There’s one big women’s event left in the calendar for Team Muirhead and it’s the conclusion of the Grand Slam season, the Players Championship.
And we’ll be going into it now ranked number one in the world, which is something special.
I’ve only been at the top once before – in 2013 – literally for about two or three days, I think!
It will be a real honour when the best 16 teams in the world come together next month and we’re ranked number one.
I must admit, it’s not something I ever expected to happen again.
There was a time we were a long way down the rankings and keeping our fingers crossed just to get into the Grand Slam events.
We’ve missed out on ones because we didn’t have enough points.
That shows how far we’ve come in these last few months.
Like the Olympic gold medal, knowing that you were able to call yourself ‘World Number One’ is something that can’t be taken away from you.
A lot of the top Canadian teams, men and women, have announced that they’ll be parting ways after the Players.
This is what usually happens at the end of an Olympic cycle.
A message from us to our loyal fans. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/F4zn4T5SCI
— Team Jennifer Jones (@TeamJJonesCurl) March 15, 2022
You might see a couple of retirements but there will also be a bit of toing and froing of team members.
I’ll be keeping an eye on who’s talking to who over a cup of coffee at the Players!
Canada is a big country so which province you live in has to be factored in but there are certainly a few different possibilities and permutations because of the strength in depth they have in the sport over there.
If you’re a young, highly-rated curler and you’ve got the chance to join up with legends of the game, you’re going to take it.
It’s not quite the NFL draft picks but it will certainly keep the Canadian press busy!
There was a curling story for the ages at the Canadian men’s championship this week.
Brad Gushue’s team won the Brier for the fourth time – pretty impressive in itself – but on this occasion with only THREE players.
After Mark Nichols (one of the best thirds in the world) tested positive for Covid, they went on to win three play-off matches without him, including an extra-end final against Kevin Koe.
It’s a phenomenal achievement.
Nothing like it has happened in my time involved in the sport.
I’m struggling to come up with a comparison to make but it’s a lot harder than say, winning a game of football when you’re down to 10 men.
The majority of the time only one sweeper is used and you could say that if you play an aggressive hitting game it’s not as big a loss but there’s so much more to it than that.
Mark was the man who would usually be up at the head, holding the brush for Brad’s shots.
Special delivery for a special guy! #Brier2022 pic.twitter.com/VraPZ5u0Cz
— Team Gushue (@TeamGushue) March 14, 2022
He’s a huge tactical support for Brad.
And then there’s the communication aspect, which is a big thing in curling.
All three of them will have taken on extra responsibility and it’s a testament to how well they know each other’s games.
They’ve done it on the back of an Olympics, where they won a bronze medal.
I know how physically and mentally tired I’ve been since Beijing.
Those guys have deservedly put themselves into curling folklore.
