Two biggies today, folks

by Colin Hodgson

WINNIPEG –Men's semifinal up now, Kevin Martin vs John Morris – the rematch.

Awesome stuff. Defending Olympic champions on both teams, a multiple Brier and World champion dying to go Olympic, and three super guys from B.C. who have skills and experience but have never been in this kind of spotlight before.

Tonight, it's the women's final – Jennifer Jones vs Sherry Middaugh.

Both are veterans of multiple Olympic Trials competitions spanning multiple decades, but this is the first final for both – and for all eight players.

Big, heady stuff with Sochi 2014 on the line. And, subject to Russian travel visa approvals (kidding!) one of either Wayne Middaugh or Brent Laing will be going to Sochi, too.

Attitude is often everything in this game.

Far too many times, curlers are seen losing their minds over mistakes big or small, especially in crucial games. This is a trap that Team Chelsea Carey had been planning on avoiding and given their comeback ride into a tiebreaker, it seemed they were successful. But not quite how you might think.

Before the Roar, the skip had this to say:

This is our moment. This is our chance.

It’s difficult to not get caught up in wins and losses and shots made or missed. But the thing I really don’t want to miss, more than any shot I could throw, is the moment.

One of the CCA’s top national coaches once told us, “Be where you are when you’re there.”

Carey was eliminated by Middaugh, who went on to demolish Rachel Homan last night in the semifinal, But for Team Carey, this was a great week.

Adopting a “live in the moment” mentality, the four Manitobans sported smiles and looked like they were having fun out there.

From a competitive curling perspective in my own regard, I know how easy it is to fall into the trap.

It's easy to get worked up over small details it's even easier to drown out the moment by living in your own head.

It's my belief that being successful at an event such as the Olympic Trials includes winning, of course, but also "living in the moment" and acknowledging those moments along the way.