They're off to Nedohinipeg
Ferbey's final-rock thrower will be the star of the Worlds curling show
By TERRY JONES -- Edmonton Sun
When we left the back-to-back-to-back Brier championship rink in Halifax, the last quote in my notebook had been supplied by second Scott Pfeifer.
All week the storylines were about the threepeat and Randy Ferbey's five brier wins, but Pfeifer said we all missed the major motivation involved.
"One thing meant more to the guys on the team than anything else. We wanted to get Dave Nedohin to Winnipeg to defend our world championship. Winnipeg is where Dave grew up. He never mentioned it once, but this was about getting Dave back home. I was really excited to be able to do that.''
Ferbey was packing his suitcase at home when he answered the phone yesterday.
"We can't wait to get to Nedohinipeg,'' he said.
"Dave went in on the weekend. One hundred and fifty people showed up to watch him practice. Can you believe that?
"There's definitely going to be a lot of focus on Dave Nedohin, that's for sure.
"That city is pumped for Dave. He's excited about it and he should be. Something like this doesn't happen for somebody very often in any sport.''
GOING BACK HOME
It's the Ford World Curling Championships which start this weekend and before he moved to become a fully accredited member of the City of Champions, Nedohin grew up in the city which will play host to the April 5-13 event.
"I had a chance to come in here early and visit family and get all that out of the way so I can focus on curling when the guys get here,'' said the last-rock thrower who was the MVP of all three Brier wins.
Mom and dad are Chris and Neill who still live in Winnipeg. Three of his four grandparents, Milton, Doris and Ernest are still alive. Brother Sean still lives there as well.
"I've got uncles, aunts and cousins,'' he continued.
"I went out to practice at the Charleswood Club where I played as a junior. CBC asked if they could come out there and get some footage. All of a sudden there were over 100 people out there watching me practice.
"They've got my dad holding the broom and CBC had me trying some double-takeout type shots and I'd miss the first three and finally make it on the fourth one and they'd cheer like crazy.''
A certain amount of it Nedohin expected. But not Nedohinipeg.
"They used me to promote the event,'' he explained. "They had billboards and cards made up for the tables at the curling club and stuff like that. But I wasn't ready for this. They've got me going to the banquet for the big junior bonspiel (last night) and a big media conference this morning at the arena. Everywhere I go here, I'm getting a lot of attention.''
If there's a guy who has kind of managed to get the short end of the stick with the success of this rink, at least in terms of the big ego trip, it's been Nedohin.
While he throws last rocks, Ferbey is the skip and has his name is on the rink.
"I'll be honest,'' he said. "I'm really enjoying it. And I think Winnipeg is just going to be phenomenal.
"I think they're going to be crazy for it. It's the most excited I've ever been for an event. To represent your country in a city you grew up in, in the greatest curling country in the world ... that's pretty phenomenal. I can't hardly wait for it to start.''
That's when it's time to do what they do best and turn it all off and be, first and foremost, a team. Finding a focus at the world championships is not the easiest thing to do for a Canadian rink.
"The Brier is an emotional high. It's not the same going to the world championships. You're expected to win. I think there's a little more pressure to win. If you don't, you don't feel like you've finished the job,'' Nedohin insisted.
For the guys back home about to catch the plane to meet up with him, they'd really rather be going to Lausanne or some such exotic location.
It's the fifth for Ferbey. He knows what it's like to lose 'em and he knows what it's like to win them.
"Because of the Olympics and everything, it's become a lot bigger than it was when I first went over in '88,'' said Ferbey.
AS BIG AS THE BRIER
"Maybe it's not as big to Canadians yet. Maybe it would help if the playoffs were this weekend and not in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. But to me the world championships are as big as the Brier - actually bigger. There's only one place you get to be world champion.''
History was their storyline in Halifax and they said they've found some for motivation in Winnipeg, too.
"No team has won back-to-back world championships since Don Duguid in '70-'71. That was 31 years ago.''
Duguid, of course, was from Nedohinipeg.
