Howard pushing for Brier return
Olympics remain ultimate goal for seasoned veteran
COBOURG, ONT. When Glenn Howard made his first appearance at the Ontario curling championship, Pierre Trudeau was prime minister, McDonald’s was about to introduce the McNugget and Michael Jackson’s Thriller album ruled the charts.
A lot has changed in the threeplus decades since, but Howard’s drive to be the best hasn’t waned.
The four-time world champion is still going strong at 54. Howard is trying to get back to the Tim Hortons Brier and also has his eye on qualifying for the Olympic trials later this year.
“The fire is still there,” teammate Richard Hart said. “He’s as competitive as ever.”
Howard, Hart, second David Mathers and lead Scott Howard were tied for second behind John Epping entering the final two draws of round robin competition Friday at the Cobourg Community Centre. The top four teams in the 10-team Ontario Tankard field will advance to the Page playoffs Saturday.
The winner of Sunday’s final will earn a berth in the national playdowns next month in St. John’s, Nfld.
“I really enjoy it. I like to lace up the shoes,” Howard, from Penetanguishene, Ont., said. “I’m 54 and I have just as much desire to win this as I did when it was my first one at (20) years old back in 1983. It’s pretty cool. I’m almost surprised at myself to still have that desire.”
Howard’s ranking has slipped in recent months, due in part to a lighter schedule. The veteran skip feels his team is still curling well despite playing just six bonspiels over the first half of the season, leaving them fresh for what he hopes will be a big year ahead.
“We’ve done pretty well,” Howard said. “We’re winning lots of games. We didn’t really win any (titles), but the fact that we’re winning games is huge. That just means we’re beating most teams and we’re on the right track.”
It will probably take a Brier victory and world podium appearance for Howard to earn a direct spot into the Dec. 2-10 Olympic trials in Ottawa. Reaching the event through the pre-trials qualifier — something 2014 Olympic champion Brad Jacobs did to reach the 2013 trials — is the likelier scenario. The 2017 pre-trials event is Nov. 6-12 in Summerside, P.E.I.
The only thing missing from Howard’s stacked resume is an Olympic appearance. The 2018 Pyeongchang Games would likely be his last opportunity.
His team is still finding its rhythm in its first season as a foursome. With a void created due to Wayne Middaugh’s serious leg injury, Mathers came on board last spring while Hart, who won Olympic silver with Mike Harris in 1998, moved to the third position.
The changes gave the team some youth and sweeping power on the front end with loads of experience on the back end.
“It’s going to be a tough road, don’t get me wrong,” said Howard, who keeps himself in tip-top shape. “But I know we have the ability to beat any team on any given day. I’m 100 per cent convinced of that.
“Are we as consistent as the rest? No. But if you just keep getting to the right position, set yourself up, play that big game and you come out with (the win), it can be done.”
Because Jennifer Jones is who she is, her losses can sometimes be bigger stories than her wins.
That was certainly the case less than a week ago, when Jones missed out on the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
It was the first time Jones had a team in the Scotties and didn’t win the provincial championship since 2004 and the loss to Darcy Robertson’s rink made national headlines in a way that provincial semifinal games don’t usually do.
If the loss is weighing heavily on Jones and her team — which includes third Kaitlyn Lawes, second Jill Officer and lead Dawn McEwen — they were doing a remarkable job of keeping it hidden on Friday night in Banff.
There, the Jones rink put on a show and edged out reigning Scotties champion Chelsea Carey in the opening game of the Pinty’s TSN All-Star Skins Game, winning $11,000 to Carey’s $10,000.
“Oh yeah, it was kind of a bad loss for us, so it was nice to come out and play well and beat a really great team and now play in the final of the skins game,” Jones said after securing her victory.
“It’s something we really wanted to do.”
There’s a tendency to overstate the importance of wins and losses in sports and nobody should be suggesting that Jones’ time as an elite skip is over.
Every curler hits some bumps in the road and the fact that Jones’ loss is a story is more a symptom of the incredible run of success she’s had over the years than anything else.
Jones is, after all, an Olympic gold medallist, a five-time Canadian champion and the winner of seven Manitoba titles.
Her team is also sitting atop the World Curling Tour money list this season with $83,897 in earnings.
She’s done it all, quite literally, so it’s understandable that there was a sense of shock when she fell short at a stage where fans are used to seeing her dominate.
On Friday, though, Jones didn’t appear to be a woman who was broken by the defeat. Neither did her teammates.
Instead, they coolly and confidently executed their game plan and went shot-for-shot with one of the best teams in the world. Carey, after all, didn’t have to go through the trials of the Alberta provincial championships because she’ll be playing as Team Canada at the 2017 Scotties after winning the national title last year.
Asked about how she was feeling less than a week after her loss, Jones explained that while it was tough seeing her loss get national headlines, she was more than capable of handling the disappointment and, if anything, was flattered by the attention.
“It’s kind of cool; people watch what we do,” Jones said. “We’re obviously disappointed with the loss. It’s an event we love to play in and the opportunity to represent Canada is really a dream, but it just didn’t work out this year.
“Unfortunately, it’s tough to win provincials. We’ve just been fortunate to do it for a couple of years.”
With the win, Jones earned the right to compete in the final of the Skins Game against the winner of Saturday’s match between Scotland’s Eve Muirhead and Edmonton’s Val Sweeting (1 p.m., TSN).
They’re both among the best teams on the planet and if Jones can beat them, it should silence any of the few doubters who wondered whether Jones’ run at the top of the curling universe might be coming to an end after her loss in Manitoba.