Olympic curling star returns to ice wars

Norberg (top) and Team Ostlund (below)

When news of her Olympic team breakup came just two weeks ago, legendary Swedish women’s curling skip Anette Norberg indicated she would stay involved with her sport, and seek to nurture young talent for the future.

Norberg has taken that one step further. The two-time world and two-time defending Olympic women’s champion has formed a new team and will embark on yet another run for gold at Sochi 2014.

Norberg has joined forces with Team Cissi Ostlund, the young Swedes who lost the bronze-medal game at this year’s 2010 Ford World curling championship to hosts Canada, skipped by Jennifer Jones.

Ostlund had lost the 2010 Swedish finals to Team Norberg, but the veterans declined to compete at the worlds, preferring to focus entirely on Vancouver 2010. Ostlund and company, the 2008 world junior silver medallists, did a great job in their first adult worlds appearance and the future clearly beckoned.

But so did Norberg, who despite decades of competition and a jammed trophy case – she’s also captured seven European championship titles in her career – just doesn’t want to quit. Norberg will be 47 in 2014.

“I would like to help build a competitive Swedish team, and these girls are already well on the way,” said Norberg in a statement.

“I am really looking forward playing with Anette,” Ostlund told The Curling News. “She’s a great curler with a lot of excperience and I think that we will learn alot from her. The goal is to represent Sweden in the 2014 Olympics in Russia and I definitely think that this team has what it takes to be there.
“We haven’t decided the positions in the team yet,” Ostlund added. “We’re having a meeting in the middle of June so we’ll talk about it then.”

Norberg had spoken to Reuters shortly after her Olympic team breakup and gave hints that her winning confidence is still very high.

“(My team’s retirement) doesn’t really make much difference,” said Norberg at the time. “If I continue playing, I will carry on as before. I still haven’t made a decision about the future, but if I decide to continue I’m sure I can win another gold medal.”

Norberg had also spoken highly of her apparent heirs, telling Svenska Dagbladet that “There is nothing to prevent Cecilia Ostlund from being as good as we are… (if) all four stay together and make the effort required, they have absolute potential and possibility.”

Norberg now joins forces with Ostlund, Sara Carlsson and Lotta Lennartson, the girlfriend of Swedish Olympic men’s skip Niklas Edin, to represent the Karlstad Curling Club. Former Ostlund teammate Anna Domeij has left the squad and will reportedly take a break from high-performance competition.

[Anette Norberg photo by Anil Mungal, copyright The Curling News 2010. Team Ostlund photo by Victoria Times Colonist]

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June 8, 2010 · Filed under curling, Norberg, olympic, vancouver 2010

Re/Max Women’s Masters

ARLESHEIM, Switzerland – Sweden’s Anette Norberg finished tearing through one of the top international women’s fields here this afternoon, but got a real scare in the process.
Norberg defeated Scotland’s Edith Loudon 6-5 in the final of the Re/Max Women’s Masters, played at Basel’s Curlingzentrum, the same venue of last week’s men’s Swiss Cup and last December’s B-Pool of the European Championships.

It marked the the first spiel win of the year – and the second straight masters title – for the Golden Girls, who are without third Eva Lund, who recently gave birth to her second child. Local Asa Hägmann filled in and got the job done.

The Norbergs also edged the only Swiss team to qualify for the playoffs, old friend Mirjam Ott, now of Davos. In the rematch of the 2006 Olympic final, the Swedes won another tight one by a 6-5 count, but this time they had to steal the final end to do it.

In the TCN photo by Urs Räber, Ott third Carmen Schäfer, new on the team this year, hollers for the brushes. Remember her now?

Another Scottish team skipped by Claire Milne made it to the semis, losing to Loudon.

One of the pinnacle women’s events on the World Curling Tour Europe, the Women’s Masters was devoid of any Canadian teams. Scheduling seemed to be the big issue, with the proximity of the first women’s Grand Slam in Calgary the previous weekend – and its pile of available CTRS points – making it tough for teams to make the trip across the pond.

Here’s an idea for the stellar organizing committee, led by Manuela Kormann: play travel agent, to give distant teams a more robust itinerary. The Masters starts on a Friday, so offer a Thursday of exhibition games between travellers and local teams; perhaps even an evening of social fun, too.

The last Canadian team to play in the event, Edmonton’s Cathy King, arranged exactly that for her own team, in 2006. But if the committee were to offer this as an incentive, more long-distance trekkers might once again make the jump across the Atlantic.

They certainly don’t need to find any better ice conditions, hospitality, or organizational prowess. That is already top-notch.

Back to the WCT-E… did you know you can watch archived games from the Tour’s exclusive U1 TV coverage directly from the WCT-E website? Simply click on the box in the left-hand menu, and watch the show.

Finally, speaking of TV curling, tomorrow night in Baden marks a brave new era in Swiss curling, and The Curling News Blog will be there. Of course.

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October 14, 2007 · Filed under curling, Norberg, olympic, winter sport