Kleibrink skips to history

Mixed championship proves 'Gender is simply not an issue'

Adam Daifallah

National Post

January 20, 2004

Shannon Kleibrink made history Sunday.

With her 9-5 victory over Ontario's Heath McCormick in the final of the

Canadian Mixed Curling Championship, Kleibrink became the first woman to skip a team to the national mixed title.

That's quite an achievement, and it isn't her first "first" at the mixed. While women have skipped teams to provincial mixed championships in the past -- one example being Alison Goring in Ontario – Kleibrink last year became the first woman to win a provincial mixed championship, and her team made it all the way to the national final, eventually losing to Nova Scotia's Paul Flemming.

But beyond the history-making, Kleibrink's mixed success raises an interesting question: Is there a future for mixed teams being skipped by women? Some think it could be the beginning of a trend.

Indeed, past conventions on team lineups are increasingly being challenged in competitive curling. No longer is it a given that the person throwing third rocks holds the broom for the skip, or that the skip calling the game throws last. The best examples are Edmonton's Randy Ferbey rink, where Dave Nedohin, technically the team's vice, throws last rocks, and the Nova Scotia rink of Colleen Jones, where lead Nancy Delahunt holds the broom for Jones' skip stones. Those two teams have won three successive Canadian championships.

"First we had Ferbey's skip/third combination with Nedohin and now this ... it looks like Albertans are doing a lot of thinking about lineups, and I would expect the Kleibrink lineup to catch on in mixed play," said George Karrys, the publisher and editor of Canadian Curling News and a 1998 Olympic curling silver medallist.

There is a good case to be made for a mixed lineup with women at the second and skip slots, especially if the broom is held by the female second -- as Judy Pendergast did for Kleibrink. That leaves the two presumably stronger men players to sweep crucial skip stones.

"Men generally have more upper body strength. Guys can make more shots with sweeping than we can," said Karen Purdy, the chair of the Woman's Curling Tour who represented Manitoba at the 1993 Canadian mixed championship with Dale Duguid. "Sure, some women are great sweepers, but you'd be surprised at how many more shots are made by that extra strength."

The four-rock free guard zone also provides an incentive to have more muscle at vice. With the first four rocks of the end being untouchable if they're in the front of the house, vices are throwing more peel weight shots late in the end.

"I think Shannon nailed a great lineup concept when she created her team," Karrys said. "She's clearly maximizing sweeping power on skip rocks, and has extra throwing power at third position."

Others say the Kleibrink phenomenon is an example of picking the best players for each position.

"Teams will select individuals who fit the position on the team in a more analytical way in the future," said Elaine Dagg-Jackson, who works full-time as team leader of the Canadian national women's team.

"Skips and all positions will be selected on the skills they bring to the 'whole package' and how they enhance the performance of the team. There are few individuals in Shannon's class of experience at the skip position ... Gender is simply not an issue in this case."

While mixed curling may be changing, there is a downside: it looks like the event is going to have increasingly diminishing visibility -- coverage of the national championship is being dumped from the TV lineup next year. And the Canadian Curling Association has moved the date of the event to November from January. That means playdowns will come early in the fall, when players' schedules are already overburdened.

Kleibrink has said she will not be playing in the event next year.

adaifallah@nationalpost.com