With a dramatic win at the Roar of the Rings curling tournament, Kevin Koe’s team will be representing Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Korea.
“It’s amazing,” said Ben Hebert who plays lead on Koe’s team.
“Really proud of my teammates and all the work we’ve put in the last four years to get us to this point,” he said.
Hebert, who calls, Chestermere home, will be representing Canada for the second time at a Winter Games. He won gold in Vancouver in 2010 with Kevin Martin’s Canadian Men’s Team.
Hebert said that his first experience at the Olympics was incredible and he is excited to be going back.
“There’s only one way to ever feel the same way you did in 2010 about going to the Olympics and the only way to repeat those feelings is by going back,” he said.
Along with the excitement of competing at the games comes the pressure of wearing the maple leaf and representing Canada.
“But those are all good things,” said Hebert, “you could not have the pressure which means you’re not in the big games.”
With their win at the Roar of the Rings, which came down to the very last rock, the team is peaking at just the right time.
“To go through that week, and beat five out of the best five teams in the world…says a lot about where our game is,” said Hebert.
With the Olympics just two months away, Hebert said that he knows they are going into the games with a target on them.
“Because of Canada’s great history in the sport and how dominant they’ve been in the past of course we have a bullseye on our back going over there,” said Hebert.
This too, Hebert considers to be a good thing. As a favourite, as long as they play well they’ll be there at the end of the week competing for a medal.
“There’s very, very stiff competition,” he said.
“There’s four or five really good teams over there.
“We’ve played them all…we’ve beat them lots and they’ve beat us lots as well,” said Hebert.
However, if the team plays at the same level as they did at the Roar of the Rings, Hebert doesn’t see any reason why they shouldn’t be coming home with the gold.
The advantage they have had is the experience of the Olympic Trials here in Canada to earn their spot as the National team. Most of their competition don’t have that grueling selection process readying them for the Olympics.
Along with his team mate Marc Kennedy, who plays third, both competed in Vancouver and are bringing that experience to the team as they prepare to go to Korea.
“At the same time, no Olympic games is ever the same,” he said.
“I think me and Marc even though we have been there, the experience is great, but I think…for a lot of its going to be new for me and Marc as well,” said Hebert.
He felt that going into Vancouver there was more experience to draw on with Kevin Martin.
One of the biggest differences between his last Olympic is actually travelling out of the country to compete.
The winter games in Korea will be a bit more complicated to get to than Vancouver was.
Hebert is grateful that the Canadian Olympic committee is seeing to most of the logistics for them.
“They’re getting us prepared to go over there and be the athletes and win,” he said.
