The Roar of the Rings is truly a labour of love
With all these couples competing, there’s plenty of warmth when they’re off the ice
At the Canadian Olympic curling trials, you can barely wave a broom without brushing a married or involved couple.
Mike McEwen’s wife is Ottawa’s Dawn McEwen, the lead on Team Jones.
Jennifer Jones’s husband is Brent Laing, the second on Team Koe.
The second on Team Gushue, Brett Gallant, is in a long-term relationship with Jocelyn Peterman, the second on Team Carey.
Pat Janssen, the second on Team Epping, is in a long-term relationship with Clancy Grandy, the third on Team Flaxey.
Has the Patch become a pickup joint or what?
“I’m not sure,” Jones said with a chuckle. “I don’t really go there that often, so I don’t know.
“I just think that at the end of the day, we spend a lot of time on the road curling — that’s just how you meet, I guess. That’s how you spend your time.”
Not only did Jones and her hubby play at the same time on Sunday, but they were on sheets next to each other. Despite the potential for distraction, both won to go 2-0.
“Honestly, we do it all the time, because we play in grand slams together,” Jones said. “I’m pretty focused on my game and I know he’s pretty focused on his. During the breaks I’ll take an occasional look over to see how they’re doing. Obviously I want them to do well, but it’s pretty easy to focus on our game.”
Laing said it’s a bonus having his wife competing at the same event, win or lose.
“If we come off a tough loss and she has won,” he said, “I think it helps pick you up. Because I want her to do well, it helps pick me up.
“If we both lose, then it might be a little more dangerous to get into a pity party with each other, but that doesn’t happen with us. We’ve been around too long to let that happen.”
Laing was reminded of the first time he saw Jones when they watched video of her playing in the Canadian junior final more than 25 years ago.
“She hit herself in the face with her broom,” he said.
He has been rooting for her ever since.
“I’ve played in a couple of these where, to be brutally honest, I didn’t really care who won the women’s,” said Laing, who went to the 2014 Olympics as a spectator to support Jones.
“It was pretty special to be able to go to Sochi and watch her and see how the girls played and watch her go through that gold medal journey, and to see what’s happened since.”
Of course, going to the 2018 Games as participants is the goal.
“Obviously that would be a dream come true, but it’s a hard road,” Jones said. “There’s lots of things that need to happen for that to be a possibility.”
Dawn McEwen moved to Winnipeg 10 years ago to be with Mike. It wasn’t a tough decision.
“But I look back and it’s, wow, I did that?” she said. “It was a lot, but it all worked out really well for me, so I can’t complain.”
Each admitted to taking the occasional peek at the other’s scoreboard while playing at the same time.
“I probably glance at the scoreboard a little more,” Mike McEwen said. “I actually looked at our draw, and we’re probably fortunate we only play a couple of times when they’re on the ice. That’s good. For sure, that could distract me a little bit.”
He also finds it difficult being in the same town with Dawn and not seeing much of her.
“For the most part, she is very good at doing her thing and I’m good at doing my thing,” Mike said. “They create a really good team bubble in how they operate, and we do a reasonable job as well. If anything, I probably just miss her. I don’t get to see her.
“Hopefully at the end of it, she misses me too.”
Mike said it was stressful watching Dawn play in the 2013 finals.
“It’s definitely worse than playing, trying to watch a spouse win a final to go to the Olympics,” he said. “That’s the hardest part. Maybe one of us will go through that, or both (next Sunday). Wouldn’t that be a challenge, if your spouse is playing in the final and then you’ve got to go out and play in the final after? That might not be fun.
“There is that chance of sitting in a hotel room debating on whether to watch it or not, going through a whole three hours of emotions, watching your wife win or lose and then having to go out and play the final yourself. Definitely have a plan how to handle that properly, if that’s the case.”
As others in his position no doubt have as well. Noting the other couples competing at the Roar of the Rings, Mike said: “There’s a couple of interesting storylines that could evolve.”