So far so good for Alison Duddy at the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships, March 20 – 27.
After three round-robin matches, Team BC with Duddy throwing lead stones is a perfect 3-0, along with Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia.
In their first game of the championship, Team BC swept to a 6-4 win against Saskatchewan.
"It was a real nail biter," Duddy said.
Down 4-2 going into the eighth end, BC scored two to tie the game, then stole two more in the ninth to take their first game of the championship.
The second draw of the championship was just as nerve-wracking as the host team took a 7-3 lead into the eighth end.
But that turned around quickly as Team BC scored four in the eighth and stole one in the ninth to squeak past the Cliff Nuspl rink 8-7.
For the third draw, Team BC took a 4-0 lead in the first end and never looked back as they walloped NFLD and Labrador 10-1, bringing Duddy just a step closer to her goal.
Before going to Edmonton for the championships, Duddy said she was leaving with a singular goal, the gold medal.
It’s been a long year for Duddy, waiting for her shot at payback, an opportunity to atone for last year’s loss in the gold-medal match at the Canadian Wheelchair Championships in Kelowna, B.C.
“I wanted to go back to nationals really bad,” Duddy said.
“Last year we got the silver and I want the redemption of the gold this year.”
Last year’s loss in the national championship final left Duddy and her teammates with a bitter taste because it came at the hands of skip Gary Cormack’s team, a team they had beat to win the provincial title just a month earlier.
This year, Duddy and Frank LaBounty, teammates on last year’s B.C. championship team, joined forces with Cormack from Surrey and second Vince Miele from Richmond for this year’s provincial championships.
“It’s kind of like if you can’t beat them, join them,” Duddy said with a chuckle.
The decision has thus far paid dividends.
Duddy and her teammates earned the berth in the national wheelchair championships going unbeaten in round-robin action, including a win over reigning Paralympic champion Jim Armstrong at this year’s B.C. provincial championships.
Not bad for a team that had not practiced together.
“It was awesome,” Duddy said of the two victories against the Paralympic champion.
“It was such a good feeling.”
With a second-place finish at the nationals and two first-place finishes at the provincial championships, Duddy already has an impressive resume that would make any curler proud, let alone someone like Duddy who took up curling less than three years ago.
But LaBounty of Prince George, who has three national championships to his record, saw something in Duddy just over a year ago and asked her to join the Warren rink to throw lead stones. The rest, as they say, is history.
Duddy has proven to be quite capable at throwing lead stones and thus far has not disappointed, given her invitation to join LaBounty again this year.
Duddy attributes her success in wheelchair curling to LaBounty.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without Frank,” she said.
“When I first started we had able-bodied people trying to teach us how to play wheelchair curling.
“Frank took me to the level I am at now.
“He’s tried everything and found what works.
“He was able to take me to this level right from the beginning.”
Curling in a wheelchair doesn’t present any special challenges, Duddy said, other than the fact the curlers are in wheelchairs.
However, wheelchair curling does not include sweeping, and that, Duddy said, puts a premium on accuracy.
“You have to be more accurate with your weight and your line,” she explained.
“I find it to be a little more challenging in that respect.
“Because you don’t have sweepers to rely on, your weight has to be bang on and your accuracy has to be bang on.
“That makes it a tougher game I think.”
Indeed, watching Duddy, during a recent game in the Quesnel Seniors league, she was very deliberate in her approach to each and every shot.
She shifted her body position several times before finally settling in for the shot, her eyes fixed on the skip’s broom.
“The pre-shot routine is very important to make sure your setup is the same for every shot,” Duddy said.
“Kevin Martin has sweepers to drag a rock that is light, but we don’t have that option.”
Duddy did not reach her current level of play over night, there was practice involved, including up to three games a week and an additional practice session.
“It’s just a matter of throwing rock after rock after rock and finding that consistency,” she said.
Just days before her trip to Edmonton, Duddy said she was also fortunate in finding sponsors to cover travel costs.
“I’m very grateful,” Duddy said of the sponsors that helped her get to the provincial championships, including Regency Chrysler, Claytons Funeral Home, Super Save Gas, Make Traxx Recreation, Integris Credit Union and Ultimate Trophies and Engraving.
The funding, Duddy said, allowed her to focus on the task at hand, a single-minded pursuit that began with a loss at last year’s national championships.
“The gold medal,” she said simply.
“The gold medal all the way.
“That’s why we’re going.
“Last year was bittersweet and we’re all very motivated to bring home the gold.”