Gushue eyes big win throwing rocks, not dice, in Vegas

LAS VEGAS — A world curling championship is about to be held at the most southern latitude ever, where temperatures will hit 30 degrees poolside.

The men’s championship starting Saturday at the 8,000-seat Orleans Arena in Las Vegas will test not only curlers’ shotmaking, but their resolve not to shift into a vacation mindset over the nine-day event. No other host city has offered such a dizzying array of gambling and entertainment options, in addition to summer heat.

After repeating as Canadian champions, Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker from St. John’s, N.L., will attempt the first back-to-back world titles since Canada’s Randy Ferbey in 2002 and 2003.

Gushue went undefeated to win his first world championship last year in Edmonton. The Canadians open defence of their title Saturday against former world junior champion Bruce Mouat of Scotland.

Gushue acknowledged after winning the Tim Hortons Brier in Regina earlier this month that Las Vegas will be a unique host city, and added he hoped his team will have a little fun and sun.

But winning curling games requires the same mindset whether you’re in the sunbelt or Sudbury, he said.

“Once the event starts and we get into a routine of two games a day, it’s going to feel like any other event other than it’s going to be 25 or 30 degrees when we walk to the rink instead of minus-5,” Gushue said on a conference call this week.

Gushue’s vice wasn’t in a party mood heading to Las Vegas. Nichols’ mother Helen died Saturday at the age of 63.

“Obviously a heavy heart for sure,” Nichols said. “But it’s life. We get thrown stuff at us. My mom was not well. It was a tough week for sure.

“I’ve got a great support system around me. I know they’re going to help me through it. Obviously the focus is on winning a world championship.”

Helen Nichols played second for Sue Anne Bartlett in the 1992 Canadian women’s curling championship.

Gushue and Nichols won an Olympic gold medal in 2006, which gives the skip and third experience on dealing with distractions surrounding an international competition.

The traditional beer tent or hall that accompanies a Canadian championship, the “Brier Patch”, will be poolside at The Orleans.

Olympic silver medallist Niklas Edin of Sweden), Dejia Zou (China), Alexander Baumann (Germany), Joel Retornaz (Italy), Jaap van Dorp (the Netherlands), Steffan Walstad (Norway), Marc Pfister (Switzerland), Greg Persinger (U.S.), Aleksei Timofeev (Russia), Changmin Kim (South Korea) and Go Aoki (Japan), round out the field.