I was relaxing too much at home, and had to run the whole way back to arrive just as the piper started to play. I expected an open, conservative game, and after the first end I felt certain that’s what we would get. But then Kelly called a guard, and the game was on.
In many respects, this was the game of the week. Later on TV they said that this was championship game calibre, and it was absolutely true. I didn’t think any of the weekend games could beat it, and I was a little upset that I didn’t tape it!
BC versus NS. On paper, BC had the edge but both teams played with outstanding percentages. BC actually had a little bit of a shaky game, but it was very even. In the final end, both teams tried 4 times to bury behind a guard, and there were lots of rocks in play. BC had the hammer, it was tied. Finally BC got around. Then, Colleen had a tough gentle angle raise to sit one, which she made to raucous applause. And Kelly Scott had an angle raise from the other side, which she nailed to perfection, to the crowd’s roar of satisfaction. Then the buck was passed back to Colleen, to try the raise again from the other side… and I could tell by the way she was watching the rock that it wasn’t going to be good. BC takes one and the bye to the final. The audience leapt to its feet: a better display of women’s curling would be very hard to come by. Not just women's: curling in general!
The crowd had been awesome and extremely knowledgeable. The stress obviously got to Colleen at one point, as she uncharacteristically went running up the ice after one of her shots. But it got to Kelly Scott too, as she shouted with more panic than I’d ever heard in her voice before.
Afterwards I (and everyone else) headed over to the Heart Stop Lounge. My curiousity again overcame my shyness and I joined some strangers at their table and we waited a little while… and then the MC announced Team Kleibrink and the 2000 people jumped to their feet for a sustained standing ovation. The team in their white Olympic curling coats, wearing their bronze medals, strolled in waving to the blaring tune of “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy”—apparently their pre-game song of choice; good choice, great song!
Amy did most of the talking, unsurprisingly, and showed herself a bit of a straight-talking goof. I was surprised that Shannon was so silent. Daryl Nixon did a lot of talking also; he was serious and sentimental. Amy made tears come to my eyes (and probably many others) as she said some very sweet things about her team and their relationship as best friends. There were great anecdotes about the Olympics, the illnesses, Christine’s sleep in (she was not at all apologetic… she NEEDED it, she insists… I get the feeling Amy possibly got a little worked up at the time). Amy spoke very candidly about her illness and the need for toilet paper… oh dear. Shannon waxed eloquent only about the medal ceremony… I wish I’d got to see it.
I hemmed and hawed about going over for autographs, discouraged by the line, but finally decided what the heck, I’d go. I waited in line for more than 45 minutes but it was well worth it. I was way more interested in seeing and speaking with the curlers rather than seeing the medals: I’d liked the team well before they won anything. Shannon said hello, Amy chatted away and invited me to pick up her medal—heavy and beautiful—and Christine made out their autographed card to me. I told her I thought she was the best and a super-sweeper (I felt like a child… and we’re the same age!… but I’m glad I did it). Daryl asked if I curled and where I was from. I left feeling very happy. Amy was very very bubbly and outgoing, and tell-it-like-it-is, and had a very obvious interest in children. They were all very pretty in person. Well worth the wait.
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