Jackson played ‘pretty well’ despite record

Despite finishing with a 2-7 record at the Ontario Scott Tournament of Hearts in Timmins, Kathie Jackson came away feeling they didn’t curl all that bad.
“I think, for the most part, we played pretty well,” said Jackson back home Monday morning. “Five of those losses came on last rock, and if you lose games like that, then you’re right in there.
“I’m pretty happy with the way we curled,” she added.
Jackson said the ice at the McIntyre Curling Club had a lot to do with several games turning into wild shootouts. Many were often decided by 9-8 or 11-9 scores.
“It’s just the way the ice was,” she noted. “It was a really, really fast ice compared to our home rink.”
In fact, the Fort Frances foursome–which also included third Kim Beaudry, second Kelly Wagar, and lead Stacy Beacham–surrendered at least eight points five different times. And their record in those games was a paltry 1-4.
While they scored their share of big ends during the nine-game round-robin, it was the big ends they gave up that cost them dearly.
“We scored a lot of big ends but we also gave up a lot of big ends,” admitted Jackson. “That happened in the game against [Melanie] Palmer which we lost in the extra end. The score [11-9] was like a football game.”
By the time Jackson’s rink had begun to adjust to the ice, they already were 0-3 in a situation where only three of the 10 teams advance to the playoffs.
(A proposal to usher in the Page system this year–where four teams make the playoffs–was voted down.)
That slow start left Jackson with an uphill battle that was near impossible to overcome.
Losses against North Bay’s Darla Esch (9-8), Rideau’s Darcie Simpson (6-5), and North Halton’s Colleen Madonia (9-7) quickly put the Fort quartet behind the eight-ball.
“The slow start really hurt us,” said Jackson, without hesitation. “Our goal was to go 6-3 and when you lose your first three, then it’s really tough to come and win.
“The Page system gives you one more chance to get in,” she reasoned.
Then after beating Cheryl McPherson (Bayview) 13-9 for their first win last Wednesday, Jackson’s rink was smoked 9-0 later that day by Janet Brown (Sutton).
They managed to edge Linda Chyc (Soo) 7-5 but then lost their last three games–11-9 to Palmer (Ilderton), 8-1 to eventual champ Anne Merklinger (Rideau), and 4-3 to Lorraine Lang (Fort William).
“This year, the [Chyc] team that went 0-9 was a relatively new team but all the other teams, with the exception of Merklinger, could beat anybody,” Jackson noted.