Homan stays hot at the Champions Cup
As partners in the new Olympic discipline of mixed doubles curling, John Morris and Rachel Homan pride themselves in telling it like it is.
So Morris feels totally comfortable in explaining why a 28-yearold like Homan is so dominant at such a relatively young age.
“I mean this as a compliment — she is as close to a guy curler as I have ever seen,” Morris said Thursday before hitting the ice with his B.C. foursome at Calgary’s WinSport Arena, where the Champions Cup runs through Sunday. “She can throw it really hard, like a guy. She’s got that great intensity. She is great at reading the ice.”
And she comes by those characteristics honestly, Morris said.
“I played with her brother back in juniors and Mark was the same way,” Morris said.
“They’re both very competitive, they hate to lose, and those are qualities you need to be a great curler.”
Great is one way to describe Homan. The Ottawa product is the youngest skip — male or female — to win three Canadian championships. Together with third Emma Miskew, second Joanne Courtney and lead Lisa Weagle, Homan is an early favourite to win the 2017 Roar of the Rings and represent Canada at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
“Rachel’s team is the best team in the world and has been for a couple seasons,” said Sportsnet commentator Mike Harris, who is in town to cover the season’s final grand slam event. “You could argue they had a better season last year, but just didn’t make it to the Scotties. They’ve just been so dominant for a while now.”
Looking back on a magical 2016-17 season, Homan singled out the 8-3 victory over Russia for the world title as her personal highlight. Canada swept the 11-game round robin in Beijing to earn the first seed and won all 13 games in the tournament. The flawless performance gave Canada its first women’s world title in nine years.
“That was so special,” Homan said Thursday after dispatching Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson 6-4 to improve her record to 2-1 at the Champions Cup. “It was overseas, and we had so much support. It was definitely something we’ll never forget and something we’re really proud of.”