2010 Olympic Berths A Long And Winding Road
13/03/2009 05:50
CALGARY - Got more than a few minutes and some patience? It'll take a while to tell you how Canada's curling teams for the 2010 Olympics will be decided.
You still might by hazy on the process even after an explanation and good luck finding someone who can clarify it for you. The top skips in the land can't do it.
"I cannot explain it in seven sentences or less," said reigning Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue. "I don't think the average person can understand it. It's far too complicated."
Canada is a safe bet for two Olympic curling medals in Vancouver next February. Since the sport made its Olympic debut in 1998, Canada is 6-for-6 in medals won.
In fairness, most people don't know how the country's biathletes and bobsledders qualify for the Olympics. But those sports aren't on television for nine days straight and watched by legions of avid followers.
When asked at the Tim Hortons Brier on Tuesday, Calgarian Mervin Nelson wasn't clear on how teams get to the trials Dec. 6 to 13 in Edmonton.
"Not for sure," he said. "I know who is in the running. It's tournaments and who wins the most money and that's about it."
One men's team and one women's team will represent Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Eight men's and eight women's teams will play off for that right at the Roar of the Rings in Edmonton.
That's the easy part. You could stop there to keep it simple.
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SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
There you have it – it’s still as clear as mud. You know what? I think I’ll wait until the trials when the eight men’s and eight women’s teams competing for the Canadian Olympic curling berths are finally determined. To try to figure out who they are going to be beforehand is pure insanity.