So on this Sunday evening, the 2013 Scotties Tournament of
Hearts has wrapped up with the young , fearless Team Ontario skipped by Rachel
Homan upending the veteran laden Jennifer Jones Manitobian squad. I have no
doubt in my mind that Homan and company will be great representatives as Team
Canada at the upcoming World Championships in Riga, Latvia. It was an interesting
week in the sense that we saw four teams clearly separate themselves from the
pack and a question that we must ask is, very reminiscent to men’s curling are
we seeing a core group of teams stand
out from the rest and become a consistent group that will be routinely advance
out of their province? The group I am
referring to consists of the now former Team Canada rink Heather Nedohin, our ’13 champ Homan, the aforementioned Jennifer
Jones and the perceivably nicer then
nice Kelly Scott. Will we be witness to
a similar trait that has completely taken over men’s curling in which if your
last name isn’t one of Koe,Martin, Howard or Stoughton you might as well park
your chances of winning a National Championship at arrival? I think we’re on
the verge of this and there are a few issues why this could be.
First and foremost, the dedication it takes to reach elite
level status in the game of curling takes
a tremendous amount of practice and commitment to the sport. Only a very
select group of teams, a few of which I described in the opening paragraph are
touring on the world curling tour. There is a colossal difference when weekend
after weekend playing the top teams in the world as opposed to the majority of
provincial champions who spend their winters participating in their regional
tours which obviously won’t provide the same level of competition that the
world stage will provide. Touring is key,
but perhaps the most important attribute of having the ability to reach a
Rachel Homan type of level is securing the proper funding that allows these
teams to set aside the time to practice travel without having to worry about
something that most people fret, (well at least I do) which is work. Society
has to work for a living to pay the bills but when corporate sponsors step up
and cover event and travel expenses, it eases and aids these teams to find the
time to practice throughout the day. Like the old adage dictates, practice
makes perfect!
So a few thoughts on tonight’s final…. Wow was the Homan
team on their A game. Both on and off the ice if you catch my drift. The Jennifer Jones rink has a penchant of
stepping up when the games matter most, but this week it appears Rachel stole
that moniker and ran with it. The strategical concept that I’m most impressed
about, and I know this is something that Vic Rauter and the TSN gang harped on
a few times is the way they use the ticks and aren’t afraid to throw the
upweight. In the men’s game, this type of play is mandatory to succeed, but
these young ladies are one of, if not the only women’s team to use such a ploy
which may change the way the women’s game is played. Rival teams such as Jones will have to pick
up on this innovativeness to match wits with Homan because there is no question
in my mind that a dynasty may have started. Watching the National junior finals
the last few years, at least in Canada there are no other young lady teams who
come remotely close to Ontario’s level which is precisely why I believe Homan has
the opportunity to win multiple Scotties titles over the next ten to fifteen
years. Another thought I have on the
final, and it’s not necessarily related to the game is the lineup formation of
the Jennifer Jones foursome. At one point late in today’s final, third Kaitlyn Lawes was shooting a elementary
95%! The body language is what I picked up on though as it appeared that she
was becoming increasingly frustrated with her skip’s strategical decisions and
the overall play of the other three members. I think being how she is a two
time Canadian champ herself, she rightfully craves more input and quite
possibly craves throwing last bricks on a team that had moderate success in the
fall/early winter when Jennifer was away dealing with her pregnancy. She’s obviously
a motivated individual which tells me
she’s motivated to make a legitimate run at the 2014 Olympic trials but if that
fails look for the young curler, who may just make( see below) my 2013 Scotties
“All Looker”team to form her own squad in time for the 2014-2015 season. But back to the game now, and I’ll just say
that aside from the fourth and fifth ends in which Ontario looked a little off their
game, this game was never in question and Manitoba was constantly chasing late
in ends. Lisa Weagles ability to pull of the Steve Gould-esque ticks, which I
briefly touched on earlier was crucial and what doesn’t get the credit it of
the game that she knows exactly the right point to bail out of ends and
capitalize on the big weight presence. She has a poise about her that rivals
veteran skips who have been the rodeo several more times then her.
Now to touch on the lighter side of this event for a second, I will introduce what I hope will
be a yearly entry(please support and bring more exposure to this blog people),
that is the 2013 Scotties All Looker
Team. There were plenty of worthy
candidates to choose from, but I’ve weeded it down to my top four. Like any
other all –star selection, I have
selected one member from each position. Curious if you agree or not…..comments
appreciated ya’ll know.
Skip-Rachel Homan
Honourable Mention: Absolutely no one,
Rachel wins this one by default.
Third-Kaitlyn Lawes Honourable Mention: Emma Miskew
Second-Brittany O’Rourke
Honourable Mention: Megan Cormier,Danielle
Parsons,Michelle Dykstra and maybe Colleen Jones(EDIT: I forgot,This is not 1970) EDIT: Who am I
kidding, even in 1970 I would’ve been chastised for saying that.
Lead-Jodie DeSolla Honourable Mention:Sarah Wazney
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