No Knock on Free Hit Scotties Curling

MISSISSAUGA, ON – An interesting thing about the last Scotties of an Olympic cycle is that some teams didn’t want to be here.

The top players assembled their lineups with an eye on the Olympic Trials. And those were held back in November.

It’s now late January, and here you are at this event you didn’t plan to be at. There’s no pressure, just a chance to have some fun.

You might even enjoy it.

For some of the young teams, and there are many, it’s a free hit. Have fun, experience ice with crowds and without. Appear on TV. Play against some of the people you’ve watched at the Scotties for ages.

The thing is, the winning squad might not even stay together. Kevin Koe won the 2014 Brier over John Morris and left his team just after coming fourth at the world championship. Pat Simmons then hired Morris and showed Koe by winning the 2015 Bonkers Brier as Team Canada.

I’m not saying anyone is breaking up. I have no idea, and even the teams here that have an idea aren’t saying. What I’m saying is that pretty soon, people who plan to take a run at the 2030 Olympics are going to put together a team to win in November of 2029.

Unless Curling Canada figures out another way.

What we don’t know is who is ready to go again. Some might not find an offer and do a Brad Jacobs – take a year off, throw some rocks, then make a late move to a team that wins the Trials.

Some might have already found a new quadrennial team. Some of the young squads at this event can use this STOH as proof they are on the right track.

It’s not a knock on the Scotties that some of the Trials teams that didn’t want to be here are here. This is an amazing championship, and the winner gets to wear the maple leaf at the world championship and at next year’s Scotties in P.E.I.

It can be life-changing for a young team, because there will be new fans of theirs at cities across Canada when they go cashspieling. And they’ll get Sport Canada funding.

The Brier will be similar, although the late Feb-early March event dates allow the men’s Olympic team to compete. And in this case the top men’s players get to play against Brad Gushue in his last Brier in a crazy St. John’s atmosphere.

So who wins the Scotties?

I’m not here to guess; I'll leave that to Mike Harris. The team that plays the loosest and cares the least will be a factor. Even if one of the athletes is out the door to play on a new team, or pull a Jacobs sabbatical, they still want to win the trophy.

I think the biggest winners will be the fans who battle the GTA traffic and snowstorms to attend in person. It’s opening weekend at the Scotties, the bands in the Patch are awesome, and the event will be more fun because this is the end of the Olympic cycle.

If you’re coming, wear boots because the Patch is in an arena on ice. Which makes it cold. But also super fun.