Members of Team BC wheelchair curling team are all smiles as they get a visit from Canadian Olympic gold-medal skip Kevin Martin, center front.  From left to right:  Gary Cormack, skip, Karen Watson, coach, Frank LaBounty, third, Vince Miele, second, Samantha Siu, alternate and Alison Duddy, lead.

Members of Team BC wheelchair curling team are all smiles as they get a visit from Canadian Olympic gold-medal skip Kevin Martin, center front. From left to right: Gary Cormack, skip, Karen Watson, coach, Frank LaBounty, third, Vince Miele, second, Samantha Siu, alternate and Alison Duddy, lead.

Duddy disappointed, pleased with nationals

A fourth-place finish at the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships didn’t sit right with Alison Duddy who threw lead stones for Team BC.
It took a bit of time, but Duddy has also come to appreciate the magnitude of her accomplishment at the Canadian Wheelchair Curling championships in Edmonton, March 20 – 27.

  • Apr. 22, 2011 11:00 a.m.

A fourth-place finish at the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships didn’t sit right with Alison Duddy who threw lead stones for Team BC.

“We had higher expectations,” Duddy said.

“It was a tough pill to swallow.

“We were devastated.”

It took a bit of time, but Duddy has also come to appreciate the magnitude of her accomplishment at the Canadian Wheelchair Curling championships in Edmonton, March 20 – 27.

Not many curlers, or other athletes for that matter, have the opportunity to represent their province at national championships, never mind two years in a row.

“I’m honoured to put on my Team BC shirt and jacket and represent my province,” she said.

“Besides, a fourth place finish at the nationals is nothing to scoff at either.”

Duddy admitted being on a mission to win gold this year after finishing second at the national championships last year.

Expectations were also raised given  this year’s Team BC skip, Gary Cormack, was a member of the 2006 Paralympic gold-medal team and was defending national champion along with second Vince Miele.

Frank LaBounty, throwing third stones for Team BC, was a two-time Canadian champion and was on the team, with Duddy, that finished second at last year’s national wheelchair curling championships.

Team BC finished with a record of 6-3 thanks to two wins on the final day of round-robin action that secured a fourth place and a spot in the 3/4 page playoff game.

Unfortunately Team BC fell 6-4 to Team Manitoba in a game Duddy described as, “sloppy by both teams.”

Neither team, Duddy said, played their best curling.

“It was a game of misses,” she added.

Manitoba took an early 3-0 lead against Team BC taking a single in the first end with the hammer and then stealing one in the second and third ends.

Team BC got on the board in the fourth end as they counted one and then stole another point in the fifth end.

With the hammer, Manitoba scored three in the sixth end to take a 6-2 lead.

Team BC countered with two points in the seventh end, but that’s as close as they got as they ran out of rocks in the eighth end.

Given the experience on Team BC, nerves were not a problem, Duddy said, adding they were upbeat and positive until the very last end.

“We didn’t play our best,” Duddy said.

“We just didn’t come through when it counted.”

Not being able to play at the level they knew they could, made the loss more difficult to accept, Duddy said.

Manitoba went on to win the national wheelchair curling title, marking the first time in four years a team from B.C. does not hold the title.

The one difference this year, Duddy said, was some of the teams they faced had been together for several years.

By comparison, the roster for Team BC changes every year.

Duddy recognized the importance of having experience as a team, but at the same time pointed to the skill of Cormack as a skip in knowing and understanding the strengths of his teammates and playing to those strengths.

“He was amazing that way,” Duddy said.

Nonetheless, the point has not gone unappreciated by Team BC as they are considering participating in an international bonspiel in Maine in July.

“We’re looking for ways to play more as a team,” Duddy said.

In addition to the curling, the social aspect of the national championships was an uplifting experience that included various social activities, Duddy said.

Last year as a rookie on the national scene, Duddy admits she was a little reserved.

This year, she was looking forward to meeting up with members of other teams she had met last year and enjoying fully the social aspect of the national championship that included a hospitality room and a band.

“They treated us like gold,” Duddy said of the organizers and their team of volunteers.

Every game, Duddy said, members of opposite teams were chit-chatting between shots, enjoying not only the competition but the camaraderie among competitors.

Of special note was the camaraderie of teammate Frank LaBounty, who was awarded the sportsmanship award for the tournament.

Another important aspect of the nationals for Duddy, is the opportunity to socialize with other wheelchair athletes.

“To go to a place where there are 50 people rolling around the hotel and everywhere you go, that part is pretty cool,” Duddy said.

The trip to the national championships would not have been possible without her sponsors, Clayton’s Funeral Home, Regency Chrysler, Integris Credit Union, Ultimate Trophies and Engraving, Make Traxx Recreation and Supersave Gas, Duddy said.

“Sponsor’s are such a huge part of this.”

With the emotions of the national championship receding, Duddy is now focused on resting a tired body and mind, but soon will begin to focus on next season and another chance at the Canadian championships.

“I hope I get to go back next year,” she said.

 

Quesnel Cariboo Observer