Team Gushue

TheStar.com - Kleibrink ponders makeup of 2010 team

Mar. 4, 2006. 01:00 AM

LONDON, Ont.—Olympic curling bronze medallist Shannon Kleibrink has the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver in her sights but she’s not sure her team will remain the same.

“We haven’t had a chance to sit down and talk about that. I know I’m going to be trying but I don’t know if it will be the four of us or what,” Kleibrink told the Star yesterday before meeting fans at the Scott Tournament of Hearts.

Kleibrink and teammates Amy Nixon, Glenys Bakker and Christine Keshen were all in good health after travelling here from their Calgary-area homes. Several were afflicted with bacterial-related illnesses in Italy.

“Amy, Christine, my husband and several spectators all got really sick,” Kleibrink said. “It didn’t affect me, thank goodness. We don’t think it was food poisoning. It was a bacterial infection that lasted the entire time we played.”

Kleibrink blamed the health woes on non-pasteurized dairy products and said she spent the final five days eating salads at McDonald’s.

Reflecting on the Olympic experience, Kleibrink said if the team could do it all over again “the first thing we’d do is pack another suitcase of Canadian food.”

She said she hasn’t thrown a single stone since the bronze medal game and finds it difficult to get any time to herself.

“I come from a small town — 14,000 in Okotoks — and I think 13,999 of them know me now. I went to the grocery store the other day and it took a couple of hours. Down every aisle, they all stop and want an autograph. It’s fun, though.”

Kleibrink said the team was happy to be a part of Canada’s 24-medal performance.

“We were cheering at the TV for sports that we’ve never seen before,” she said, adding, “To have any Olympic medal is a dream so I’m not disappointed.”

Added Nixon: “Canadians have to realize there are some other countries with really, really good teams,” a reference to the gold medal Swedish women’s team.

Brian McAndrew

Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved

VOCM - Big Welcome for Team Gushue

February 28, 2006

The public will be given an opportunity to meet and greet Brad Gushue’s gold winning Olympic Curling Team on Saturday. Bob Osborne of the St. John’s Curling Club says the open house will take place from 1 - 4 p.m. at the St. John’s Convention Centre. Osborne says there’s no charge but people have been asked to bring along a non-perishable food item. He told Bill Rowe on VOCM’s Backtalk Russ Howard will join the team for the event, but he encourages everyone to arrive early. The Gushue Rink will be recognized at the Fog Devils game on Saturday. Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab, Mike Adam, Russ Howard, and coach Toby MacDonald will be on hand to drop the ceremonial puck. The team will also sign autographs on the concourse from 6 to 6:45 pm.

Meantime, it was a raucus welcome home for the Gushue curling rink early this morning at St. John’s International Airport. A huge crowd turned out to show Brad, Mark, Jamie, Mike and Toby just how proud they are of the team’s accomplishment. There was pride galore, with Canadian flags by the dozens waving to celebrate the homecoming. Brad Gushue was overwhelmed by the turnout. The coach of the Olympic champions, Toby McDonald, says the support has been fantastic.

Labrador City Mayor Graham Letto says the make-up of the team, from the island and Labrador, is special. Cabinet Minister Paul Shelley, says Brad Gushue and his team have united young and old. Avalon MP Fabian Manning says people from this province would still be proud of Team Gushue even without the gold medal. Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster, Bob Cole, was on hand having just arrived back from the Olympics himself. He attended the weekend medal ceremony.

© 2006 VOCM Ltd. 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)