Although one of them will be sporting the Canadian flag on their jackets, both Newfoundland and Labrador teams at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier are itching to get out of their hotel rooms and onto the ice.
Brad Gushue and company will represent Team Canada, while Greg Smith and team will represent Newfoundland and Labrador inside the fan-less bubble Brier in Calgary when play begins tonight.
Both Gushue and Smith agree that having no fans on-site will be the biggest adjustment.
Gushue says the arena will be awfully quiet as they curl. They’re also at the Brier without their families supporting them—which is something they’ve always had in each Brier so far.
(Team Greg Smith, via Twitter.)
Smith says it’s a lot different with no fans and no events to go to. He says they head to the rink and back to the hotel, and that’s it.
Gushue says it’s been a bit of a challenge to get in the mindset with so much uncertainty around whether the tournament would even go ahead. However, with many safety measures in place, he says they’re fortunate to be there and get the opportunity to play.
Mark ended up walking 5km today in his hotel room! Now if that isn’t motivational we don’t know what is! 👏 #beactive @KubotaCanadaLtd @PurolatorInc @MapleLeafPrime @HardlineCurling @AshamCurling @BELFORGroup RMS @MarkNichols_NL pic.twitter.com/CqU3johbZJ
— Team Gushue (@TeamGushue) March 3, 2021
Both agree that the bubble experience has been good so far, but isolating away from teammates ahead of the games has been a challenge. Smith says they’ve resorted to team Zoom meetings to prepare.
Gushue and Smith will face off at 10 p.m. local time on Wednesday, March 10. Smith hopes the game will mean a bit more to them than the last time they went toe-to-toe at the Brier, but he looks forward to the challenge.
Chasing their fourth Brier in five years, Gushue says the key is getting off to a good start.
Team Gushue and Team Smith begin play tonight at 10 p.m. NST.
Listen to Brad Gushue speak on the VOCM Morning Show below:
Listen to Greg Smith speak on the VOCM Morning Show below:
