Olympic curling trials spots on the line at Canada Cup
Glenn Howard had a taste of the Olympic experience as a coach at last year’s Pyeongchang Games. He remains determined to get to the Winter Games as a player.
The veteran skip can move one step closer to getting there at this week’s Canada Cup in Leduc, Alta. The winning teams will lock up spots at the 2021 Olympic trials, which will determine Canada’s four-player team representatives for the 2022 Beijing Games.
“I truly believe a lot of people have written me off thinking: ‘How could anybody at that age still compete and still play at the highest level or get to the Olympics?’ But I’m doing my best. I can still make shots and I’ve got a great team,” said Howard, who turned 57 in July. “The goal is obviously to try and get to those Olympic trials. When you get to those trials, it’s anybody’s ballgame.
“I don’t care if you’re the best team in the world or the 100th-best team in the world. If you’re there, you’ve got a shot.”
Howard will face stiff competition this week at Sobeys Arena. Defending champion Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., is one of the headliners in a field that includes Calgary’s Kevin Koe, Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher, Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., Toronto’s John Epping and Matt
Dunstone of Regina.
Defending champion Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg is in the seventeam women’s field. She’ll be joined by Calgary’s Chelsea Carey, Ottawa’s Rachel Homan, Robyn Silvernagle of North Battleford, Sask., Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., Tracy Fleury of East St. Paul, Man., and Casey Scheidegger’s team from Lethbridge, Alta.
“Any time you look at the field for a Canada Cup or an Olympic Trials, it’s daunting to look at because everybody is so good,” Carey said. “You know it’s going to be a battle all week for sure.”
Cheryl Bernard is filling in at skip for Scheidegger, who announced Tuesday she had given birth to a son named Ryker. Round-robin play begins Wednesday morning and the finals are set for Sunday.
Howard, of Penetanguishene, Ont., is 13th on the World Curling Tour’s men’s rankings list.
A four-time national and world champion, his lineup includes son Scott Howard at third along with second David Mathers and lead Tim March.
Howard juggled his team’s competitions with coaching duties for Eve Muirhead’s team from Scotland over the last three seasons. Muirhead reached the bronze-medal game last year at the Pyeongchang Olympics, but missed the podium after dropping a 5-3 decision to Japan.