From streaming thoughts to screaming joy
by Mike McEwen
Skipper stepped up today – GOLDEN!SOCHI, RUSSIA – It's medal time baby!
Speaking of finals, after 11 days we've FINALLY got the walk from Canada Olympic House to the Ice Cube perfected! It's sunny and +18C out, the shades on, we've got Molsons (plural) to go, and the barbeque is lit (the Olympic flame, LOL)!
• Same pep talk with Dawn as the day before. Does she need to be better than she was in that semi? Easy text conversation went like this: "Imagine I'm saying the exact same things as yesterday" ... sort of like that Netflix football commercial!
• First end: A couple of half shots from us and a few good shots from the Swedes and it's a steal situation. But... great first throw from Jen and forced Sweden away from just guarding! 1-0 CAN... phew!
• Second end: Well played end from Canada. SWE fourth makes two last shot beauties to get her single. All tied.
• Third end: Trevor delivers ice cream... Kyle Paquette (CCA lead sport psych) and I are finally silent for a bit, haha! Good end, but the result is a blank. Still 1-1.
• Fourth end: Dawn starts the end well with a corner guard and then a freeze. Jill rattles things around and a simple deuce situation opens up. Kaitlyn makes great line call and Team Canada finishes the end off with a draw for two!
• Note on the fourth end: SWE did have a double but missed calling it thin (option B) versus just watching the jam happen – a bit of a mental error.
• Fifth end: Yikes! My hands are seriously trembling writing this! SWE had a fairly easy nose double for four – three minimum. Somehow, though, they threw it just off line enough to only get two! Bullet dodged! 3-3 at the mid-game point.
• Sixth end: I decide I'm shaky from being both nervous and cold. Extra layer goes on. Sweden goes in and we hit. Blank end, and a quick one.
• Seventh end: Kyle talks too much... and this allows me to talk too much... quite unlike Devlin's quiet, wired-mouth ways. I'm having trouble keeping up with the thinking and typing, haha! SWE makes a big strategy error this end, and throws it in instead of guarding. I was going to say "in my opinion", but stats back this one up 100 per cent. This allows Canada to execute another blank.
• Eighth end: Great call Jen, and nicely executed tick shot by Dawn. Two corner guards are set up and minimal risk of steal situation. After a great freeze on Jen's first, her draw for two comes up just light (and a measure was required to confirm the single). A pretty good end to score in, regardless of how many. 4-3 for CAN.
LOL! Awesome! #burn• Ninth end: I'm soooo thirsty and chewing nervously on some gum! Not really quenching. CAN in trouble early, but a pick on SWE helps our cause. Still not out of the woods though with lots of clutter for Sweden to freeze too. I HATE being a fan... well, hate is a strong word, but I dislike this knot in my stomach! However, after a miscue on a SWE draw (heavy) CAN is now on the offensive. Great last shot by CAN skipper, swept and called perfectly! SWE forced into tough shot, facing a steal of two and... they rack on their own in the top of the house! 6-3 lead for Canada, coming home!!
• 10th end: Dawn throws two beauties – throw throughs, that is! Jilly and Kaitlyn make both their peels. What shot do you want to win an Olympic gold medal? How about make contact on your first stone!?!? Jen sets herself in the hack (twice) and simply makes it... now let the fist-pumping and jumping begin!!
Gutsy win, girls! Deserved and earned. Tomorrow I'm hoping for the same thing for our men. Double gold for curling is in sight!
Canadian Olympic House... look out, here come the families!
[Action photo copyright The Curling News ® by Anil Mungal. Click on images to increase viewing size]