Between the pebble and a hard place

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/11/2021 (1387 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s the sports journalism equivalent of being caught between a rock and a hard place.

On one hand, I fully recognize — and appreciate — just how much many of you love the grand old game. On the other hand, I’ll be the first to admit that my body of work when it comes to curling writing is as barren as a blanked end.

Which normally wouldn’t be a problem, since we employ one of the most capable pebble people in the land in colleague, Jason Bell. He’s the resident expert around here, and our coverage is once again in great hands as the Olympic Trials get underway today in Saskatoon.

But here’s the thing: I’ve drawn the plum assignment of heading to Beijing in February to cover the 2022 Winter Games for the Free Press. And a significant part of that is going to be getting you every possible detail about how the talented men and women wearing the Maple Leaf are faring in every single sport.

Right near the top of the list will be hurrying hard down to the curling venue on a daily basis, especially if those in the hack happen to be from our neck of the woods. And my buddy, Jay, says there’s a very good chance of that by the time the prestigious event wraps up next weekend, with three women’s teams and two men’s teams in their respective fields of nine vying for the honour, along with a handful of other local connections on out-of-province clubs.

Fortunately, I love a good challenge. And the opportunity to broaden my horizons has always been one of the best parts of this career. Along with curling, I’ve also never covered figure skating, luge, snowboarding, biathlon or bobsledding either, but darned if I’m not going to be taking a crash course and cranking out some copy on those events as well in the coming months.

In my now 26-and-a-half years in this business, one of my all-time favourite assignments came in 2017, just a year after I had shifted from the crime beat into the toy department here at the paper. Winnipeg was the primary host of the Canada Summer Games, and my work schedule was suddenly filled with swimming, wrestling, volleyball and cycling.

The chance to parachute into these new (to me) events, quickly learning about the competitors and telling their stories, was a blast. I remember telling my sports editor, Steve Lyons, how it had basically lit an internal torch in me, to the point I couldn’t wait to one day cover such an event on an even bigger stage.

Well, nearly five years later, here we are. Thanks, boss!

Just as I threw myself head-first into learning everything I could about the justice system for two decades, including scribbling a half-dozen true crime books, hosting a nationally-syndicated weekly radio program for ten years and being able to recite the Criminal Code in my sleep, I’d like to think I’ve done the same in my five years on the sports beat. The learning never stops, nor should it.

I’m told that next to the Jets and the Bombers, there’s nothing that gets the motor running of our sports readers more than curling. So trust me when I say I don’t take the responsibility of being your eyes and ears lightly. There will be plenty of high-level hockey to cover in China, with NHLers competing for gold for the first time since 2014. That should include a handful of Jets, which will feel like a comfortable old blanket for yours truly. But priority No. 2 — or is that 1A? — will feel a bit more foreign.

Although I’ve never thrown stones before in my life, curling and I aren’t complete strangers. I’ve been tuning in to the Brier and the Scotties for decades, always roped in by the drama and excitement created by provincial competition and the chance to proudly represent the country. Right back to my childhood, when I’d come home from school every March and immediately put TSN on, there was always something so comforting about hearing Vic Rauter’s “Make the final…” for a few weeks.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

The Warm-Up

Winnipeg Jets Game Days

On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.

Sign up for The Warm-Up

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The backgrounds of these impressive athletes were always a significant part of what drew me in. They weren’t multi-millionaires, but everyday folks with truly special talents playing a game they loved. It really hit home for me when my friend and former Maple Leaf elementary school classmate, Jill Officer, become one of the most decorated curlers our city has ever produced.

Good journalism is about making connections. On the sports beat, that means to the athletes you’re covering, to the tales unfolding in front of you, and most importantly, to the audience you’re writing for. And that’s always been one of the beauties of curling, at least to this distanced observer. The potential, and the possibilities, are seemingly endless.

Now, I have the chance to help tell some of those compelling stories. It’s safe to say I’ll be more than just a casual observer of what’s happening in Saskatoon for these next nine days. It’s a homework assignment I’m truly looking forward to, with the big exam set for next February.

Enjoy the trials, folks. I can’t wait to join the party.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.