LONDON, Ont. – With the 2010 Winter Olympic Games just days away, Canadian Olympic men’s curling coach Jim Waite is getting excited.
Waite, who is also The University of Western Ontario's varsity men’s golf coach, hopes home-ice advantage and months of mental and technical preparation help to lift the Canadian men’s curling team to Olympic gold.
The excitement of the Olympic Games on home soil intensified for Waite in December when he served as the official torchbearer in his hometown of St. Thomas, Ont., and lit the Olympic flame centre stage in front of thousands of his neighbours and fellow community members.
Waite, who will coach the medal-favourite Canadian men's curling team at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, said it was a very special moment for him.
"I spoke with the mayor (of St. Thomas) and they estimated there were about 8,000 people there. I think they were only expecting three, maybe four thousand," Waite said. "I hadn't thought of what the crowd would be, but it makes sense that the whole community came together. This whole area needed this after the recession and (job) losses in the automotive sector."
And, as he said, weather-wise it was "a perfect day" with sunny skies and no school in session - making it easy for families to come down together.
“It was a special moment for me, in front of family, friends, and it was special for the community.”
A former teacher at Oak Park Elementary School in London, the Olympic coach had family on hand including a new grandson with his parents in from Seattle. They will also make the trip to see him in Vancouver this month.
With the emotion and buzz around Canada looking to win gold on home soil for the first time in Olympic history, Waite will welcome the added support system. His Canadian men’s curling team has added pressure on top of competing on home soil as they are, once again, among gold-medal favourites. After what Waite described as a “dream final” at the Roar of the Rings Olympic qualifying tournament between curling legends Kevin Martin (Alberta) and Glenn Howard (Ontario), Martin’s team emerged and will settle for nothing less than winning gold in Vancouver.
"That final matchup was what we wanted or at least were expecting," Waite said. "It was a dream pairing for the final, it just wasn't a dream final (Martin's rink won handily). It was unfortunate to not be closer because they had such a good round-robin game."
Waite has spent most of the past two months with the Martin rink, beginning Jan. 4 in Guelph, Ont., a slam event, part of the pro curling tour. They also competed at the Skins Game in Orillia, Ont., and in Winnipeg at another Slam event before going to Vancouver in late January to scout out the Olympic village and participate in orientation.
Given the long format of the event - the tournament could last as long as 16 days - Waite and the Canadian delegates are doing some extra mental preparation, adding motivational speakers to help the team stay focused.
With the added pressure of performing on home ice - Martin's rink lost in the world championship to Scotland in 2009 in Moncton - and the high interest in curling in Canada, the mental preparation will be important to deal with the high expectations.
"We're aware of it obviously," Waite said. "Some of the people working with us are past Olympians, they are trying to change negative pressure into a positive, that we should not be afraid of that kind of pressure on Canadian soil because we know it's because everyone in Canada wants us to do well."
While the Canadian team is one of the favourites, led by Martin, there is fierce competition.
"Martin has the horses to win it all and we're not afraid to say we're out there going for gold," Waite said. "Scotland, which won the world final, last year in Moncton over Martin, is tough. Norway will be fantastic, and they will be tough, and the Swiss, U.S. There are probably six teams there who could medal."
"It will be a dog fight," he said.
At the Olympics, teams will compete in a round-robin format, playing each other once, before the top four teams advance to the single-elimination playoffs with semi-finals (1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3) and then the medal games. Waite said “the semifinal will probably be the hardest game,” nothing a win in the Final Four round at least guarantees a medal. The long format, stretching over two weeks, is unique for the Canadian rink and many others on the international circuit.
"It's a really long time to keep everyone on focus," Waite said. "You might play, for example, Monday afternoon and then not again until Tuesday night and then right away again Wednesday morning and not again until Thursday night," he explained, adding that the Canadian championship, the Brier, lasts just 12 days.
To help keep focus and be mentally rested, Martin's rink was instructed to take time off and spend it with family over the holidays and not to pick up a rock until January.
In the pre-Olympic events in Guelph (1-4 record), Orillia (lost in semifinal to Scotland’s David Murdoch) and Winnipeg (won over Howard rink, 6-4, in final), Waite said the priority was about preparation for the Olympics and not necessarily winning those events.
"We have to work on situations and things we may see in the Olympics," Waite said, adding they worked in the fifth player in these events.
Waite said he has not been to an Olympic Games where the Canadian team has not had an injury, "so it's important to be prepared for whatever could happen."
Tickets to the curling events are sold out - and the Canadian team is even asking other countries to dip into their allotment of tickets because they are such a hot commodity.
The Canadian men's curling team and Waite returned home in early February and then returned to the village on Feb. 8 where they will stay for five or six days before relocating to a hotel in nearby Richmond, B.C.
They will compete in a brand new in $100-million recreation facility, part of a legacy project which will include a library and pool. With seating for only 6,000 in the arena, located near Cambie Street, it will be an intimate environment.
Because focus is so important for the team, which will compete from Feb. 16-28, Waite said they chose to relocate from the Olympic Village (near False Creek in Vancouver) for their competition period to a hotel.
"You cannot be in the village after many other athletes are done competing while you're in competition mode. It becomes a zoo after a while. It is party headquarters the closer you get to the end of the Games," Waite said.
Waite said he has enjoyed this Olympic experience so far.
"It's so exciting - everything from the torch run, and then looking forward to being with the guys in January," Waite said. "February will be over the top."
"We were told by the Olympic Committee three sports would receive the most attention and draw: men's and women's hockey, figure skating and number three is curling," Waite said. "We have two media liaisons working with us and we are doing everything we possibly can so all the athletes have to think about is curling."
For Waite, it's a perfect setting for what "likely will be my last Games."
"This will be my fourth and it's really special because it is in Canada," Waite said. "I've had three other wonderful Olympic experiences in Nagano, Japan, Salt Lake and in Torino - and Torino was over the top, winning a gold medal there."
"To do the same thing at home would be the culmination, it would be very special."
