Homan selection for Beijing gives Team Hollie Duncan the Ontario berth at Scotties

Gregory Strong · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jan 14, 2022 12:50 PM EST | Last Updated: January 14, 2022

Rachel Homan and John Morris weren't the lone ones celebrating aft their enactment to deterioration the Maple Leaf successful mixed doubles curling contention astatine the Beijing Olympics.

The information besides cleared the way for Team Hollie Duncan to correspond Ontario astatine the nationalist championship.

"It inactive doesn't rather consciousness existent yet," Duncan said. "I deliberation astir apt erstwhile we get determination and we get to enactment those Ontario jackets on, past it volition descend successful a spot more."

Last week, the Ontario Curling Association (CurlON) decided to nominate Homan's four-player squad — which is somewhat up of Duncan successful the rankings — to beryllium the Ontario rep astatine the Jan. 28-Feb. 6 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

However, the prime came with a caveat.

If Homan was not selected for Beijing, her squad was in. If she did get the nod, Duncan would deterioration provincial colours astatine the Fort William Gardens successful Thunder Bay, Ont.

"I'd accidental we were amazed to spot that astatine first," Duncan said from Toronto. "I deliberation we conscionable benignant of assumed that it was going to beryllium Team Homan nary substance what. So that was benignant of a pleasant astonishment to cognize that we inactive had a chance."

Her Scotties spot was locked successful Thursday erstwhile Curling Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee announced the long-awaited mixed doubles picks.

That determination ended a adjacent three-week hold for the country's mixed doubles contenders and provided clarity for Duncan's rink too.

"It's been a roller-coaster of emotions," Duncan told The Canadian Press. "I'm trying to process everything, instrumentality it each successful and prepare."

The CurlON determination was met by disappointment successful the Team Homan camp. Through nary responsibility of their own, it would permission them retired of the Scotties if their skip answered the telephone to correspond her state connected the sport's grandest stage.

WATCH | Homan and Morris respond to being named to the Canadian Olympic team:

A remedy arrived connected Thursday night, specified hours aft the Olympic squad announcement.

Rather than instrumentality to the accustomed play-in crippled format to find a azygous Team Wild Card astatine the nationals, Curling Canada said it would spell with 3 wild-card teams arsenic it did past play successful the Calgary bubble.

That cleared the mode for the sixth-ranked Homan broadside to play (as Wild Card 3) on with top-ranked Tracy Fleury (Wild Card 1) and No. 5 Chelsea Carey (Wild Card 2).

"Like past season, immoderate playdown events were played and others were cancelled starring up to the Scotties and Tim Hortons Brier," Curling Canada CEO Katherine Henderson said successful a release. "And the lone happening we tin bash to guarantee equity crossed the playing tract is expanding the tract erstwhile again."

Alli Flaxey, who throws 3rd stones connected Team Jacqueline Harrison, volition play arsenic a substitute for Homan.

"With the expanded 18-team fields astatine the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, we are excited and grateful for the accidental to compete," Team Homan said successful a Twitter station connected Thursday night.

Duncan, meanwhile, won tankards successful Oakville, Ont., and Toronto past fall, qualified for the Grand Slam's National lawsuit and played successful the Olympic pre-trials competition.

Her rink has gone 25-11 this play and posted wins implicit Homan, reigning Scotties champ Kerri Einarson and Olympic women's squad typical Jennifer Jones.

"It is truly bully that we've won immoderate spiels but we're besides beating the top-level teams, which is what you request to bash to interruption into the adjacent level," she said.

2nd Scotties for Duncan

It volition beryllium the 2nd Scotties quality for the 35-year-old lawyer and archetypal for teammates Megan Balsdon, Rachelle Strybosch and Tess Bobbie.

Julie Tippin serves arsenic the squad alternate. Duncan went 5-7 successful her Scotties debut successful 2018 with a antithetic team.

Duncan's eighth-ranked broadside joined a Scotties tract that besides includes Einarson (as Team Canada), Alberta's Laura Walker, Manitoba's Mackenzie Zacharias and British Columbia's Mary-Anne Arsenault.

Ontario's wellness ministry inactive needs to supply last support for the Scotties to proceed. Ticket income were suspended past period aft the state announced capableness restrictions astatine indoor venues.

"We're inactive diligently moving distant astatine trying to guarantee that the Scotties does hap successful Thunder Bay," said Curling Canada high-performance manager Gerry Peckham.

The Brier is scheduled for March 4-13 successful Lethbridge, Alta.