Call day a draw for Cathy O

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This article was published 20/02/2011 (5533 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CHARLOTTETOWN — Cathy Overton-Clapham has won five Canadian women’s curling championships and done just about everything there is to do in women’s curling on the national scene except skip her own team.

Until Saturday.

Debut

Overton-Clapham played the role of the most unlikely of rookies as she made her skipping debut at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and produced a mixed result, losing 8-6 to Saskatchewan’s Amber Holland on the opening draw before bouncing back Saturday night with a 7-4 win over N.W.T.’s Kerry Galusha.

So what’s the biggest difference between skipping and playing third? “You’re throwing 16 rocks instead of just your (two),” said Overton-Clapham.

Which is exhausting at the best of times and even more so when your team is not throwing those rocks particularly well.

That was clearly the case in the loss to Saskatchewan. Manitoba lead Raunora Westcott shot 58 per cent through the first five ends, second Leslie Wilson was just 50 per cent and third Karen Fallis shot 65 per cent through the first half of the game as Manitoba fell behind 7-2 after just six ends.

Overton-Clapham, on the other hand, was 80 per cent through five ends and made a couple of end-saving efforts that actually kept the game from getting even more out of hand.

“I felt great out there,” Overton-Clapham said. “I had my draw weight from the beginning and made a couple of saves out there.”

She said her team was caught off guard by the ice conditions.

“There’s more swing (in the ice) than I’ve ever seen at a Scotties,” Overton-Clapham said.

“If you throw a softer handle out there, you’re dead.”

Perhaps the biggest break of the day was that the Manitobans drew the Territories, the perpetual doormat at this event, on the very next draw.

A first-end steal was followed by a steal of three more in the third end and suddenly all the internal angst was replaced with buoyant confidence.

“We really didn’t play well our first game,” Overton-Clapham conceded after the win, “so you start questioning things.”

“I don’t know what it was that first game,” Westcott said. “Opening-day jitters maybe. But I certainly didn’t play well and I felt a lot better tonight.”

So in the end, Manitoba escaped the day with a 1-1 record and a skip who headed back to the hotel for the night feeling pretty good about things.

“I’m really enjoying it,” Overton-Clapham said. “I’m having a great time out there. I’m feeling great putting the broom down and throwing. The fans are great and it was great when P.E.I. was out there and the crowd was going loud on an open hit. That’s exciting. It makes it fun to be out there.”

Manitoba plays B.C.’s Kelly Scott this morning and New Brunswick’s Andrea Kelly tonight.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca