Sweeting shooting for mixed doubles title with new teammate
Val Sweeting will be marching to a new drum this week at the 2018 Canadian Mixed Doubles championship.
With Brad Gushue off to play in the upcoming men’s world curling championship for a second straight year, Sweeting will team up with Tim March, the former lead for John Epping ’s team.
Sweeting made a strong run with Gushue at the mixed doubles Olympic trials, losing to eventual gold medallists John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes, and will look to make another strong run in the 32-team field that will compete for a national title at the Leduc Recreation Centre this week.
“He’s going to bring a lot to the table,” Sweeting said of new partner March. “I know he doesn’t have a lot of mixed doubles experience, but he’s really eager, and I know he was going out with John (Epping) and practicing during the Elite 10 and after they made their run at the Brier.”
Sweeting and Gushue didn’t play in many events. With Gushue battling a nagging hip injury this year, they didn’t take part in nationals last year. The duo started slow at the Olympic trials before catching fire en route to the final.
“I would’ve loved to win it all,” said Sweeting. “It was tough to win that final. It still stings a little when you think about it, but Kaitlyn and John did a really great job at the Olympics, and I’m proud of them that they won gold.”
Sweeting may continue to play mixed doubles with Gushue, but she’s looking forward to playing with March this weekend.
“It’s a little more of an unknown, but I feel like we’re both good players, and if we play like we can we’ll be in the mix with everyone else this week,” said Sweeting.
Change is something Sweeting is getting used to the last six weeks.
Back in February, her women’s team announced they were parting ways after a four-year run that included three Scotties Tournament of Hearts appearances and three Grand Slam titles.
Then, in a big move, Sweeting announced she was joining forces with Manitoba skip Kerri Einarson, second Shannon Birchard and lead Briane Meilleur.
Sweeting will step out of the house and play third for Einarson.
After years of calling the shots in the house, she’s looking forward to playing a different role.
With Sweeting, Einarson and Meilleur all experienced skips, and Birchard’s experience as a skip in junior, the team has the potential to do a lot of damage on the women’s curling circuit once they build chemistry.
This team is built for the next Olympic cycle, and they will no doubt be a contender in 2022 if they can find that chemistry.
Einarson was already in talks with Birchard and Meilleur to join forces, then when Sweeting became available, they starting talking, too.
“I was chatting with Kerri, and we were chatting with what we were going to do individually with no intention of playing together, but then I just kind of threw it out there,” said Sweeting.
“We all started talking with one another and really got excited. It should be a good fresh start.”
There is going to be some growing pains for Sweeting and her new team that will compete out of Manitoba at provincials.
She’s going to have to build chemistry with Einarson while playing third, and she’s going to be relied upon as a sweeper.
But Sweeting says she is looking forward to the change.
“The first challenges are going to be shot management and sweeping, but that’s something we’re all going to have to learn together,” said Sweeting. “I’m going to have to learn the whole role of what a third does, and develop a strong communication with Kerri and our front end. It’s a challenge, but I’m up for it, and I m excited to develop a different side of my game.”
This team was built with big plans in mind. It’s a team that has aspirations of Scotties runs, Grand Slam titles and an Olympic berth.
Both Sweeting and Einarson have similar personalities and should form strong chemistry early on.
“The chemistry has to fit between everybody and it will be something we have to work on between all four of us,” said Sweeting.
“We all have the same goals that we’re working towards and I really think we have an opportunity to accomplish a lot of special things together.”