Friday, December 7, 2001
Olympic smell in air
Law earns bye, awaits winner of Jones vs. Anderson
By JIM BENDER -- Winnipeg Sun
REGINA -- She will get a day off to ponder her own prophetic words now.
B.C.'s Kelley Law defeated provincial rival Sherry Fraser 8-3 at the Agridome yesterday to capture top spot in the 2001 Canadian Curling Trials with a 7-2 record.
Law earned a bye into tomorrow's final and is one win away from heading to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Ogden, Utah.
"Whomever wins this, it will change their lives, there's no doubt it," Law predicted. "And every team out here wants it just as much.
"But, we've got to keep that (Olympics) out of our minds because that's an outcome."
Shaved
But the field has been shaved to three for the playoffs. Home-town favourite Sherry Anderson will face reigning women's world champion Colleen Jones in today's semifinal at 1:30 p.m. Both finished with 6-3 logs. Law will play the winner.
Jones wrapped up the round robin with a hard-fought 5-4 victory over Quebec's Marie-France Larouche while Anderson dropped a 7-5 decision to Alberta's Cathy King.
"Our first goal was to make the playoffs," said Jones. "Our next goal is to win the championship."
Jones, 42, had said earlier that she planned to make this her "best kick at the Olympic can."
"Yeah, I can smell it now," said the Nova Scotia skip. "I smelled it (Wednesday). I said, 'Let's start going on our roll right now.'
"And I just love playoffs. I usually play my best in the playoffs."
And Jones may have a little karma on her side. Before she won the 1999 Scott Tournament of Hearts, CBC-TV technicians went on strike. Well, they went on strike again yesterday.
"It is kind of a coincidence because of what happened in '99," said the superstitious Jones.
Anderson, who had hoped a Saskatchewan squad would follow the late Sandra Schmirler to the Olympics, will likely be the crowd favourite at least.
"If we can get the crowd going right away, it could help," Anderson said. "And we're going to make them roar."
But Anderson won't allow herself to picture that Olympic dream.
"We try not to look too far ahead," she said.
"I don't think there's too much that separates our two teams," Jones said. "And everybody wants to get there some time. It might be their moment; it might be ours."
Law, however, said her foursome of third Julie Skinner, second Georgina Wheatcroft and Diane Nelson does not plan to watch the semifinal.
"We don't normally watch curling because we need to rest our minds and that's like playing the game," Law said.
"And it's not so good for your eyes, either."
But you can
bet she has her eyes on the big prize now.
TIME OFF:
B.C.'s Kelley Law said she wasn't worried about taking today off after earning the bye into tomorrow's final.
"It's only a concern if we let it be a concern," she said. "We'll still do our same routine and go throw some rocks (today).
"And we may do a little shopping, although I think we're shopped out."
2002 Games Curling Coverage
