Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • 42

SPORTS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2003 ALBERTA MEN'S CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP bores brilliantly D2 EDMONTON JOURNAL CURLING NOTES No. 3, please Randy Ferbey's Avonair team of Dave Nedohin, Scott Pfeifer and Marcel Rocque is the sixth team to win the Alberta men's curling championship three straight years. While that's an incredible accomplishment, Ferbey was rather sedate afterwards. "The actual championship isn't right up there but the opportunity to go back (to the Nokia Brier) and win three in a row is," he said about a chance to become the first team to ever win three consecutive Canadian championships. "I've got a good feeling we're going to be close." The numbers Nedohin, who throws skip rocks for Ferbey, shot 87 per cent during the round robin to easily lead all skips.

He was a -sizzling 97 per cent in his last round-robin game Saturday. Rocque was the top lead at 91 1 per cent. Les Sonnenberg of the Mike Vavrek rink edged out Pfeifer 85-84 among seconds and Jame King nipped Ferbey 85-84 among thirds. Bob Seney, the 56-year-old lead on Pat Miller's Camrose team, was chosen as the winner of the Dave Tibbs Memorial Award, which is based on sportsmanship and exemplary conduct on and off the ice. Did you know? Ferbey has played in nine provincial men's championships since 1986 and reached the final in eight of those events.

be at the top of our game to have a chance there," Rocque said. "Hopefully, well get an opportunity to play in that final." King expects Ferbey's team to do much better than that after getting publicly spanked in the provincial championship final. "I wouldn't be surprised to see them representing Canada again and winning the worlds," he said. Nedohin, who throws skip rocks, was the game-breaker Sunday. He made a nice angle-raise tap-back for two in the first end and a perfect hit-and-roll behind cover to force Blake MacDonald (who throws skip rocks for King's team) to draw for a single point in the second end.

Both shots had to be deflating for the young King team, which includes Blake MacDonald, Aaron Skillen and Ryan Keane. "From that point, we had control of the game," said Nedohin, who then delivered the game's knockout blow with a difficult seven-foot tapback raise through anarrowportto steal four points for a 7-1 lead after four ends. "Human highlight Pfeifer said about Nedohin. The bagpipes were soon warming up and the teams shook hands after the seventh end. Tm not going to take anything away from the Martins and Mid-daughs and Burtnyks," said Ferbey.

Tin sure they've gone through stretches where they've made absolutely everything, also, but right now Dave's in a zone. I don't think he missed a single draw all week. "If the ice conditions are to our liking, we're going to be very difficult to beat." They were Sunday when Pfeifer curled 89 per cent and the other three players on the team were all scored at 88 per cent. The performance capped the Ferbey team's most dominant performance yet in the provincial championship. They not only ran the table for the second year in a row, going 7-0 during the round robin and Alberta title taken care of, rink going after Brier history NORM COWLEY journal Curling Writer EDMONTON Randy Ferbey and his world championship team of Dave Nedohin, Scott Pfeifer and Marcel Rocque are going back to the Nokia Brier with a chance to become the first team to ever win three consecutive Canadian tides.

Ferbey, who also has an opportunity to be the only curler to ever win the Brier five times, won his third straight Alberta men's championship withadecisive 10-3 victory over Jamie King of the Balmoral on Sunday afternoon at the Granite Curling Club. 'It seems like the train just keeps on rolling," said Rocque. "We got what we wanted. We wanted a chance at this history thing." Nedohin said their incredible run this year seems like a dream "going back to the Brier, being a three-time provincial champion, winning $230,000, in an Olympic trials spot already and back in all the Skins Games next year. "It's absolutely goofy.

"We don't see it letting up," he added. "Not once have we let down our work ethic or taken anything for granted or taken a team for granted. "As long as we continue to do that, we're going to keep playing as well as we are." Rocque quickly pointed out that winning the Brier "is not an automatic" with veteran rinks like Russ Howard of New Brunswick, Doug Harcourt of Saskatchewan, Robert Campbell of P.E.I. and Pat Ryan of B.C., as well as former junior standout Brad Gushue of Newfoundland, also in attendance March 1-9 in Halifax. "There's a bunch of great curlers there and we're going to have to SHAUfjHN BUTTS.

THE JOURNAL losing the Alberta men's curling championship to Randy Ferbey Sunday. and three four-enders, didn't give up more than two points in any one end, and seldom got to the 10th end, let alone had to throw all of their rocks coming home. thejournal.southam.ca Besides shooting an impressive 86 per cent to top the team shooting charts, they outscored their opponents by an overwhelming total of 66-32. They scored five three-enders Talent pool diluted by politics Inexperience trips up King's crew 1 4 BARNES Continued from Dl There is absolutely nothing like the Brier. I wouldn't give it up for anything," said Ferbey.

The Martin rink gave it up 18 months ago in the belief that what they were doing would bring major financial benefits to all curlers. Love them or hate them for it as you will, but do not for one moment think they did it lightly. Tm a traditionalist too," said Martin's third Don Walchuk. "I want to play in the playdowns too. I've made a sacrifice.

But no, I haven't missed it because I know I'm trying to better the game. That's what started me off, the Brier and the world championships. Those were big things and still are. I'd like to be there and try to knock those guys off. Unfortunately, Icouldn't do that" It's obvious that the quality of NORM COWLEY journal Curling Writer EDMONTON Jamie King's coronation will have to wait at least another year.

The 29-year-old commercial banker calls the shots for the second-best team in the Alberta playdowns. While his Balmoral rink of Blake MacDonald, Aaron Skillen and Ryan Keane finally reached the final in their third straight trip to the Safeway Select Alberta men's curling championship, they weren't a match Sunday for Randy Ferbey's powerful defending championship crew. "I said to the guys after the game, let's chalk this up to experience, and next yen, let's get to this same position and win the said King, who lost the final 10-3 in seven ends. Experience is probably what the King team was lacking Sunday. SHAUGHN BUTTS.

THE JOURNAL Randy Ferbey ruled on Sunday. "We've played in so many high-profile games in the last two years, this is just another game for us," said Ferbey. "For these guys, that's the biggest game of their entire career, probably." While MacDonald and Skillen have previously won provincial tides, Ferbey thought King's shot-calling was questionable in the decisive fourth end. "He was in trouble and should have bailed a little earlier," said Ferbey. "He was only two down at the Jamie King is clearly unhappy after winning the sudden-death final, but also finished in first place after the round robin for the third year in a row, while winning 19 consecutive games and 23 of 24 games overall.

time. He should have opened it up a little more. You've got to give your skip that four-foot every possibility. "You don't have to play 100 per cent against us," he continued. "You just have to play well.

Just keep it close and wait for a break. He didn't do that." King won his last three round-robin games to finish in second place with a 5-2 record and then defeated Mike Vavrek of Sex-smith 6-4 in the semifinal. He was trying to become the first team since Calgary's Harold Breckenridge in 1990 to win the title after losing their first game in the provincial championship. "We had a good season we won $20,000 and getting to the provincial final is pretty good," said MacDonald. "We've got lots of years ahead of us, too.

If we can keep getting better like we do every year, one of these days itU come our way." the Americans for the gold medal. Scholten, competing at his first World Cup event this season, was a big revelation for the Canadian men this weekend. He was named the top male skater after winning a gold in the 500-metre race. Great weekend for Canadians Next year The 2004 provincial championship will be played in Hinton. Norm Cowley of curling these guys have got to match it," said Ferbey.

In time, perhaps one of them will. Blake MacDonald of the King rink talked about being inches away from two or three shots that would have made the difference. Ferbey and his sharpy shooting third Dave Nedohin made them. That was the difference. "We always like to think we've got one or two more shots in our bag than anybody else," said Ferbey.

"Most times we do." Sure, King has beaten Ferbey before. But this was for the Brier and for history, and with that much on the line, you don't beat Ferbey. Unless your name is Mar1 tin. "It's a see-saw battle all the time when we play each other," said Walchuk. "I respect their team.

They've had a great year and this is their day in the sun. Let them enjoy it" dhurnes( thejournal.southam.ca "I was shaking. Claudia is such a great skater, so I was worried. But luckily I could hang on a little bit and I came through first. "The 5K is the hardest distance for me.

It's not my favourite. But this was the last one of the year, so Tm happy about that." Klassen also placed third in the 1,500 earlier in the day in 2:05.10. Pechstein was second in that race in 2:04.99. Japan's Maki Tabata won the 1,500 in 2:04.71 and placed 10th in the 5,000 for seventh overall. Klassen was also second at the world sprint championships last month.

It's the first time in 15 years that a skater has won overall medals at both events in the same year. "There have been so many highs and lows," Turgeon said on Sunday. Tve overcome a lot of obstacles, my health, injuries, pressure and expectations. Tve been working for this for such a long time. "There was a lot of pressure, people who stopped believing in me and said I would never make it.

"To them, today, I say, Ha, ha, Goulet-Nadon named top skater at World Cup the field suffers from the split. "For sure it's a better event with (Martin) in it, certainly," said Ferbey. "I'm the first to admit it. Is this the best field we could have here? No. The same could be said about their events.

It's not the best. You think they would need the present world champions. Of course the tour needs the best and they don't have all of them." Most notably, they don't have Ferbey and Howard, who is headed to his 12th Brier. Martin wouldn't have won Alberta just by showing up this week, of course, but there was virtually no chance Ferbey would lose with Martin absent. Sunday's win was Ferbey's 19th straight at provincials going back to 2001, whenhe beat Martin in the final The King foursome played about 100 games this season and they're on the rise, but the gap between them and Ferbey isn't exactly shrinking.

"We have set the standard and It's the first time Canada has everwon gold in the 5,000 at the worlds and the first individual distance medal at worlds since Burka's 1,500 victory in 1976. Klassen skated in the last pair of the day in the 5,000 with Pechstein, a bronze medallist last year. The German, who nearly missed the championships after injuring her ankle during training early this week, beat Klassen by nearly two seconds. But that margin was not enough to overtake the Canadian in the overall standings. Pechstein finished in 7:29.50 seconds for second.

Klassen was third in 7:3139. "I was really nervous before the 5K," Klassen said. Canada's past winners D7 numbers, that's creating competition and enthusiasm and leadership, men and women, and it's nice to see the plan coming together." Turgeon's best results this sea-son before the worlds were a sixth in a downhill and a super-G, and a third-place finish in a super-G three weeks ago in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The Canadian Pretu KEARNS, UTAH KLASSEN Continued from Dl Wassen's victory highlights a remarkable performance by the Canadian women's team at the competition held outdoors on the the weekend, a much different environment from the confines of the Calgary Olympic Oval where they train. Kristina Groves of Ottawa placed fourth overall after a fifth in the 5,000 and sixth in the 1,500 on Sunday.

Hughes won the 5,000 in seven minutes 25.88 seconds and was sixth in the overalL Pechstein was second in 7:29.50 and Klassen third in 7:3139. If1 iL All lL Amelie Goulet-Nadon of LavaL earned her second gold medal at the short-track speed skating World Cup on Sunday, winning the women's event. Goulet-Nadon was also second in the race. She was named the top skater of the meet after earning a gold medal in the 500-metre cornpetition Saturday and a silver medal in the event Friday. Trie Canadian men's relay team of Jeff Scholten of Fredericton, Jean-Francois Monette of Pointes-aux-Trembles, Francois-Louis Tremblay of Boucherville, and Montreal's Jonathan Guilmette also captured a gold medaL Goulet-Nadon won the event in five minutes 39.167 seconds.

China's Wang Wei was second, with compatriot Xiaolei Cheng third in 5:39.803. Alanna Kraus of Ab-botsford, B.C, was fourth while Montreal's Tania Vlcent was sixth. Wei won the race in 1:33.549. Goulet-Nadon was second in 1:33.749, while Vlcent Turgeon never lost faith in herself THE ASSOOATJD TOSS Jean-Francois Monette carries the Canadian flag around the ice after his team won the men's relay at the World Cup short-track finals in Keams, Utah on Sunday. TURGEON Continued from Dl As well, four national team coaches were fired after the disappointing results and the men's tearj was told they wouldn't fin ish the World Cup season.

a young team and we need to build on that so they gain experience," sa Read. Vhat we're seeing is a team that is buildin out with more took third in 1:33.878 fbrherfirst medal of the season. Kraus took fourth in 1:35316. The Canadian men's team won its fourth relay in five World Cup events this season. Scholten, Monette, Tremblay and Guilmette finished ahead of i.