JONES SLIPS THROUGH SCHEIDEGGER’S GRASP
The game was on Casey Scheidegger’s finger tips.
To hand the reigning Olympic champion her first loss at the Roar of the Rings, Scheidegger simply had to make a straightforward hit with the game’s last rock. But she missed her shot, slammed her broom on the ice and proceeded to shake hands with her opponents, even though a measurement was needed to make it official.
“I’m really frustrated. We should have won that one,” said Scheidegger, whose team had leads of 4-1 and 7-5 (after eight ends) before falling 8-7 to Jennifer Jones. “But that’s curling. Sometimes you don’t win games you feel you should win. We’ll just have to come out stronger tomorrow.”
The loss left the 29-year old skip from Lethbridge with a 2-2 record, while Jones improved to 5-0.
Inexperienced at such big-moment situations, Scheidegger denied that nerves were a problem.
“No, just not the greatest throw, and tricky ice. It happens,” she said, adding that the rock felt fine coming out of her hand and that her team was not overcome by the moment. “We felt really good. I think we were really positive the whole game, and we had a real good grasp on the ice conditions, even though they were quite different than (Monday).
“But they’re not Olympic champions without reason. They’re great players and they read the ice just as well as we did, so kudos to them. They hung in there until the end as well. “It’s a tough loss for sure.” In the other afternoon draw on the women’s side, Val Sweeting improved to 2-3 by beating the winless Michelle Englott 8-5. The game was close until two little girls in the second bowl wearing Sweeting blue started up a chant that most in the crowd of 3,509 supported with claps. The kids were Lexi, 8, and Ava, 7, the daughters of Lori Olson-Johns, Sweeting’s third.
“It’s definitely good having that family here, and that fan support,” Sweeting said. “It makes you feel pretty good out there.”
Sweeting, who’s from Edmonton, says her squad will need a little help to play on the weekend.
“I think the team’s been playing really well, regardless of what our record shows. We’ve just got to keep that up and keep plugging away. Hopefully it’s enough to make a tie-breaker or playoffs.”