Lords of the Rings Not At Home

A great event is happening in our province, but none of the locals have turned up to host. The Canada Cup of Curling is being played in Yorkton this week without any Men's teams from Saskatchewan.

The lineup includes names like Martin, Gushue, Stoughton, Ferby and Middaugh. A veritable who's who in the men's game. And yet no team from the 306 was able to qualify. Concerning yes, but surprising no.

"This is a tough event to qualify for," says 2006 Olympic Gold Medallist Brad Gushue. Sure it is, just look at the caliber. But it speaks to a deeper issue of the state of the game here in Saskatchewan.

1980. You know it, you hate it. The Brier drought in this curling hotbed has reached three decades and counting. Curling has been at three Olympic games, yet no team from the Green province has represented the Red & White.

It's not that there aren't good curlers in Saskatchewan, it just seems that there aren't very many of them at the top level. Once you look past Pat Simmons & Joel Jordison, there isn't many names that spring to mind that may have a chance to take on the heavyweights in the sport.

It'd be easy to say that we just simply don't have the population here. But that argument doesn't slide. Manitoba is barely bigger and Newfoundland isn't even close when it comes to the number of people. They have 6 Briers and an Olympic Gold in the time which Sask hasn't won anything.

Maybe its the lack of good Juniors? Again, wrong. Saskatchewan's boys have won the national title twice in the last seven years. So the development program seems to be in place to get the kids on the right road to success. But that's where the dead end happens.

These successes have not translated to the men's game. All across curling clubs in the Land of Living Skies the game is dying with the 20 to 40 aged men. It's something the SCA (Saskatchewan Curling Association) says it is seeing, but it has no idea why.

Could it be the wrong approach to the game is being taken here? Look at the top teams at the Brier. Glenn Howard, Jeff Stoughton & Kevin Martin are all seasoned pros. While the game of curling is becoming increasingly athletic, it seems the strategy and mental side is also getting tougher.

John Morris, Martin's third, is a great example. Here's a guy that skipped Ontario to a Brier final as a virtual kid. But when it came time to being a part of a 'Super Team' with the goal of winning everything all the time, Morris checked his ego and has slid under the tutelage of one of the best in the world. Result: 2 Briers, loads of cash and their eye on the Gold.

This game of Rock N' Roll is becoming more and more a game of athletes playing chess with the precision of a surgeon. And while the good are getting better, they are also getting fewer. Only very few teams stand at the top of the hill and unfortunately, right now Saskatchewan's best are looking up.

Now, given all this, it bodes well that the 30 years of futility in this province is nearing the end. Pat Simmons seems determined to win it all. He has the commitment and the skill. He was even close two years ago when a picked rock cost him a shot at the final.

So its not all doom and gloom and in fact, the light might be closer than one thinks. Simmons has already qualified fr the Pre-Olympic Trials in the fall and can't wait to have a chance at representing Canada.

It won't be easy for Saskatchewan's men to conquer the curling world, but the provinces Lords of the Rings do seem to be getting closer to the top and hopefully will start making regular appearances at places like the Canada Cup.