY: One skip in Canadian men's curling cham- Halifax.

7. Name the skip or skips that have won pionship history has beaten the eventual the most Brier games in one year reprechampion twice in the same Brier. Name senting Newfoundland/Labrador. the giant-killer.

8. The years and how many wins?

1. In what year and which champ did he 9. Ten skips have won 10 or more games beat twice?

2. Name the first skip to beat the eventual in a Brier and failed to win the event with that number of victories. Can you name Brier champ two years running. the only skip to do it twice?

3. He turned the feat in what years and 10. In which years? who did he beat?

4. Name the second skip to beat the even- 11. How about the other nine skips?

12. And the years they hit double figures tual Brier champ two years running and but didn’t emerge victorious, also the where was he from? skips who won those Briers?

5. He turned the feat in what years and QofD: Glenn Howard 1. 2006, Jean-Michel Menard 2. John Clark, Fredericton.

3. 1974 and 1975. He beat Hec Gervais and Bill Tetley.

4. Rick Folk, Saskatoon.

5. 1978 and 1979. He beat Ed Lukowich and Barry Fry. 6. Brad Gushue, Russ Howard, Rick Lang, Kevin Martin, Vic Peters.

7. Jack MacDuff and Brad Gushue.

8. MacDuff won 9 in 1976, Gushue won 9 in 2007.

(Answers)

9. Glenn Howard.

10. 2006 and 2008.

11. Ed Lukowich, Ed Werenich, Pat Ryan, Russ Howard, Rick Folk, Kevin Martin, Vic Peters, Randy Ferbey, Shawn Adams.

12. Lukowich 1983 (Ed Werenich), Werenich 1984 (Mike Riley), Ryan 1985 (Al Hackner), Howard 1986 (Ed Lukowich), Folk 1993 (Russ Howard), Martin 1996 (Jeff Stoughton), Peters 1997 (Kevin Martin), Ferbey 2004 (Mark Dacey), Adams 2005 (Randy Ferbey).

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-70$ #/* /) 70 1 1-7,' 77 ! &2+ * 3 70 , , ' %17 07'1 ',/ 3 ) 70 10 -0- & / &#+ # "&#/&# !&6 " #+/ * # / * !! ' 77 --- ,' ,

NOW AVAILABLE in the Brier Patch.

Hours of Operation: 10 a.m. — 8 p.m.

Enjoy the Perfect Take-out Net proceeds donated to the Sandra Schmirler Foundation

Thursday, March 12, 2009 18

Classic Briers From Page 13 The turning point came in the seventh end when Dacey missed a last-rock takeout leaving Alberta’s last-rock dispenser Dave Nedohin an easy hit for four.

In the Three-Four playoff game, B.C. edged Newfoundland 7-5 when Gushue missed a difficult angle-raise double that overcurled, allowing Peachy to steal a point in the final end.

However, the Peachey team’s run of form against Atlantic teams ground to a halt in the semi-final against Nova Scotia. Dacey took the lead with a deuce in the second after Peachey flashed on his last-rock take-

out. Dacey clinched it in the eighth with a draw to the four-foot for three, and Nova Scotia ran out as easy 7-4 winners.

A crowd of more than 11,000 turned out to watch the final, and was not surprised to see the Albertans apply the pressure from the get-go. Forcing Nova Scotia to take a single with the hammer in the first, Alberta came right back with a deuce in the second.

Dacey missed a great chance for a three in the third but was heavy and wide, settling for a two.

Alberta hit and stuck for two in the fourth, and Dacey missed another great chance in the fifth for a deuce, but had to settle for a single.

Still, a nervous Nova Scotia foursome was well pleased to be tied 4-4 after five.

The sixth end brought no relief for the Bluenosers as Dave Nedohin drew for three.

And when Dacey missed a double-takeout to give up a steal in the seventh the Albertans were four up and seemingly in complete control with only three ends to play.

But in the eighth, the game was turned on its head when Alberta made its first serious error. Nedohin missed his last shot, and Dacey calmly made an open hit for three. A game that was drifting towards a routine conclusion had suddenly become a nail-biter.

In the ninth, Nedohin was forced to make a great draw with his last rock to salvage a point, and the game went to the 10th with Alberta up by a 9-7 count but with Nova Scotia having the advantage of the hammer.

The 10th end was as exciting as you will ever see in curling. But even after several Alberta misses, and two tremendous draws behind cover by Nova Scotia third Bruce Lohnes, the Bluenosers were still looking

at an extra end at best.

Nedohin threw a peel with his first shot, but Dacey buried another rock behind cover and Nova Scotia was sitting two. Nedohin then tried a tricky freeze to take away a possible three-ender, but his rock settled too deep in the rings. Dacey needed to draw to the four-foot for three points and a monumental comeback victory.

The Nova Scotia skip calmly put it on the edge of the button to end an extraordinary game and give Nova Scotia its first Brier championship in 53 years.

As Dacey himself opined during an interview shortly after the game: “Unbelievable.

That’ll go down as one of the best Briers ever — not for the great shots, but for the most dramatic finish.�

Alex Roberts is a freelance writer based in Halifax

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