Friday, November 30, 2001
The time is now
Brier champs won't go down without a fight
By CON GRIWKOWSKY -- Edmonton Sun
When Randy Ferbey's crew won the Brier in Ottawa earlier this year, one of the rewards was a trip to the Olympic Trials.
Although it's a first-time experience for the rest of his rink, Ferbey has been there before. He was part of the Pat Ryan rink that appeared in the qualifying spiel leading up to Calgary's 1988 Olympics, the first demonstration event that led up to curling's full-medal status.
On the surface, it may appear Ferbey has had difficulty maintaining his winning touch. The team's barely visible on the World Curling Tour's money list and was quickly dispatched by Kevin Martin in last weekend's TSN Skins Game semifinal.
But none of the negatives seem to faze Ferbey, whose status as Brier champ has made him a key player in the turf battle between the upstart Grand Slam and the Canadian Curling Association.
'IT'S HERE NOW'
"It's here now,'' said Ferbey. "We've had a lot of other things on our minds besides the Olympic Trials this year. Here it is upon us, so now it's time to get excited about it, realize what we're playing for and hopefully do well from there.''
The trials are a much bigger deal now and Brandon 1997 proved to be the best curling event of all time. Much has changed since those trailblazing days when the sport was trying to carve itself a niche on the world stage.
"It was a little different back then (in 1988),'' said Ferbey. "It was a bit more low-key. It wasn't quite as high on the priority list.
"Now, I've heard the place (Regina's Agridome) is sold out, there's going to be plenty of media attention. Just to be part of that is something special. It appears that it's going to be even bigger than it was four years ago.''
It's no big secret this field will be tougher than any Brier field. That's what makes the trials one of the premier sporting events in Canada.
"Here, an easy day might be (Wayne) Middaugh and (Bert) Gretzinger,'' said Ferbey. "There's no such thing as an easy day at the trials. At the Brier, because you're a human being, you may kind of look ahead a bit at a couple of teams you should be able to beat. Here, you can't do that. You can't look ahead.
"There's going to be four or five exceptionally good teams with losing records.''
A NEED TO FOCUS EARLY
From Ferbey's perspective, that's a good thing because the competition will get his young supporting cast focused in a hurry.
"If you're not playing well at the beginning - if you get off to an 0-3 start, it's a sure bet you're not going to finish 6-3,'' said Ferbey.
"To win two or three games in a row, you'd have to be playing exceptionally well against these guys. You need the breaks. I think we're ready. We've been practising quite a bit and we're reasonably close.''
Due to the ongoing Grand Slam controversy, Ferbey has become a bit of a target among some of his peers. But this field is chock-full of former Brier champs and the fact his team has just come off its Brier and Worlds experience should help them deal with the distractions.
"You just have to get at 'er,'' said Ferbey. "We're not concerned about how much money we won or lost this year.
"Going through what we did last year has to help us. We've been through the scene in Ottawa and these guys shouldn't be nervous to play in front of a cheering crowd or TV cameras. That won't have an effect on us.''
They've already proven they can handle the pressure. Now they're headed into the biggest pressure-cooker of their curling lives.
2002 Games Curling Coverage
