#Brier2021 Parting Rocks

#BetweenTheSheets: Brier 2021 Parting Rocks

Resiliency rocks the #IceBubble

Photo: Team Bottcher Facebook Page

If you watched the Brier final and saw Team Bottcher finally embrace and smile at the conclusion of a Brier final and not feel something, what is wrong with you?

After three successive trips to the final and three successive silver medals placed around their necks, the Alberta boys finally were able to win the one extra game needed to be called Brier Champions.

And in a year of uncertainty, was this not the most fitting ending for the 2021 Brier?

Over the past 365 days we have been living in a constant state of resiliency. Work from home. Don't work from home. Office closures. Office temporary openings. Job loss. Income disruption. Stage 0 to Stage 1 to Stage 2 back to Stage 1 back to Stage 0. You can do this but you cannot do that and you might be able to do this but only if you don't do that. WTF?

We have all been on this rollercoaster ride for a year and many of us are ready to pull the break and get off already. But, instead, we continue to roll with the punches and uncertainty and do our best to move forward. We continue, as a society, to show resiliency.

Enter Team Bottcher to be the curling face of resiliency on what will hopefully become the tail end of #COVID19.

Is there a more perfect definition of resiliency than Team Bottcher coming back once again and reaching another Brier final only to finally hoist the coveted trophy on Championship Sunday?

Imagine the feeling of losing a championship final. Now do it two more times. And do it back-to-back-to-back. And then keep fighting year after year after year to get back to that point....only to come up short.

COVID-19 has been a period of mental health struggles for many. Team Bottcher must have had some mental health struggles of their own. A sense of a 'Brier Demon' hanging over their heads and stopping them from achieving their dream.

You have to be resilient to overcome the tough losses. It can be easy to turn the disappointment into a negative head space and start doubting yourself, your teammates and your collective abilities.

But, instead of letting the dark cloud shine over them, Team Bottcher has come back (and back and back and back again) to keep their good fight going and were finally rewarded for their resiliency Sunday night.

They were crowned Canadian champions and will represent the Maple Leaf at the upcoming World Men's Curling Championship next month inside the #IceBubble.

But, in a small way, didn't we all feel a piece of their victory? Whether you were cheering for them to win all week or not, when they did win you felt happiness for the team. You felt like maybe things are getting better. Team Bottcher overcame their curling demon, maybe we can overcome our pandemic demon too.

Or was that just me and wishful thinking?

Either way, the important thing was we all felt something. And after 365 days of feeling tired, frustrated, anxious, scared, sick, unwell and every other emotion we all have gone through, feeling happiness and, perhaps more important, hopefulness is a cause for celebration.

Thank you Team Bottcher for the great week of curling. And thank you for showing us being resilient can pay off in the long run.

Now Team Bottcher winning is not the only storyline to come out of #Brier2021. There are quite a few interesting parting rocks to discuss.

Lets shine 'em up and start throwing them at the house.

#PartingRocks

🥌 #WinningWayner - 'W' stands for winning. It also stands for Wayner. As in Wayne Middaugh, who did a lot of winning this past week. Talk about a "turn back the clock" moment, we saw many of them as Wayne Middaugh led Wildcard 3 on a spirited run through the Brier field. 

The final team placed into the field, WC3 had modest expectations from many coming into the competition. Add the fact regular skip Glenn Howard was unable to compete and Wayne Middaugh would be taking the lead, you didn't really know what to expect. We all know Middaugh has the skill, and the best release in curling, but he has been away from the competitive ice for some time and has had his own injuries over the year. 

But all of that was erased opening weekend when we say championship form Wayne Middaugh return to the Brier ice. He was clutch with his draws. He was clutch with his hits. He was clutch in his leadership of the team.

The team quietly flew under the radar early but seized control of Pool A near the end of the week. It was one of the "feel good" stories of the event. Sure the final day of Championship Pool action did them in but those results do not eliminate how Middaugh and the team got there.

Thank you Wayne Middaugh for reminding us how awesome of a curler and leader you are on the ice.

🥌 #TeamGreen - We saw Matt Dunstone come into his own on the Brier ice last year, making a surprise run to the podium and winning bronze. People wondered if he would be able to duplicate the success this year or if last year was a "fluke" run. If there were any doubters, Dunstone silenced them.

We knew this team would be a contender but in a packed, and experienced, field many did not think Saskatchewan would be able to reach the podium. Wrong!

Sure there were not as many flashy shots as last year but there was also a continued growth with Dunstone as a leader. He has adjusted his game. He adapts. His draw weight alone has grown. And his composure, even in tough times or in losses, continues to grow as well.

When Dunstone lost the SF on a terrific final shot by Brendan Bottcher, you saw it in his eyes how much the Brier means to him. We saw tears of joy when he won his #GSOC title. We also saw tears of sadness when he takes a tough loss.

But, sticking with the resiliency theme, he also put on a smile and proudly wore his bronze medal. He gave a spirited presser after his SF loss and, even while holding back tears, he gets the bigger picture of how special it was just to compete and to walk out of this event with a medal.

Thank you Matt Dunstone for continuing to grow as an athlete and a young man and letting us be a part of the journey. Your ability to show emotion continues to help break down the "toxic masculinity" stereotype we still see in male sports. Men have emotions. And it is 100% acceptable to show them.

If I had a son and could show him someone I think is a great male role model in sports, I would look to you Mr. Dunstone.

🥌 #LGBTQ - Speaking of leadership, the moment John Epping and Greg Smith stepped on the ice to compete against one another, #HIStory was made. It marked the first time two members of the LGBTQ community skipped against one another on Brier ice. Iconic moment!

The result is not what we will remember. The photo of both skips proudly holding up the rainbow flag🌈 we will remember. And not just those of us closely connected to the curling community.

The moment received recognition across social media from OutSports to Barstool to everyone in between. It was a celebrated moment.

But lets not rest on it either. This is not a time for the curling community to point to this one instance and declare the sport to be inclusive and equitable. Trailblazing to have two active skips compete at the highest level possible, yes. We do not see this in many other sports, especially male sports.

On the other side, it is also not just the responsibility of Epping and Smith to be the "face" of this movement. It is not only the responsibility of LGBTQ athletes to push for inclusion and equality.

Hopefully this moment will help us build the House of Diversity for the sport. Hopefully this moment will bring forward more allies into the rings, similar to what we see Kurtis Gabriel doing with hockey.

There is still work to be done. Lets not have this moment just become a Brier photo opp to make us feel good about ourselves and the sport. Lets have this moment help us continue the slide out of the hack towards increased inclusion and diversity and equality for the sport.

Thank you Greg Smith and John Epping for your leadership and the reminder "If You Can Play, You Can Play". 

Now the rest of us need to continue to step forward and join the team, not just watch from the sidelines.

🥌 #TeamUpset - At the end of the opening RR, 8 teams reached the Championship Pool. Of those 8 teams, 7 reached the Champ Pool the previous year. Just replace Team McEwen with Team Middaugh. So does that mean the division line between the "elite" and "the rest" continues to grow?

Hold up, wait a minute, that don't fit, so lets just quit it! Yes the cream rises to the crop as they say. But it was not just a walk through the arena for those 8 teams either. Besides the dog fight among themselves, there were teams who pushed them and caused some upsets along the way.

Look at James Grattan and #TeamAcadia. New Brunswick got people excited during the week after they knocked off pre-event contender Team McEwen. They continued to push the top teams, continued to pick up impressive wins and proved you should never count out an underdog.

Yes their final RR lose was a gut punch. The lose to NWT dashed their Champ Pool hopes as a win would have put them in a TB game and who knows what would have happened. But they competed, they challenged, they won and they belong.

Add in Team Quebec and Team Nova Scotia into the mix. Both were one win away from TB games themselves. Sure, on paper, it shows them finishing 2 games out Champ Pool qualification but both had their chances and pressed the "bigger" names in their final games. One win for either, or imagine both, and we had a TB bonanza possibly on our hands.

And the fans loved it. We love seeing an underdog story. It is what makes sports great and why we play the games. Were you not entertained? Did these teams not prove why they belong?

Maybe we shouldn't rush into this format change conversation so quickly?!?!

🥌 #RockPaperGate - The infamous papering of the rocks incident. Sure brought an unexpected level of interest and excitement to the final day of Champ Pool competition.

Team Howard/Middaugh was upset. John Morris called out curlers for being more accountable. Brendan Bottcher said it was pretty obvious it happened. Everyone had an opinion.

The joys of miscommunication. The actual apex of this issue really comes down to communication.

Some teams asked the ice team. Some teams did not. Some teams noticed right away. Others noticed a bit later. Who is in the right? Everyone?

Did the papering of the rocks cost a team a W? No. The games still had to be played and you still have to figure out how to read the ever-changing ice and the rocks as a team. You had to make your shots.

Sure, Howard's point of the lack of communication may have costed his team the hammer which can, in theory, impact the result of the game. But, if WC3 would have won the game and won by a large margin, even without hammer, would the argument be so rich? Tough to know after the fact.

End of the day, Curling Canada admitted to the communication breakdown. It is what it is.

It does seem quite easy to just put up an announcement on the locker doors or in the hallway leading onto the arena floor just announcing to the teams the rocks have been papered. We know this is done at provincial championships and other events.

As every curler who was asked about this stated, this is not uncommon nor an issue. The issue is, technically, not every team was told. No formal communication was made. 

And the communication on the action is not on the ice makers. Yes they were asked by players/teams and told them but this is really a Curling Canada issue. The ice makers should not be checking to see if all teams have been told when they are asked by a specific team. Kevin Koe admitted they straight up asked the question. Others could do the same. The ice makers are not responsible for what has (or has not) been communicated to the teams nor responsible for monitoring said communication.

Curling Canada owned their mistake though and we can only hope some policy & procedure will be implemented at future events and we all learn from this mistake.

🥌 #MarchOn - I know this was talked about MANY, MANY, MANY times on all the TSN broadcasts of WC3 games but credit to lead Tim March on an incredible Brier.

March may not have put up the highest percentage at lead but without him the rest of his team probably doesn't put up their high numbers either. His brushing helped save some shots and win some games. His brushing helped his teammates make their shots. His brushing displayed how the sport truly is a team game.

It was incredible to watch just how much energy and effort he put into every shot. He was gassed many times after a shot. He took a little breather and then would do it all over again on the next shot. And this process was repeated. And repeated. And repeated again. All. Week. Long.

Leads often do not get a lot of love from media and fans but social media was lit up with Tim March all week. Many people wondering if March's back was hurting from "carrying the team" all week. OK, he didn't "carry" the team but he sure kept them afloat.

Props to you Tim March! I was tired just watching you.

🥌 #AllStars - First, props to the athletes who were named to as First Team and Second Team All-Stars. It is an incredible honour to be named to the all star team and recognizes outstanding athletic ability over the duration of the event.

The First Team All-Stars were: Brad Gushue (CAN), Braeden Moskowy (SK), Brad Thiessen (AB) and Ben Hebert (WC2).

The Second Team All-Stars were: Kevin Koe (WC2), B.J. Neufeld (WC2), Brett Gallant (CAN) and Ryan Harnden (NOnt).

Congrats to all 8 athletes for a great week and deserving recognition.

However, are we starting to wonder about these all-star awards yet? I have been raising it for a few years on the process behind it. Is it popularity? Is it solely based on the numbers? What are the factors those who vote take into consideration? Is it equitable?

Perfect example is the lead position. We know Hebert and Harnden are two of the best. They are deserving all-starts. No debate. But neither finished as the top percentage lead.

The top lead was actually Quebec's Jean-François Trépanier. The "horse" curled 94%, top curler across all positions. And he doesn't get an all-star award? Why? Because his team didn't qualify for the Champ Pool? So all-star awards can only go to players on teams who reach the Champ Pool? Why? And what about Tim March and his overall contribution to the team? Does that earn consideration or is just percentages?

This debate came up in Moose Jaw at the Scotties last year with the sportsmanship award. Only players on teams who reached the Champ Pool were considered. Why? Because a fear a player who doesn't reach the Champ Pool would not still be on-site to accept the award in person for the photo opp? Rules based on photo opp's?

What about at second position? Again, Thiessen and Gallant are two of the best. But Gallant finished behind a few players on the percentage list. John Morris, David Mathers and E.J. Harnden finished ahead of him while Kirk Muyres and Félix Asselin curled the same percentage. So why Gallant above the others?

I guess the question to ask is whether all-star voting is too subjective? Should there be a better set of guidelines or qualifications? And, for those who do vote, why not make the votes public and transparent? What harm is it? If you are comfortable enough to vote, you should be comfortable enough to defend it.

🥌 #ThankYou - I said it in the #STOH2021 Parting Rocks post and I will say it again here. Thank you to all the athletes who made the decision to enter the #IceBubble, compete for a national championship and entertain curling fans around the world. The pandemic is still active in our communities and the decision to leave behind family and job requirements for an extended period of time is never easy. For some, they return home to enter the additional 14 day quarantine period. This just prolongs the amount of time away from loved one and/or getting back to work. Regardless of results, curling fans everywhere thank you for your decision to keep curling sliding forward and hope everyone remains safe and healthy upon their return home.

A continued thank you to TSN, Curling Canada, location staff and all the volunteers who make the #IceBubble a safe success. We hope all of you remain healthy.

#StayTuned

The 2021 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship is next up inside the #IceBubbe, starting this upcoming Thursday. The blog will return with a preview post later in the week.

As we saw after the Scotties, we now get a few days off to once again re-stock our favourite drinks and snacks. Plus do not forget to sign up for the Curling Canada Mixed Doubles Pick'Em Contest. This should be a bit more challenging. Lots of teams. 5 draws per day. Still 3 draws of TV coverage daily. And many teams/players who perhaps have not stepped on the ice since pre-COVID.

But we are going to crown another Canadian champion so get excited!

Once again, #TwineTime struggled with Brier picks. But never giving up so lets go MD! Can you beat #TwineTime?

Enjoy the few days off rockheads.