Jon Mead of Team Jeff Stoughton: wonder if he 'spins'?by Erin McLaughlin
OSHAWA, Ontario – Wow! Tense is probably the best word to describe last night’s final round robin draw, if not a light term. There was plenty of broom smacking and frustration, particularly for Team Jim Cotter, who managed to get singles in the second and fourth ends but lost out to Glenn Howard’s camp.
The second for Team Cotter, Kevin Folk, said it best afterward at the Silver Bullet bar: “We just couldn’t pull it together, but it happens.”
Kevin Martin had the upper hand all night, scoring three times in three ends against Jeff Stoughton and cruising to a five-end win, 6-1. Showcasing sportsmanship at its very best, Jeff entertained a delighted crowd with not one, but two, of his famous ‘spin-o-rama’ deliveries. He drew cheers from the crowd and both Martin and his third, John Morris, raised their brooms in salute.
Jake Higgs and Mike McEwen cut a close game with McEwen edging out a 7-6 win Dale Matchett and Grand Slam newcomer Mark Kean also ran a close 6-5 game. Thomas Ulsrud and his Pantsmates looked blindingly dashing but could not be saved from Peter Corner’s shock steal of two in the final end.
Me and the Men In Pants!And what a shock it was. Read this story to understand just how important Ulsrud's miss was, and how it extended the race to the playoffs well into today!
It was a fun night. Only a few teams were certain of their fate going into the late hour, as talk of tiebreakers circulated. Teams were speculated about until the very last second, and when the results were finally announced, some teams were surprised... like Team Don Walchuk! LOL!
After the last draw, I hitched a ride back to the hotel with Mr. Walchuk. While sensing he was exhausted, he was nice enough to introduce himself! I also had a chance to hang out with Team Cotter at the Silver Bullet Bar (they make a pretty fantastic rye and coke to drown your Slam sorrows in, in case you were wondering) and found out they’re not only one of the most
humble group of guys there is, but also one of the most hilarious! For a team that lost their substitute, Ryan LeDrew, about 20 times during the course of the evening, they really embrace newcomers – I was chosen as the spare, and then the new lead, over the course of a few drinks. Now, to work on that delivery…
If you are in the mood to practice your own delivery and can't get out on the ice, check out the curling Wii game set up at the Silver Bullet Bar! I took a chance on it last night, thanks to the encouragement of my friendly tablemates, and found... that this still looks a lot easier on TV. But it was a blast and you can rest assured, as the reigning champion of eight points, that I will cheer you on.
Keep it tuned here and at the Grand Slam of Curling website for another post after the quarterfinals, which are on CBC-TV right now... and also available outside of Canada via this streaming page!
Anil Mungal photos copyright ® Capital One