Curling's new world order poses challenge for Martin

Tough international field stands in way of Canadian skip's elusive Olympic gold

Last Updated: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 | 1:45 PM ET

By Jesse Campigotto, CBC Sports

The curling competition at the 2010 Olympics promises to be the toughest ever seen at the Games. Fine by Kevin Martin.

The Canadian skip, who will again be the favourite in his third Olympic appearance, likes the fact that he'll have to work for an elusive gold medal in Vancouver. It means his sport has arrived.

"I think that's very positive," Martin says of the proliferation of highly skilled international competitors bent on upsetting him. "I don't see any negative there for myself or [for curling].

"You don't want to be a sport where Canada almost wins automatically. In curling now we've got a half a dozen countries that are at the same level. I think that's great. What a perfect sport."

Sounds altruistic, but Martin, 43, is smart enough to know that a sport's long-term viability as an Olympic event depends on an equal (or at least scattered) distribution of ability across multiple countries. Remember that some were calling for the elimination of women's hockey — as duopolistic a sport as there is — until Sweden shocked the United States in the semifinals in Turin.

Curling faces no such danger. Canadian skips, while still dominant, have won a relatively modest eight of the last 16 combined men's and women's world championships, a span during which five countries claimed titles.

This isn't a brand-new trend, but it's a long way from, say, 1985-2000, when Canadians won 11 of the 16 men's world championships and nine of the 16 women's. And it's nothing like the 1960s and early 70s, when Canada all but owned the men's crown (there were no women's worlds until 1979).

Murdoch, Ulsrud target Martin

David Murdoch, back left, and his team look to upset Kevin Martin. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)

The 2009 worlds offered a stark reminder that times have changed. At the women's tournament in Korea, Jennifer Jones of Canada finished fourth — her second medal-less showing in three tries.

At the men's in Moncton, N.B., David Murdoch of Scotland beat Martin three straight times — the last of those a 7-6 decision in the championship final — to deny the Canadian his second straight title.

"That anyone would beat Kevin three times in a week is hard to imagine," says CBC curling analyst Mike Harris, who taps Murdoch as the biggest challenger to Martin in Vancouver.

Martin, though, knows Murdoch's isn't the only international rink to worry about.

"Obviously, Murdoch has played well the last few years. But I'm not sure that he's stronger than Thomas Ulsrud of Norway," says the Edmontonian, who also mentions U.S. skip John Shuster and the emerging Chinese team led by Fengchun Wang as potential landmines.

So how did these other countries get to be such a threat? With our help.

Norway's Thomas Ulsrud will be a contender in Vancouver. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

Elite curlers are crossing oceans at the start of every curling season to hone their games on Canadian ice, often with Canadian coaches. And the competition is the best in Canada, where most World Curling Tour events are held.

"A team like Murdoch's — he's maybe, what, 30 years old? [actually 31] — hell, he's been in Canada for 10 years, off and on," says Martin.

"The guys from China, we see those guys at the club all the time," Martin says. "They're here for about half the winter, practising every single day —. with Canadian coaches."

Rising power

China's advantages are unique. Funded by a national government bent on world domination (at least in sports), Wang and his teammates are that rarest of breeds: full-time professional curlers, free to spend their 9-to-5s on the practice ice. (Martin and friendly rival Glenn Howard, who've won more money on tour than anyone over the last several years, still need to hold down "real" jobs: Martin owns and operates a curling supply store, Howard manages a Beer Store in Penetanguishene, Ont.).

Wang skipped his team to the playoffs at the 2008 worlds, beating eventual champ Martin in the round robin. His counterpart on the women's team, Bingyu Wang, has risen even faster in the ladies' game, which has traditionally been less Canada-centric. After taking silver at the 2008 worlds, her rink won it all last year and will be one of the favourites in Vancouver.

"They can catch up to the other players a lot faster," says Cheryl Bernand, skip of Canada's Olympic women's team. "They pretty much move here in July or August and they don't go home until April. They play everywhere and they benefit from coaching and they know exactly what they're doing out there.

"It doesn't take as long when you have that kind of time and the opportunities that their government gives them."

Get used to it, because international curlers aren't just encroaching on Canadian territory at the senior level. Our boys are title-less in back-to-back world junior championships since winning nine of the previous 10. The girls haven't struck gold since 2003.

"There's real parity now," Martin says.

Sort of reminds you of another sport played on ice that Canada claims to own, even as its relative power is eroded by an influx of great athletes from overseas.

"It's kind of like hockey," Martin offers. "The international teams that Canada plays against, they're full of NHL guys. We watch them every Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada.

"Same in curling. Whether they're from Scotland or Norway or China, we play these guys every week in our version of the NHL: the World Curling Tour."

In other words, these guys are here to stay.