TSN : olympics – Canada’s Sports Leader – Canadian rinks give mixed reviews on ice
Canadian Press
2/11/2006 12:28:00 PM
PINEROLO, Italy (CP) – The Canadian Olympic curling rinks practised at the Pinerolo Palaghiaccio for the first time Saturday and their reviews of the ice were mixed.
”It’s great, just what we were hoping for,” said Shannon Kleibrink. ”There’s not much curl and, being from Alberta, that’s what we like. When we travel east to play in Canada, the ice seems very bendy and we’ve had to get used to that.”
The Olympic bonspiel begins Monday, when Kleibrink and her Alberta crew face defending world champion Anette Norberg of Sweden and Brad Gushue and his St. John’s, N.L., rink face Germany.
Gushue will have to adjust his game to the ice.
”Not much curl there today, pretty much what we expected, if not what we wanted,” said Gushue. ”You want to be able to bury rocks (behind guards). In Halifax (at the Canadian Olympic trials) there was five feet of curl and we loved it. The ice here could change in the next couple of days. I’m no icemaker, but there are things they can do.
”In Canada, I’ve head of sandpapering the bottom of rocks so they grab the ice, curl more.”
A minor controversy has evolved on what the men’s rink will be called as Gushue delivers final stones while newcomer Russ Howard throws second stones and calls strategy in the house.
Gushue has final decision on his own rocks while Howard has final call on the other rocks.
”In Canada, we’re the Gushue rink,” said Gushue. ”Over here, they have their own rules and regulations. If they insist on calling us the Howard rink, that’s OK, I can live with that. It’ll be more upsetting for others back home – for the Newfoundlanders and other Canadians who think of us as the Gushue rink. At the Olympics, it doesn’t matter about being Team Howard-Gushue or Team Gushue-Howard. We’re here as Team Canada.”
That kind of patriotism is also strong on the women’s rink, which visited a tattoo parlour after winning the Olympic trials.
”Was it a 3 a.m. idea? Actually, it was a sane idea, came up one afternoon in the team van,” said Kleibrink. ”The tattoo is on our ankles and has the five Olympic rings and the Canadian Maple Leaf.”
© 2006 Bell Globe Media Inc.
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