Should Canada Send All-Star Team To Games?

18/02/2009 06:43

Players believe team chemistry has more importance than individual skill

It was a simple, straight-forward question: should the Canadian Olympic Committee bring Olympic curling in line with other team sports and pick an all-star team to send to the Games?

The answers were just as simple and direct: No.

"No chance," said John Morris, third for Kevin Martin's rink, which successfully defended its Alberta men's curling championship on Sunday.

"They tried that in 1988 (when curling was a demonstration sport in Calgary). They put two teams together (for the trials), I think one team was 1-7 and the other about .500. My dad actually got called to be on one team and he declined."

Morris and former four-time world champion skip Randy Ferbey said curling isn't like other team sports like hockey or basketball. He said picking an all-star team just won't work.

"That's the way the Olympics want it done because they don't understand our sport," said Ferbey.

"In every other sport you have your best (teams or individuals), but in curling there are 25 or 30 good teams. It would be almost impossible to pick a select four players from across the country. Who is to say who is the best lead, second, third, skip? We don't have any timed events or way of measuring."

Other countries, like Scotland and Norway, have used the system and made it work to a certain level of success by picking the team a year in advance and letting it play together for the 12 months leading up to the Olympics.

"But here in Canada that won't work," said Ferbey. "It would be a shame to do it."

Part of the reason it wouldn't work is that there are so many excellent players at each position and, for the best teams, it's like a full-time job as they compete in league and bonspiels to earn the money needed to continue playing.

"Scotland does that and we've talked to some of the players and they say it's very stressful," said Morris.

"They narrow it down to six players, but they never know who will actually be on the team. It's a pretty stressful experience and I don't know if I would go through that.

"And then it becomes political."

More from the Edmonton Journal.

SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:

This is just another one of the insane ideas the IOC comes up with from time to time, folks.