Once again Karen Addison, Lynn Cameron and Anne Laird took to the ice in Vernon, British Columbia. This was their last game of the round robin, the opposition was the Czech Republic on no wins. At stake for Scotland? Pride and Olympic qualifying points.Once again knowing they had to win this game the team kept the game simple, made the shots, put the scores on the board and kept the opposition count as low as possible.
And once again it worked, they bided their time and took three in the fifth, the Czechs got two in the sixth but Scotland still had the lead, three in the seventh and a steal in the eighth stretched their lead to five shots. The Czechs conceded after scoring one in the ninth, final score 8/4 to Scotland.
Well done to Karen, Lynn and Anne.
Oh, you might want to know who will be in the playoffs, China, Canada and Switzerland finished the round robin on nine wins, thanks to the draw shot challenge China finished in top spot, then Canada, then Switzerland. China will play Canada in the 1/2 game, in the 3/4 game Switzerland will play the winner of a tiebreak between Japan and Denmark.
You can find all the linescores and statistics here.
Playoff games are available on CurlTV. And Eurosport has coverage of the final games at Vernon.
Top photo: Karen Addison in the head against the Czech Republic.
Lynn Cameron
Anne Laird. Photos by Hugh Stewart.
5 comments:
Here is a thought: Only a sickness or injury of two players gives a team an excuse to show up to a game with a three player line-up. Specially at this level. Shouldn't there be a punishment on behalf of the WCF? You can't just say: "I don't like my skip," or "I don't like my coach's decision," and take the day off - at least not once you are with the team already. Five players committ to this competition for their country and they should finish what they started, like it or not (unless they are sick or injured).
Curling is a team sport which, unlike many team sports, values sportsmanship, courtesy and etiquette. It is not a sport for individual glory. As in other sports, curling coaches look for ways to help struggling teams, often by shuffling lineups. Players, although disappointed, should understand the need to do what is best for the team and to be willing to make those changes. More than any other sport, this should be true in curling.
Once at World Championships you are no longer "Team Munro" or whatever - you are "Team Scotland", and in this instance also "Team GB" - Maybe lessons could be learned - in future make sure Skips/teams know what they are signing up for BEFORE they reach the Scottish Finals ie when they start off the Gold League for the season, or sign up for playdowns.
The Coaches were in a no-win situation here - if they had left the team as they were and they lost the last 2 games they would have been slated - change the team and they get slated for not letting the team play out the last two "easy" games.
Congratulations to the 3 who played on in very difficult circumstances - they have preserved Scotland's honour.
Further statement from RCCC
http://www.royalcaledoniancurlingclub.org/nlstory.cfm?ID=27945&NLID=40830
Athletes join teams to satisfy individual goals within a team setting. To say that an individual should sacrifice their goals in every instance to do what is perceived to be in the best interest of the team is both unrealistic and overly simplistic. Both individual and team goals deserve consideration, though maybe not equally based on the circumstances. Maybe the situation wouldn't have deteriorated to such an extent had this idea been kept in mind - on all sides.
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