It's Sweden and Switzerland for Gold in Lethbridge
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Issue 9 – Sunday, March 25, 2012 • An Official Publication of the Canadian Curling Association. She Ott-a be there! It’s Sweden and Switzerland for gold in Lethbridge Swiss skip Mirjam Ott and third Carmen Schaefer share a hug after beating Korea and booking a spot in today’s championship game rematch with the Swedes. MARCH 2-10 • REXALL PLACE SINGLE DRAW TICKETS FROM $35 Page 2 Ott punches finals ticket Swiss skip has enjoyed Canadian success By LARRY WOOD Eye Opener Editor t wasn’t exactly Swiss clockwork, or even the workings of a fine time- Ipiece, but Mirjam Ott and her Davos team from Switzerland have earned a re- prise in the Ford World Women’s Curling Championship final against Sweden. Ott, who has been banging heads with the best at curling’s international level since 1997 when she was 2-7 in her first Worlds appearance, outpointed upstart Korea 9-6 on Saturday night in the cham- pionship semi-final match at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge. The win moves the Swiss back for a shot at revenge against Sweden, a team that knocked off the squad from the land of the White Cross in the Page One-Two playoff. It will be the first World final for Ott and her veteran team of Carmen Schaefer, Carmen Kueng and Janine Greiner from Alpineland. Korea, meanwhile, tumbled into this morning’s bronze-medal skirmish against Canada, a team the Koreans defeated earlier Saturday. Unlike that game, which featured a dearth of offence, the semi was a wide- open affair with the Swiss striking for two in the first end and Korea answering with three in the second. “In the beginning I wasn’t that nervous,” said Ott, who is playing in her sixth world championship and has two Olympic silver medals to her credit. “I just didn’t perform like I can. But my team kept fighting and I was really happy because they kept us in Swiss skip Mirjam Ott calls line in a 9-6 win over the Koreans in Saturday’s semi-final. Right, Koresan skip Ji-Sun Kim is consoled by coach Min-Suk Choi. the game.” The Swiss tied the issue in the fourth Swiss counter remained for the verdict. “Right now we are just lucky to be in the “It would be great to do this for Swit- end, then stole in front by two in the sixth “It was a really crazy game,” said Ott, final. Tomorrow we will plan how we are zerland and Swiss curling but we’re going when Korean skip Ji-Sun Kim watched who owns one bronze medal for five previ- going to play against them.” to do this for ourselves. I don’t feel any her last-rock raised rock slide through the ous World appearances. Ott wasn’t about to divulge any secrets pressure to do it for my country. four-foot ring between two Swiss counters. “Up and down, and we were lucky that on that score. “We were just as excited when we won Korea then came back with a single and we won. We had to fight back twice. I “I’m not going to tell you about that,” the Swiss championship and knew that we stole two of their own when Ott was short didn’t know how it was going to go. she said with a wide grin. would be coming here.” on a come-around draw, attempting to “We just knew that we were going to “It’s another three hours of curling and Why the Canadian magnetism? reduce the damage to one enemy stone in have to believe in our team. We had some we don’t know what will happen. We “It’s just ice conditions, an arena, a re- the eighth end. misses but then Korea didn’t play as well don’t think too much about that. We just ally good crowd. It’s great. Even if you Again, however, the Swiss rebounded. as they did when we played them in the think about curling.” play against Canada and the people are Kim rolled out on a critical hit in the ninth round robin. We knew that anything could It seems strange that this will be Ott’s cheering for Canada, all the athletes still and Ott was gifted a free draw for three. happen in that kind of game.” first global final. She has been competing love playing here.” “That was the bad point for us,” offered Ott expects another tight confrontation at this level for more than 15 years. Kim, playing with Seul-Bee Lee, Mi- Kim afterward. “Overall, we played really with Sweden today. “Playing in a final in Canada at the Sung Shin and Un-Chi Gim, said her team well but near the end it got a little tricky. “It will be a good game,” she said. “I Worlds is the best,” she said. “will do our best to win a bronze medal”. When I rolled out on the takeout in the hope so. We will have to play good curl- “But I’m happy this is only the second “It is very disappointing to lose but it is ninth end, it was the disappointing shot.” ing. We know this team very well. We Worlds we’ve played in Canada and the only a second Worlds experience for me Kim had a difficult raise takeout attempt know how they play and we know that second time we got a medal so I like play- and it is very satisfying to be here.” to score a tying deuce in the 10th but the their spirit is strong. ing in Canada more than anywhere else. Page Playoff Schedule 1 Ontario 9 2 Quebec 6 1 Ontario 7 2 Quebec 7 2 Quebec 8 4 Nova Scotia 6 3 Alberta 5 4 Nova Scotia 6 Page playoff, including a bronze medal match, from the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Page playoff system Semifinal Final 1 Saskatchewan 9 2 Canada 10 2 Canada 7 1 Saskatchewan 7 1 Saskatchewan 8 3 Ontario 5 3 Ontario 13 4 Nova Scotia 5 Bronze Medal Game 4 Nova Scotia 9 3 Ontario 7 Reaction Players and fans alike have had a mixed reaction to the system. Broadcasters also enjoy it as it produces one more game than the single elimination format.[3] Considering the format is expanding to more curling events and more sports and games, it is reasonable to say its popularity and acceptance is increasing. See also Early VFL Final systems Page-McIntyre system References 1. ^ For a detailed history of the evolution and development of the finals system used by the Victorian Football League (VFL) and, later, by the Australian Football League (AFL) see Early VFL Final systems and McIntyre System. 2. ^ International Softball Federation. Technical & Venue Manual (http://www.internationalsoftball.com/english /rules_standards/technical_venue_man.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved March 23, 2006 Sunday, March 25 – 2012 Ford World Women’s – Eye Opener Page 3 Swedes say they’ve learned By LARRY WOOD get to win the final,” said Sigfridsson. agedo t make the most out of the hands tiveo t that,” said Sigfridsson. “It was a Eye Opener Editor “It was the hardest one in Juniors, really, that were dealt her. very good team effort and Maria played becausee w were the best team there. The team got their win in the Page One- well, but not at the level she’s used to. argaretha Sigfridsson has been “We’ve played a lot of finals since then Two affair despite fourth Maria Prytz That was hard for her. We practised with embroiled in a few one-game ande w have a good record playing in operating with a supposed tricky rock. the stones and we’re comfortable with it showdowns for all the marbles. finals this year.” “We should have been more atten- now.” M Sigfridsson has skipped winners in And when today’s Ford World Women’s Championship final comes up at the both the Swedish championship and the Enmax Centre, the Swedish skip won’t Swedish Super League in 2012. be blamed for figuring that it’s her turn to “It’s the most fun game to play, the fi- emerge on top. nal,” she said. “You have to do your best Thank you, Lethbridge! The f apex, o course, is much higher than and see how far that goes.” the hard-fought extra-end win over Swit- It’s been a decade since her last World There’s something you should know about your friendly morning zerland in Friday’s Page One-Two playoff final appearance. journal, the one to which you’ve subscribed the past nine days. Sweden has a very strong curling tradi- match. It never has printed the final story. Well, hardly ever. And not on Sigfridsson has had only three opportu- tion and Anette Norberg has won three of nities to skip on the international stage. the four finals she’s appeared in, includ- paper, that is. All three times, she’s directed her team to ing the 2011 finale. Hence, today’s is the last published edition. But stories on the final matches. Sigfridsson has placed herself in a bronze medal game and the championship final will be available on “It’so s much better to win the Page position where she could become the first One-Two playoff game to go directly to different skip to deliver a world title for curling.ca later in the day. the final,” Sigfridsson told SunMedia’s Sweden in years.