Kleibrink ponders makeup of 2010 team
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
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