A series of isolated incidents

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This article was published 19/02/2021 (1880 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Shannon Birchard admits she isn’t proud of herself.

The Winnipegger and second for Team Canada has already spent hours watching Netflix, far too much Summer House, in particular, since Tuesday as she kills time — and brain cells — inside her Calgary hotel room.

The premise of this abominable reality show? A group of stably employed New York millennials head to a summer pad in a tony part of Long Island each weekend for unrestrained debauchery.

Oh, Shannon… tsk, tsk. Intelligent programs such as The Queen’s Gambit, The Crown and Mindhunter are only a few clicks away.

“I know, right?” the 26-year-old curler said Thursday, with a sheepish laugh. “It’s terrible. I need a new show, something good.”

Isolation is, indeed, a big part of bubble life for participants of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts — set in a controlled environment to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus — and Kerri Einarson’s returning championship crew from Gimli is no exception.

“It’s been pretty boring so far,” Birchard said. “Lots of alone time. Order food to our rooms, read or watch Netflix and try to do some kind of physical activity, if we can. It’s made for a few long days.”

Winnipeg skip Beth Peterson expects to ride the Netflix train, too, but made sure to pack four decks of cards for some extreme solitaire action and a couple of good books for the down time.

“I read all the time, so that’s my big thing. I’m reading My Dark Vanessa (a New York Times bestseller by Kate Elizabeth Russell) which is a good one. But I also brought — and I wanted it for a very long time and my fiancé went out and got it — the Tina Fey autobiography (Bossypants). I’ve also got the Amy Poehler book (Yes Please). Hopefully, they’ll be a breath of fresh air with some laughs.”

Teams filtered into town Tuesday and Wednesday, went through COVID-19 rapid testing and then practised Wednesday at Markin MacPhail Centre at Canada Olympic Park before retiring to their rooms.

Einarson’s defence of the national crown begins tonight at 7:30 p.m. — the lone draw of Day 1— against another Manitoba squad, Mackenzie Zacharias, the reigning world junior women’s champion.

It’s been a long time coming after a season of discontent, owing to the pandemic and the resulting curling-club shutdowns, travel restrictions and event cancellations. While there’s elation surrounding a return to play in Calgary and motivation to perform, some early struggles are likely unavoidable, Birchard said.

“The biggest thing we need to do is stay patient out there, be patient with ourselves, because we might not come out all guns blazing, having not had any time on the ice to prepared,” said Birchard, aiming to win her third Canadian women’s crown in as many attempts. “I think we have to take it game by game and not get too focused on the fact that we are Team Canada and the defending champions and a relatively large target on our back.

‘The biggest thing we need to do is stay patient out there, be patient withourselves, because we might not come out all guns blazing’– Shannon Birchard on the early games

Einarson and Birchard are joined on Team Canada by third Val Sweeting of Alberta, lead Briane Meilleur, fifth Krysten Karwacki and coach Heather Nedohin.

“We just have to go day by day and, hopefully, things fall into place for us. There have been certain provinces that been able to practise during the winter and even play some games, so that’s a definite advantage for them,” added Birchard, a first-team all-star a year ago in Moose Jaw, Sask. “Those of us that haven’t had that opportunity might have some catching up to do.”

Players from the 18-team field got their first look Thursday at the arena, decked out for the first of four major Curling Canada championships to be staged in the Alberta hub city. They also got an early feel of the playing surface, created by renowned icemaker Greg Ewasko of Oakbank, who has transformed a hockey rink into a curling venue.

“The speed is always great and he likes lots of curl, so you have to make sure you have a good release, something super positive and nothing soft, otherwise your rock’s gonna be gone three feet out of your hand,” Birchard said. “He takes a lot of pride in his ice making, so we can expect some great ice out there.”

There’s a powerful Manitoba presence at the 10-day Scotties. Einarson is joined by provincial representative Jennifer Jones of St. Vital, along with all three wild-card teams, Tracy Fleury of East St. Paul and a pair making their debuts, Altona’s Mackenzie and Beth Peterson of Assiniboine Memorial.

Jones’ longtime third, Kaitlyn Lawes, making her eighth appearance, said the exercise never gets old.

“Any opportunity you have to try win a national championship is a huge honour. It’s still a rush. We’re so excited to get back into that competition feeling,” said Lawes, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and 2015 Scotties champion. “It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been.

“I remember my first Scotties (2011) and that was 10 years ago (in Charlottetown) and I still have those same butterflies. Obviously, I wish we had fans in the stands but it’s still going to be exciting.”

Two-time Scotties champion Chelsea Carey, a Winnipeg product who now lives in Calgary, will substitute at skip for Fleury, who is staying home in Sudbury, Ont, with her young daughter Nina, who is receiving treatment for a medical condition.

Peterson opens Friday night against Laura Eby of Yukon. On Saturday morning, Jones battles Laurie St-Georges of Quebec, while Fleury meets Lori Eddy of Nunavut.

Katherine Doerkson, who tosses second stones for Peterson and the precisely labelled Team Wild Card No. 3, has tried to stay busy, albeit in solitude, since Tuesday afternoon. The retail buyer for the North West Company did a half-day of work Tuesday at the desk in her hotel room and also gave some packable workout equipment a spin Wednesday.

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The Scotties rookie expects a heavy jolt of reality Friday night when Peterson puts the broom down.

“My nerves are building up a little bit but it still doesn’t seem real, and I don’t think it will feel real until we’re on the ice playing that first game,” said Doerksen, 27. “I still can’t believe we’re at the Scotties. It’s a dream come true. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact it’s happening, just because it’s something I’ve worked toward and dreamed of since I was little.

“I’m doing everything I can to mentally prepare for games. It’s really going to come down to focusing on each shot, honing in on my two rocks every end and honing in on my role on the front end.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell