Koe rink shifts focus to Games preparation
Calgary foursome will lean on Kennedy, Hebert for previous Games experience
Kevin Koe’s impressive curling resume added another entry a short while back in Ottawa: the right to represent Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. It is still a bit surreal. “I think it (won’t) sink in until we get there, for sure,” The Glencoe Club skip said. “It’s been a busy 10 days or so, but it’s been great. Things are getting back to normal.”
The new normal for the Koe team — which includes third Marc Kennedy, second Brett Laing and lead Ben Hebert — will mean preparation, both physical and mental, for the ultimate test on the world stage. For Kennedy and Hebert, it’s been there, done that as they were part of the gold medal-winning Kevin Martin squad at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010.
Half a team with that experience behind them will serve the Calgary crew significantly.
“We haven’t had much of a chance to talk as a team since we won, it’s been quite busy,” said Koe, 42. “But experience is usually pretty good, especially when they won in the past. I’m sure we’ll sit down in the new year and chat about their past experience at the Olympics — what went well and what didn’t and what we could use going forward.”
“Two days after we won, we met with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Curling Canada to go over a bunch of things about the Olympics,” said Hebert, 34. "To be honest, it was eight years ago, I kind of forgot about a lot of it. When they started talking, the memory came back quick about the things that have to happen and how busy you are and the expectations from opening ceremonies and travel. Obviously Vancouver and Korea are going to be different experiences for us.
“But as far as the Games go, it’s not going to be any different than any other event. Kevin’s our leader, he’s our skip. Having me and Marc there for experience is great, but these guys have all been to three world championships and in a lot of big games. We’re pretty battled tested from that Olympic trials — that’s the experience you need to perform at the Olympics anyways.”
Koe, a two-time world champ originally from Yellowknife, N.W.T., won the Olympic trials in rather dramatic fashion, needing a draw to the four-foot for a 7-6 win over Mike McEwen of Winnipeg. But it wasn’t without some frantic sweeping by Laing and Hebert.
“Kevin threw it pretty close — it wasn’t like we totally panicked,” Hebert pointed out. “People have been grilling me, but Brent was the close sweeper on it, right? And the close sweeper does 75 per cent of the work. So he was the one who really juiced it up. I just took it the extra. So without me, it doesn’t get there — that’s what I was telling people.”
After some downtime at Christmas, the squad gets into full preparation mode on Jan. 1.
“We have Continental Cup and then we’ll have a slam in Camrose the week after,” Koe said. "Continental Cup is not always the most serious event, but it’ll be nice for us to get back on the ice as a team. Then the Grand Slam — those are great tests, such tough fields. Then we’ll have a couple of weeks of practice and we’re going to head over to Japan to train before the Olympics and try to get on the right time zone.
“The month of January will be trying to get ready for February and that’s really the focus. Not the results.”
“Our plan to be successful is to put in the work before we leave — no real difference from when we left for the trials,” Hebert added. “We’re going to take Christmas break and enjoy it with our families, but after Jan. 1 we’re going to put a lot of work in. I don’t think there’s any more pressure than playing in the trials.
“Sure, now you’re wearing the maple leaf and you’re playing for a bigger team rather than just the curling team. But pressure is a privilege and you want to play in those games.”