Curling Scoops - Your source for the greatest news from the world of Curling

Curling Scoops
is the
Official News Source
of
Curling.com


	Subscribe to Curling Scoops

Gushue Proud of Newfoundland's Support of Olympics

July 4, 2008

On a sheet of ice in Italy, Brad Gushue became Canada's first male to win a gold medal in curling and slid his way into the hearts of the people of Newfoundland. Two years later, his home province of Newfoundland is giving back to the Olympic Games. This morning at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Premier Danny Williams, with Gushue and team mate Mark Nichols on hand, outlined just how the province will contribute to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. Also, Gushue shared his thoughts on this summer's Russian Masters curling event.

This morning's announcement featured the Vancouver Organizing Committee's (VANOC) Chief Executive Officer, John Furlong, who was beaming with pride of Newfoundland's contribution to the games so far. Furlong recognized a construction team from Newfoundland that poured two years into building the Olympic sliding center in Whistler, which is, in Furlong's opinion, one of the "best in the world." Furthermore, Furlong praised the one hundred and sixty-one Newfoundlanders who have signed up to volunteer at the games—an impressive number for a province with a population about one quarter that of Metro Vancouver itself.

The Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Danny Williams, announced that the province will join VANOC's Contributing Province/Territory Program and will contribute one and half million dollars toward Canadian athletes and the staging of the Vancouver Olympic Games. One of the most prominent involvement will be a "Newfoundland and Labrador Day" which will be held during the 2010 Olympics. This special day will involve both activities at the Vancouver games and also back in communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

"Our Presence in Vancouver will enable the province to pursue opportunities for sport development and tourism marketing," Williams explained.

That one and a half millions dollars being invested by Newfoundland will be split down the middle. One half will go towards the "Own the Podium" campaign, which aims to put Canada atop the medal count in 2010. The other half will go towards organizing the "Newfoundland and Labrador Day", participation in the Cultural Olympiad, give a boost the Newfoundland leg of the Torch Relay, and many other things.

Photo by Brent Hayden

Following the announcement, Curling Scoops' Chris Ballard caught up with 2006 Olympic champion, Brad Gushue.

Gushue was very proud of his province's support of the Olympics, as the Winter Games clearly have a special place in his heart.

But the Winter Olympics are more than a memory for Gushue, they're also a goal. "We have a chance to get back," Gushue told Curling Scoops. Gushue recently made some changes to his roster, swapping out Dave Noftall and Chris Schille for Ryan Fry and former team mate Jamie Korab.

"Jamie has a renewed commitment to train and to the team," Gushue said, regarding the decision to re-join with his fellow gold medalist. It's obvious that the team worked well in Italy, so the Team hopes that by bringing Korab back in, it will improve their chances of getting a second trip to the Olympics.

The other new name on the Gushue team is Ryan Fry, who played with Jeff Stoughton last season. Gushue liked Fry's competitiveness and age, making him a good fit for the team. "[Fry] also wanted a change," Gushue explained. The two parties apparently started talking about the change shortly after the 2008 Brier, but it was kept quiet until the Players' Championship in April.

Later this month, Gushue will be North America's only representative at the Russian "St. Petersburg Curling Cup" event in St. Petersburg, Russia. "It's a life opportunity," Gushue told us. "An opportunity to take part in a new event in a new place."

Gushue hopes to use this summer event to help his new team bond and work out any kinks in the system before the curling season official starts. This Russian pre-season event will take place July 25-27, 2008.