BERNARD GLAD TO BE ALTERNATE

GANGNEUNG — Cheryl Bernard was shocked when she picked up the phone.

It was Rachel Homan calling and the Ottawa skip was looking for an alternate player to fill out her team for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Though taken aback, the 51-year-old retired curler-turned-broadcaster from Calgary didn’t hesitate to say yes.

“I was surprised, absolutely,” Bernard said on Tuesday after a Team Canada practice session at the Gangneung Curling Centre. “I did not ever expect this. I thought my time for wearing the maple leaf had passed. But I was absolutely thrilled. It’s a different role. It’s a challenging role.”

Bernard has been here before. She skipped Team Canada to a silver medal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Though she hasn’t played competitively since 2014 — she’s a fixture on TSN’s curling broadcasts along with Russ Howard and Vic Rauter — Bernard was a good choice for Homan because she knows the game, has the experience, has watched and analyzed the team’s games countless times and wasn’t affiliated with any opponent.