Allison Pottinger, Debbie McCormick, Nicole Joraanstad, and Natalie Nicholson came to Vancouver with high hopes, confident their hard work would yield good results.
Instead, the Olympics brought them disappointment, as despite their best efforts the U.S. women’s curling team won only two games out of nine, and were forced to concede four times.
Instead, the Olympics brought them disappointment, as despite their best efforts the U.S. women’s curling team won only two games out of nine, and were forced to concede four times.
U.S. skip Debbie McCormick missed so many key shots in the opening games that she voluntarily ceded her clean-up position to her friend and teammate Allison Pottinger. McCormick’s curling improved tremendously in the lower-stress third position, but Pottinger felt the pressure and started to miss.
As the games went on the U.S. team, seemingly shell-shocked, lost their grip on strategy and began playing too conservatively, or just missing obvious calls.
The team struggled to stay up-beat and positive throughout the Games, but they couldn’t figure out what was wrong and couldn’t correct it.
After the final game, Debbie McCormick told a NBC reporter that she couldn’t pinpoint the problem.
“I don’t know I can’t put a finger on it. So many of these games were close—it just came down to missing key shots.” When other teams made mistakes, she said, “we let the teams back into it and we couldn’t finish off.
“We had a great season. We worked really hard all year to be at the other end of the spectrum. Things just didn‘t go our way this week.”
After putting her life on hold in order to prepare and compete in the Olympics, for so little reward, McCormick she needed to rethink her future. Though she was plainly discouraged, her words reflected hope.
“The team’s done really well, we’ve all supported each other and been there for each other and worked really hard to try to get some wins and do the best we can here,” she said. “We will sit down and talk about what the future holds.
“I’d love to still curl with them—we are great friends and I love curling with them. I think curling is still definitely in my future. I still love the game and wan to continue to play.
As the games went on the U.S. team, seemingly shell-shocked, lost their grip on strategy and began playing too conservatively, or just missing obvious calls.
The team struggled to stay up-beat and positive throughout the Games, but they couldn’t figure out what was wrong and couldn’t correct it.
After the final game, Debbie McCormick told a NBC reporter that she couldn’t pinpoint the problem.
“I don’t know I can’t put a finger on it. So many of these games were close—it just came down to missing key shots.” When other teams made mistakes, she said, “we let the teams back into it and we couldn’t finish off.
“We had a great season. We worked really hard all year to be at the other end of the spectrum. Things just didn‘t go our way this week.”
After putting her life on hold in order to prepare and compete in the Olympics, for so little reward, McCormick she needed to rethink her future. Though she was plainly discouraged, her words reflected hope.
“The team’s done really well, we’ve all supported each other and been there for each other and worked really hard to try to get some wins and do the best we can here,” she said. “We will sit down and talk about what the future holds.
“I’d love to still curl with them—we are great friends and I love curling with them. I think curling is still definitely in my future. I still love the game and wan to continue to play.
Weak Start, Bad Finish
The game against Switzerland highlighted every one of the problems which plagued the U.S. team all week. In the first end, with the U.S. holding the hammer, Switzerland failed to cross the hog line on an early shot.
This should have given the U.S. an advantage. Instead, the Swiss team stepped up with two double takeouts. The U.S. decided to blank the end, but Allison Pottinger left her final rock in the house, forcing the U.S. to take one.
Switzerland made more mistakes in the second end, and this time the US. Was able to capitalize, stealing two points.
Switzerland got two with the hammer in the third end, then stole a point in the fourth and three in the fifth, when Nicole Joraanstad, Debbie McCormick and Allison Pottinger missed key shots—Pottinger missing badly with both her rocks.
The Swiss did not play a flawless game. But every Swiss miss was followed up by an American miss, and the Swiss made the big shots, while the U.S. team did not.
Switzerland stole another point in the sixth, and in the seventh, with the U.S. still holding the hammer (unable to score since the second end) Switzerland stole three more points. The U.S. squad conceded, down 10–3 with three ends left to play.
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