Wednesday, December 12, 2001
Ring king on the run
Martin busy before Games
By AL RUCKABER -- Calgary Sun
Edmonton's Kevin Martin has a whole lot on his plate these days.
Let's see now -- as president of the World Curling Players' Association (WCPA), he has four Grand Slam events to help organize and compete in, starting with this weekend in Wainwright. Then there's the annual TSN Skins Game in Oakville, Ont., late this month and a curling academy to run in High Prairie in early January.
Oh yes, there's also this matter of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Martin won the right to represent Canada at the Games after winning the Olympic trials in Regina last weekend.
Within his hectic schedule, the 35-year-old two-time Brier winner will have to find room to train and prepare for those Winter Olympics.
"It's a tough schedule but very fortunately I have a heckuva wife (Shauna) who has a business degree and runs the whole show on the business end of the WCPA," said Martin.
While Martin counts the WCPA as his prime focus, the Games definitely rate as the all-important item on the agenda.
"Going to the Olympics -- it's amazing. I definitely want to be ready to play well and get on that medal podium ... the top of the podium, that is," Martin said.
Of course, representing Canada in curling brings with it immense pressure.
"Out of Canada, that's just the way it is but I'm not the type of person who worries about pressure like that," Martin said.
"As we talk about the domination of Canada in curling, well, that domination has diminished greatly in the last 10 years. Here we train half the year. The rest train a full year. We have lost a lot of our power. That's why we need to make changes."
Those needed changes, says Martin, will soon come about through the players and the WCPA. The WCPA has already begun to shake things up. Many of it's tour pros have decided to boycott the playdowns leading up to qualifying for the 2002 Calgary Brier to play in a four-event Grand Slam with around $450,000 in prizes.
Martin says the various curling associations responsible for running the playdowns must get together with the pro tour people and come up with a solution which will allow curlers to compete in all the events.
Martin says recent talks between the two bodies have been very positive.
"I'd be really shocked if we can't get an agreement set in the next six weeks," Martin said.
2002 Games Curling Coverage
