Double bubble champ

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This article was published 25/03/2021 (1689 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

No one has found a pin sharp enough to burst Kerri Einarson’s bubble.

Remarkably, the Gimli curler has earned two national titles in just four weeks at WinSport Arena in the hub city of Calgary.

Not too shabby during a 2020-21 competitive curling season that nearly wasn’t.

Einarson, the recently crowned Scotties champion for a second straight year, and her partner, Olympic, world and Brier winner Brad Gushue, had never played together before but discovered a winning formula, capping off a terrific week-long Canadian mixed doubles championship with a victory in Thursday night’s final. 

Kadriana Sahaidak and Colton Lott, representing the Winnipeg Beach Curling Club, had their magical run halted with a 9-6 defeat to the union of illustrious skips.

“I never thought I’d win a mixed doubles title as well in the same year. It feels absolutely amazing. Brad and I have really enjoyed it. My coming into this, I didn’t expect this. My first time ever playing mixed doubles, the sweeping, the judging. I’m really proud of myself and Brad,” said Einarson.

Einarson and Gushue, who hails from St. John’s, N.L., will be ‘heeding to the ald country for a wee celebration.’ To clarify, that’s the world championship, May 17-23, in the northeastern Scottish city of Aberdeen.

“Wow. It’s crazy, especially not being able to play as much as we have in previous years. Maybe that’s helped. Just going out there and not thinking, just throwing, and enjoying ourselves,” she said. “That’s something that I’ve been doing the last couple of events.” 

The mixed doubles championship was the third event staged in the competitive bubble, with players and officials adhering to strict COVID-19 safety protocols.

Einarson’s regular foursome captured a second straight Scotties Tournament of Hearts championship on Feb. 28. They’ll wear Canadian colours at the women’s worlds, April 30 through May 9 at the now exceedingly familiar rink on the grounds of Canada Olympic Park.

Ironically, neither was afforded the chance to don the Maple Leaf in 2020 with their four-player teams at the respective world women’s and men’s champions, due to cancellations owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was disappointed for our team but I was more disappointed for Kerri and Val (Sweeting) and their team. And then to see them come back and win the Scotties and then the (upcoming women’s) worlds announced as part of the bubble, and now for her to win this, it seems appropriate …,” offered Gushue.

Unfortunately, it came at the expense of a young couple from Einarson’s neck of the woods, who fell way behind in the gold-medal game but did their best to make things interesting. 

Surrendering a steal of four in the fourth end was the crushing blow for Sahaidak and Lott, mixed doubles specialists who also settled for a silver medal in 2018 and a bronze in ’19.

“I’ve been curling with Kadriana and Colton for numerous years and it was hard,” said an emotional Einarson. “They’ve lost a mixed final before, so it’s really difficult and I’ve been in their shoes before. Such amazing players and I’m so very proud of them.” 

Indeed, this one hurt.

“I personally came out flat in that game, obviously, the one game you don’t want to. But it is what it is,” said Lott, 25. “At this level, you can’t afford to come out flat, and if you come out flat you’re not going to win. You have to be on your toes every game, for sure.”

A dramatic turn of events actually occurred in the opening end. Sahaidak faced a manageable double-takeout for a mammoth count of four but caught the top rock too thick and wound up surrendering a steal of one, instead.

Down 3-1, the fourth end was a tire fire for Lott and Sahaidak. She had only a low-percentage tap left with her last toss but bumped in an opposition rock to relinquish four.

There is a silver lining, as both finalists cinched Olympic trials berths, set for early 2022 to decide Canada’s mixed doubles team for the Beijing Winter Games.

“We had a great week. Earning that spot was huge and we’re going to come out of this stronger and, hopefully, next year we’ll come back again,” said Sahaidak.

“We want (Einarson) to succeed as well and we’re very happy for them. Of course, we wanted it to be us. They’re a great team and they’ll represent Canada really well.”

Einarson and Gushue advanced to the final with a 7-6 triumph over the Alberta duo of John Morris and Danielle Schmiemann in the semifinal earlier in the day.

Gushue and Einarson, who have a combined five Canadian team titles, become the first fusion of skips to prevail in mixed doubles in Canada.

The winners earned $50,000 in prize money, Sahaidak and Lott collected $30,000, while Morris and Schmiemann pocketed $20,000 for third place.

Canada’s reps will cross the pond with some additional weight on their shoulders. The twosome must finish in the top seven to secure a place for the country in the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games mixed doubles event.

Among high-profile curlers, Morris is undeniably the country’s pre-eminent advocate of mixed doubles.

The 42-year-old Canmore, Alta., firefighter loves the game. And why wouldn’t he? He and Kaitlyn Lawes of Winnipeg united to win gold at the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.

“The big-name men’s and women’s players that play mixed doubles now, they’re starting to see how much fun this game is and it’s catching on,” he said, after the semifinal. “I wouldn’t be surprised in 10 years if mixed doubles is bigger than the men’s and women’s game.”

 

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell