Glenn Howard and Team North America are trailing Team World at the Continental Cup. FILE PHOTO: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave ChidleyThe Canadian Press
As Glenn Howard gets ready to turn 50, he is showing that his curling skills have not diminished with age.
The three-time world champion from Coldwater, Ont., is keeping Team North America in contention for its second straight World Financial Group Continental Cup title. In the process, he is preparing for another run at the Brier and world championships.
"There should never be anyone over 50 playing at a high level," said defending world champion Jeff Stoughton, 48, of Winnipeg, who plans to stick around for about two more years and then go back to participating in club events.
Howard was on the ice for two wins and a loss Saturday. His mixed rink thrashed rising Swedish star Niklas Edin 18-2 for a win in skins play, then his men's rink hammered Edin 25-5 in late skins action.
Between the skins matches, Howard's usual Ontario rink dropped a 17-15 decision to Thomas Ulsrud of Norway in a singles event identical to the Hot Shots competitions used elsewhere.
Howard is shining with a North American squad that is battling a determined Team World, still smarting after a one-sided loss last year, from running away with the title. Team World led the North Americans 170-120 after Saturday night's skins action.
"The skins seemed to work for us," said Howard, who will hit the half-century mark in July. "I have to commend (Anderson and Singler). They played great. That was a well-curled skins game — pretty darn close to as good as it gets. I thought we had Niklas in trouble every end."
Howard's mixed-rink win over Edin was his second victory over the Swede in two days, albeit in a different format. Howard beat Edin 6-4 on Friday to go undefeated in men's play with a 1-0-1 record. He opened the competition with a difficult 4-4 draw against Norway's Ulsrud.
"He's been outstanding," said Stoughton of Howard. "He makes some great shots just to get the tie in his first game and then he came back after being three down against Edin and ended up winning the game."
In both of the men's matches, Howard battled back from early 3-0 deficits. to go undefeated in men's play. The Ontario skip opened the competition with a 4-4 draw against Norway's Ulsrud on Thursday, when he overcame another 3-0 deficit.
Despite Team North America's struggles, this competition serves as preparation for Howard as gets ready to qualify for his 14th Brier appearance. He has won three national titles and finished second to Stoughton last year.
As Howard gets ready to enter his fifth decade, he is rising into rarefied curling air. Few in the game's modern era, if any, have excelled beyond 50. Randy Ferbey of Sherwood Park, Alta., 52, is an exception, but he did not advance beyond Edmonton city playdowns this year and will miss the Brier. Stoughton attributes Howard's and his own success to improved play, a better training regimen and enhanced fitness among curlers over the past two decades.
But Stoughton would rather see more young curlers challenge him and his peers.
"There's not really a whole lot of young men's teams between 20 and 35," said Stoughton. "We don't know why. Maybe they got tired of losing to myself, Glenn or Kevin Martin, or something's wrong with the programs, because we don't have the young teams like the European teams do."
He pointed out that European teams have more government funding available to develop young elite curlers. Although some countries have smaller talent pools, they have the resources to develop young stars.
For example, Swedish curlers can get money from the curling federation or the country's Olympic program. As a result, Edin, 26, is able to spend considerable time improving his skills.
But Sweden operates under a different system, with national team coach Peja Lindholm selecting world championship and Olympic rinks rather than requiring squads to go through playdowns and qualification events as Canadians do.
"You have so many good teams here in Canada, so it doesn't really matter how you do, because you know Canada will have an outstanding team playing in the championships," said Lindholm. "It's not exactly the same way in Europe and in Sweden. Therefore, we have to have good systems to make sure the best teams will go to the championships."
Lindholm attributes Howard's success to more than just good fitness. The curler's age is also about state of mind.
"It's a question of motivation, I would say," said Lindholm. "Do you have the motivation for practice and stuff like that? If you have that, I'm sure you can have a top quality and make sure you're going to be of top calibre as well."
The rest of the Continental Cup will test Howard's motivation even more. The remaining skins games Sunday are heavily weighted points-wise and strong results will allow Team North America to overcome its struggles thus far.
"It'll be interesting from now on to see how this will be, because the first half is more like the preparations and the setup for the last two days," said Lindholm. "Canada is playing very nice and I expect the Canadian curlers, and also Glenn's team, of course, to play very good."
In other men's team action Saturday, Ulsrud drew 4-4 with Pete Fenson of the U.S., and Scotland's Tom Brewster edged Stoughton 7-6.
In early women's skins play, Annette Norberg of Sweden beat Patti Lank, a Midale, Sask., native who lives in Lewiston, N.Y., native and competes for the U.S., by a 16-4 score. In early men's skins play, Scotland's Brewster Scotland also bettered Fenson 16-4.
In late skins play, Scotland's Muirhead downed Amber Holland of Kroneau, Sask., 26-4 and Ulsrud drew Stoughton 15-15.