MORRIS IS OLDER AND WISER, BUT FIRE STILL BURNS
In a sign of maturity — or perhaps the improved construction materials of modern-day curling brooms — John Morris didn’t break anything in disgust earlier this month upon losing a tiebreaker at the Players’ Championship.
Known in his youth as a hothead, Morris admits to snapping about 50 brooms during his career, leaving splinter remnants in curling club locker-rooms all over the country.
“But I don’t even attempt it anymore,” Morris said Tuesday after practising with his B.C. foursome at Calgary’s WinSport Arena, where the Champions Cup runs through Sunday. “I did that back when I was younger and had a bit more testosterone, I guess. I still have that fire, but I’ve learned to manage it a little better.”
Given the stakes, no one would have blamed Morris for losing his mind at the Players Championship upon falling 9-5 to Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers. After controlling much of the match, fourth Jim Cotter was uncharacteristically light on a draw in the seventh end to give Carruthers a steal of two and put the game out of reach.
The loss spelled the end of Morris’ hopes of advancing directly to the 2017 Roar of the Rings Olympic trials in Ottawa. Instead, the Morris foursome is destined for Summerside, P.E.I., in November for the final qualifying event.
“We’ve already moved on,” said Morris, who got his curling start in Ottawa. “We just have to go the long route again.”
Morris, 38, is not known for taking the easy route in life or in curling. His best performances tend to come when the pressure is on.
“You look at what that team did the last time they were together — they lost the Brier final and the Olympic trials final,” reigning Brier and world champion Brad Gushue said of Morris, Cotter, second Tyrel Griffith and lead Rick Sawatsky. “John gets motivated for the trials and Jim, in my opinion, is one of the best shooters in the game. So if those two guys get hot, they’ll be there at the end of the week.”
Sportsnet analyst Mike Harris warns against counting Morris out as Canada’s representative in men’s curling at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Gushue, Kevin Koe, Mike McEwen and Brad Jacobs are the early favourites, but:
“John just has this swagger about him,” said Harris, who is in Calgary this week to provide commentary for the Champions Cup. “When John gets going, he looks pretty invincible.”
Invincible or not, Morris is generally the picture of intensity, whereas Cotter is laid-back and chill. The combination works, with the Morris rink winning a grand slam event for the first time this year. The team sits in fifth on the World Curling Tour money list — not bad for a rink that approached the 2016-17 season as a developing year with an eye on qualifying for the trials.
To stay physically and mentally sharp — and pay the bills — Morris works as a firefighter stationed just west of Calgary at the Springbank Airport. He routinely logs 24-hour shifts with the Rockyview Fire Service, which gives him the flexibility to curl at the highest level.
“I think it’s one of the best jobs going,” he said. “We cover a 30-kilometre stretch of Highway 1. It’s a pretty tough stretch, especially in the winter when it gets pretty icy out there. But we’re trained to do the job regardless of the situation.”
The routine stress has helped Morris maintain his composure on the pebbled ice — thus the marked decrease in broken brooms and in Morris’ annual equipment costs.
“I have to deal with pressure in curling by playing in front of 20,000 fans for a Canadian championship,” he said. “And I have to deal with pressure at work. In Springbank, they have some pretty big homes. When you have a $2-million mansion going up in flames, it definitely gets a rise out of you. But I’ve learned how to focus on the task at hand and breathe in deep when you have to. That helps make sure you don’t get tunnel vision and helps you stay cool under pressure — even though I’m still not an expert.”