Featured Curling Athlete: Joel Jordison

After a few years of calling the shots, Joel Jordison was ready to take a step away from the house and give his sweeping muscles a wakeup call for the 2011-12 curling season. The long-time resident of Moose Jaw had been a successful skip on the Saskatchewan men’s scene for a number of years, after a solid junior career that saw him win the 1996 Saskatchewan junior title (with newly crowned Canadian mixed champ Jason Ackerman as his vice-skip). Jordison captured a Purple Heart in 2009 and competed at the Tim Hortons Brier that year at the Saddledome in Calgary, where he put together a 3-8 record with third Scott Bitz, second Aryn Schmidt and lead Dean Hicke, and also played in the Road to the Roar Canadian Curling Trials qualifying event in Prince George, B.C. Before that, he’d also won the prestigious Karuizawa International Bonspiel in Japan, beating Aussie veteran Hugh Millikin in the gold-medal game To get to Calgary, Jordison had beaten Pat Simmons in the Saskatchewan final to snap Simmons’ string of provincial titles at four in a row. Interestingly, Simmons played a role in Jordison hooking up with a new team this year; Simmons was playing third and throwing skip rocks for Steve Laycock last season, but decided to join a new team, accepting an offer to play vice-skip for Kevin Koe’s Edmonton foursome, leaving a rather gaping hole in the Laycock lineup. “We made a list of guys who we would consider,” Laycock told the Regina Leader-Post last spring. “We contacted a few and Joel was definitely near the top of the list, if not the top guy.” So Jordison got the call, and he’ll be a part of the Laycock team (rounded out by second Brennen Jones and lead Dallan Muyres) that will compete in the 2011 Capital One Canada Cup of Curling, beginning Nov. 30 at the RecPlex in Cranbrook, B.C. Jordison, an accomplished baseball player who won a Canadian championship silver medal in 1996 with Team Saskatchewan, also works behind the scenes in curling. He served as a volunteer driver during the 2010 Saskatchewan Winter Games, has served as a guest speaker in the past at the provincial high school curling championships and provincials masters curling championships, and also coaches juniors. Birthplace: Moose Jaw, Sask. Hometown: Moose Jaw Curling Club: Moose Jaw CC Current Team: Team Steve Laycock Position: Third Delivery: Right Quick Hits with Joel Jordison Do you have any superstitions? “They seem to change week to week!” Three people, living or not, whom you would invite to a dinner party. “Friends and family.” If you could be a star any other sport, what would it be, and why? “Can bullpen catchers be stars in the big leagues?” If you could change any rule in curling, which one would it be, and why? “Keep 10-end games. Too often, games end early, which does not appeal to paying customers.” What music, if any, do you like to listen to before a game? “Band of Horses — good napping music.” Favourite: — Website? “Saskcurl.com.” — Vacation destination? “New York, Boston, etc.” — Junk food? “Chips.” Person who had the most influence on your curling career. And why? “Roger Anholt in my junior years; Tim Krassman in my first years of playing men’s in Alberta; and Rod Montgomery while playing for him in my early 20s.” First thing on your Bucket List? “Travel to every Major League Baseball park for at least one game.” Favourite pastime between draws at cashspiels? “Risk, cribbage, reading. And napping, of course.” Mixed doubles in the Olympics — thumbs up?  Thumbs down? And why? “Down. Where and when are mixed doubles played otherwise?” One thing most people don’t know about you? “I don’t think there is much that people don’t know about me.” Your ideal shot to win an Olympic gold medal: “Draw.”