Top curlers get second chance in mixed doubles

Eighteen pairs will vie to represent Canada in new Olympic event, writes Rita Mingo

We’re honoured to be asked to represent our country in this challenge.

They came oh-so-close in the recent Roar of the Rings women’s Olympic curling trials, winning everything in sight until it came down to the final and succumbing to Ottawa’s Rachel Homan by a narrow 6-5 score.

So it’s only fitting that members of Calgary’s Chelsea Carey rink get one more shot at an Olympic berth.

Carey and playing partner Colin Hodgson of Winnipeg and the second on the Carey rink, Jocelyn Peterman and her playing partner, Brett Gallant of St. John’s, make up two of the 18 mixed teams that will compete in the Canad Inns Canadian Mixed Doubles trials Jan. 3-7 in Portage la Prairie, Man.

Mixed doubles makes its debut as an official medal sport in PyeongChang, South Korea, so this will be an exciting first for a pair of Canadians.

For Peterman, who curls out of the Glencoe club, it’ll be a chance to put the disappointment of the Roar behind her and look ahead with optimism at yet another try at wearing Canadian colours in Olympic competition.

“It’s very cool to know we came so close but it does give you a little more to push for when we have another chance,” said Peterman, who will go into the event as the top seed.

“It’s a little disappointing to have been so close to going and not seeing that result. But for our team, it’s our first year together with Cathy (third OvertonClapham) on the team and we all played really well all week. We gave it our best shot so you can’t be too upset. We played really well.”

Peterman, 24, and Gallant, 27 — the second for Brad Gushue’s rink — won the 2016 Canadian mixed doubles trials. The fact they are a couple off the ice may appear to be a bit problematic, but Peterman pooh-poohs that notion.

“For us, it’s been fairly smooth,” she said. “Even before we started dating, we won the Canadians together, so Brett’s a great teammate. It’s a lot of fun to be able to play with him. Since we finished in Ottawa, he’s been here. We’re practising and training here and going to Newfoundland for a few days to train before we head to Portage.”

With the Christmas holidays right smack in the middle of preparation, that could be a challenge, what with the typical revelry that accompanies the holidays. But Peterman sees a silver lining.

“I guess it’s kind of the benefit of us dating. We’re together for the whole holidays so we’re mixing as much practice and gym time while we’re together as we can,” she said.

“We’re still very motivated. As much as it’s a different game, it’s the same game. We’re preparing the same way. For us, Brett does a lot of the sweeping, but we’re preparing the same as we did for the trials.

“It was a long week, so we had about a week off in between, took a full mental and physical break and we just are re-framing now, getting back into it. Going all in and working hard for the mixed doubles.”

Some of the other names included in the two pools for the mixed doubles include Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones and St. John’s Mark Nichols; Kalynn Park of Edmonton teamed with Calgary’s Charley Thomas; Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes and Canmore’s John Morris; as well as Edmonton’s Val Sweeting and Gushue of St. John’s. That’s a wealth of Olympic experience.

HOWARD SUITS UP

Four-time world men’s champ Glenn Howard will wear the maple leaf in a set-to against Brazil to determine the Americas Zone entry in the 2018 world curling championship in Las Vegas next March.

Howard’s Etobicoke foursome will play a team skipped by Marcelo Mello in a best-of-five series during the 2018 World Financial Group Continental Cup, Jan. 11-14, in London, Ont.

“We’re honoured to be asked to represent our country in this challenge, and I can guarantee you we will be taking this very seriously,” Howard told Curling Canada.

“We know how important playing at the world championship is, and we know the kind of expectations Canadian curling fans have for teams wearing the maple leaf, so I can guarantee you that Team Howard will do everything possible to make sure we meet those expectations.”

Canada has competed at every world men’s championship since 1959, while Brazil has yet to qualify for one.