Curling Canada, in conjunction with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Own the Podium, has decided to send Team Morris Form with Rachel Homan to Beijing to represent the country at the Olympics.
The decision was not easy, says National mixed doubles coach Scott Pfeiffer. After the mixed doubles curling trials, scheduled for December in Portage-la-Prairie, Manitoba, were canceled, a team had to be selected.
I’ve been fortunate enough to see a lot of bands over the past few months and have liked John and Rachel’s play
Pfeiffer confirms.
International experience has been one of the most important criteria among all those set by Curling Canada.
Originally from Ottawa and now both from Alberta, the twins are regular players in competitions around the world.
In addition to his Olympic experience, John Morris has competed three times in the World Tag Team Championship and twice in the World Junior Championships.
Rachel Homann was also at the Pyeongchang Olympics where her team finished sixth. She has represented Canada three times at the Women’s World Championships and once at the Junior World Championships.
According to the latest mixed doubles team rankings, Maurice and Houmann are ranked fifth in the country, but they have competed in only one competition this season, one they have won.
You want to play together
John Morris and Rachel Homan have been playing together since 2015, but they have known each other forever. The athletes’ parents are old friends.
I think I was 11 and she was a year old when we first met
John Morris recalls.
The curly-haired, now 43-year-old also remembers his father coaching Homann’s junior team and anticipates a bright future for him.
At 14, she was throwing stone stronger than the majority of women who have played in the pro ranks.
The two lost each other when Morris moved to Alberta, but Rachel remembers being very nervous the first time they saw each other because he was already a star while he was still playing for the juniors.
pressure? Of course!
In a video press conference, Thursday morning, John Morris said he felt pressure to represent Canada in Beijing.
You always have pressure when you represent Canada in curling, but I love pressure and Rachel too.
The two-time Olympic medalist admits there may still be a little more pressure this time around due to the way he and his fellow Canadian delegation were chosen.
This is not how we wanted to qualify. We would have liked to compete against the best teams in the country to earn our place, but that was impossible.
Morris says he feels a lot of sympathy for the other teams that were not selected and adds that the best way to honor them is to stand on the podium in matches.
He says he’s very excited to win another medal, but the opportunity to let his teammates win their first Olympic medal is even more motivating.
Canada begins its Olympic tournament on February 3 with a match against Great Britain.
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