FLYING HIGH! Swedes wriggle off the hook to join Canada in semifinals

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1 Friday, March 23, 2018 An Official Publication of Curling Canada and the World Curling Federation FLYING HIGH! Swedes wriggle off the hook to join Canada in semifinals Swedish skip Anna Hasselborg improved her record to 10-1 Thursday night with an extra-end win over Russia.

2 Page Ford World Women s Curling Championship EYE OPENER FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018 Canada, Swedes top 2 But who will join them in final sprint to playoffs? By JOHN KOROBANIK Eye Opener Writer Kaitlyn Lawes (left) and skip Jennifer Jones have Team Canada pointed in the right direction after improving their record to 10-0 Thursday, sweeping both their games. Olympic champions Jennifer Jones of Canada and Anna Hasselborg of Sweden locked up semifinal berths at the Ford World Women s Curling Championship Thursday evening while the remaining four playoffs spots are still to be decided. Canada jumped on Diana Gaspari of Italy (2-9) in the middle ends and rolled to a 14-6 win to remain unbeaten at That ran Canada s winning streak in the world championships to 23, including Rachel Homan s 13 wins last year. Hasselborg gave up three to Victoria Moiseeva of Russia (6-4) in the third end and deuces in the fifth and ninth but scored two in the 10th and stole one in 11 for a 9-8 victory That s a big, fat checkmark, Hasselborg said of the comeback win that improved her record to 10-1 and put her in the semifinals. The 10th end and 11th were really, really great. They played very well so it was a struggle out there. For Moiseeva it was a lost opportunity to still have a chance for second place and a direct route to the semifinal. Yeah we did, she said when asked if she thought her team let the win slip away We had some really unlucky mistakes. It was quite loud in there tonight, it was really hard to communicate because sometimes you cannot hear even yourself. At that point we missed some key shots because we didn t hear each other. Jones, vice-skip Kaitlyn Lawes, second Jill Officer, lead Dawn McEwen and alternate Shannon Birchard, who replaced Officer after the fifth-end, had a 10-3 lead after six. They stole two in four, three in five and two in six. But Gaspari and her crew, already eliminated from the playoffs, didn t shake hands. Instead they capitalized on three Canadian misses to score three in the seventh. They did shake hands after the eighth, however, when Canada countered with four. We wanted to go out and play a little more aggressive, try some different shots, Jones said of her team s play. So we were willing to give up some big ends to try something new. Just wanted to stay aggressive and try to throw a few more draws. And she wasn t surprised Italy didn t shake after six ends. They actually made a big comeback earlier in the week so we weren t surprised. It was good because we wanted to be out there for a few more ends if we could so it worked out well. With a semifinal spot secured and not having to play quarter-finals, Jones said they will spend their two games Friday, against Japan and the U.S., getting ready for their semifinal. We ll try to be as sharp as we can and really get comfortable with the ice and the rocks and feel really great heading into the weekend, she said. That s the ultimate goal. While Canada and Sweden know they re advancing, there ll be a mad scramble for the remaining four playoffs spot in today s final three draws. Under this year s new format that saw the number of teams increased from 12 to 13, six teams advance to playoffs. There are seven teams battling for those final four spots. Only Denmark, Scotland, Germany and Italy are eliminated.

3 #WWCC2018 Page 3 Russia s Victoria Moiseeva (centre) had Sweden on the ropes but couldn t deliver the knockout blow. Swiss skip Binia Feltscher keeps close watch. Proud sponsor of the volunteers at the Ford World Women s Curling Championship People who know, know BDO. SM Assurance Accounting Tax Advisory WHERE AM I? Discover more at ontariotravel.net TURTLE ISLAND

4 Page Ford World Women s Curling Championship EYE OPENER FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018 Game is getting younger, Team Canada skip Jennifer Jones is an ageless wonder who is still at the top of her game in her 40s. Is age really just a number? In the curling world, there s certainly an argument to be made for that. Glenn Howard has been near or at the top of the game since I can remember, and continues to have success. Jennifer Jones shows no sign of slowing down in her 40s. I had the opportunity this year to play with someone I aspired to emulate growing up in Cathy Overton-Clapham, or CathyO, and she is certainly something of an ageless wonder we have had an incredibly successful season. But we re also starting to see younger teams break through sooner. In Canada, we can look to examples like Rachel Homan, who had significant success in women s curling before she was even finished juniors. Brendan Bottcher just went all the way to the Tim Hortons Brier final. And Matt Dunstone is proving to be a great player shortly after graduating from junior. Certainly, if you looked at the average age of successful Canadian curlers, it would be older than that of the international teams. Anna Hassellborg s young «CHELSEA CAREY Swedish team has rocketed to enormous success, culminating in this year s Olympic gold medal. Eve Moorhead missed a world junior championship to compete in her first Olympics in Niklas Edin was winning major titles in his mid-20s. So what gives? Does age matter, or doesn t it? I think the reason we are seeing younger players have success earlier is the closing of the gap between the junior game and the men s and women s games. I recently had an opportunity to speak at the Bantam Southerns in Calgary a regional playdown sanctioned by the Southern Alberta Curling Association, NOTHING SAYS AFTER PARTY LIKE AT #ThePatchNB AFTER PARTY! fisherwavy.com

5 #WWCC2018 Page 5 and better that the 16 participating teams had to qualify to get to. I was completely shocked by that. When I was bantam age granted that was a long time ago we had one bonspiel each year. Yes, just one. Even as juniors, we only had a handful of events, and had to enter men s and women s events to fill the gaps. But that was hard to do, as they were far more expensive and we didn t have much for funding and sponsorship. When teams or players graduated from juniors to men s and women s play, there was a massive learning curve. The level of curling was drastically different, and so it would take you three, four, five, even 10 years to get your bearings and learn this new game. The game for bantams, juveniles and juniors has progressed immensely, even in the last 10 years. They have junior tours in many provinces now, these young players manage to accumulate significant sponsorship, and the level of play is improving. There s far less shock and awe from junior players when they get into a men s or women s event, because these youngsters are making more shots. Their chances to beat men s and women s teams are higher, and therefore we see it happen. There s still the element of experience, and that s important. I m 33 years old, and I feel like I m just approaching my prime. Jennifer is one of the most decorated curlers in history, and you could make a strong case that she s been at her peak the last four or five years. Experience is perhaps most important at the skip position, and certainly at the back end. With the physicality now involved in sweeping, and all the training that goes into that, it is reasonable to assume that a front-end player may peak at an earlier age than a back-end player. It s why we have seen a trend towards older back ends, or skips, with younger front ends. These are all generalizations, of course, and there are many other factors at play here. Overall, though, we are definitely seeing a trend towards younger players, which I believe is good for the game. But there are still those ageless wonders who refuse to slow down. Just ask Jennifer Jones. CHANGE YOUR BULBS. CHANGE YOUR BUSINESS. If you re always looking for ways to improve your business look up. Changing your lighting is a simple and affordable way to create a better working environment, make your customers happier, and reduce your energy use. Learn more about incentives and other resources to help change the way you see your business.

6 Page Ford World Women s Curling Championship EYE OPENER FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018 Curling takes toll on moms Time away from kids hard Daniela Jentsch is divorced, a single mother raising two young children while trying to find enough success on curling sheets around the world to support herself and her family. She s not alone. There are mothers in almost every sport pursuing their athletic dreams while struggling with the emotional detachment from their children when they re on the road. Among the curlers here at the Ford Women s World Curling Championship, there are at least 10 mothers with 14 children. For most of them, they have partners or grandparents eager to pitch in and look after the children. For me it s harder because I m By JOHN KOROBANIK Eye Opener Writer divorced, a single mom raising my sons, says Jentsch whose children are Rafael, 5, and Gabriel, 4. When I m away for a few weeks it s even harder because the relationship with my former husband isn t the greatest. He doesn t let me talk to the kids, so lots of time I m away for a few weeks and I don t even get to call them, and I can t see them (via Skype, etc), so it is tough. It is, however, the best option she has in a situation made even more difficult each time she leaves and her children cry. Continued Opposite page Team Canada moms and their kids: Dawn McEwen (left), daughter Vienna; Jill Officer (right), daughter Camryn. WELCOME WORLD CURLING FANS! Vic Fedeli MPP/ DÉPUTÉ Nipissing FISHER STREET NORTH BAY NORTHGATESHOPPINGCENTRE.CA Cost-Effective Planning, Surveying and Engineering Design musurveying.com

7 #WWCC2018 Page 7 Yeah, it s hard because for them it s always, mom is going away. But they understand because from the very beginning I was travelling a lot and they stayed with their dad or grandparents, so they re used to that. Now they know when I m home they re with me and then they go back to their dad s place so they re always changing houses and stuff. They re handling it well, but kids need both parents so it s either me, when I m there, or their dad. It s tough but it works out. It s also tough for those 36 mothers who competed at the recent Scotties Tournament of Hearts and had to do their best to focus solely on their responsibilities as members of their teams, while dealing with occasional twinges of sadness, perhaps even a little guilt, and certainly moments of wondering what their children back home were doing. And, let s face it, each of them is missing those precious moments they re losing with their sons and daughters. Oh yes, of course, with their partners as well. It is the reality that sacrifices must be made by elite level athletes in every sport as they pursue their hopes and dreams. Absolutely, agrees Jill Officer, second on the Jennifer Jones Canadian team. For me, personally, I have a lot of support, my husband s a great support, both with looking after our child and obviously from a financial standpoint. My parents. And we have a lot of help. Without that help, competing often enough to remain competitive at the elite level can be overwhelming. Alberta skip Casey Scheidegger took time off from curling while on a maternity leave from her teaching job and is discovering how difficult it is emotionally. My son is 20 months, back at home watching on TV for as long as he watches, which isn t very long, she said while at the Scotties. I miss him lots, but I figure it s better to do this when he s young, he doesn t remember that I was gone for so long. Luckily for the moms, technology created communications like FaceTime and Skype so they can see and talk to their children back home. Plus get reassurances from whoever is looking You just feel you re in the wrong spot, you need to be home and need to be there for the kids. Daniela Jentsch after the children that things are fine. Some of the mothers bring their children to certain events, when circumstances allow it, and even though it can be distracting at these 10-day events, Officer says it beats the alternative of leaving her daughter at home for long periods. That is never an easy thing to do. It can be very difficult and it doesn t necessarily get any easier as she gets older as she becomes more aware of the length of time (I m away), Officer said. We were gone for a month when we went to the (2014) Olympics, and she was two and she was happy that I came back. Now it s a little different because I think she misses me a bit more, so the longer stretches, and we had a really long stretch in January, so it s hard. Her teammate, lead Dawn McEwen said organization is vital when teams play the Slam tour, then their provincials, the Scotties and now the world championship. It means she hasn t really been home to hold her two-year-old daughter in her arms. I m not going to lie, it s been a tough run, she said. I ve seen her not as much as I would like to this month. It s tough for a two-year-old to be stuck in a hotel for 10 days so she s at home in her environment and she s happy. We Facetime every day. She s very familiar with Facetime. The toughest time for the curling mothers is the free time between games, when they might get away to a restaurant or mall where they re bound to see other parents with their children. As long as you re playing it s fine because you re not thinking about it. But when you have that free time, if you re out of a competition and you re waiting a few days until you can drive (or fly) home or when you re waiting between competitions, that s tough, explains Jentsch. You feel bad. You just feel you re in the wrong spot, you need to be home and need to be there for the kids. So why not give it up? For Jentsch it s not really an option at the moment. No, it isn t because I have to make money to afford a life for me and my kids and this is the No. 1 option right now to make good money and have a life. STUDY AT PROUD SPONSOR OF THE 2018 FORD WORLD WOMEN S CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP School of Sport and Recreation Ecotourism Recreation and Leisure Services Recreation Therapy Strength and Sport Conditioning FAST TRACK options available Several STUDY ABROAD options including the Limerick Institute of Technology in Ireland 180 SHIRREFF AVENUE NORTH BAY One of the HIGHEST GRAD RATES in the province canadorecollege.ca/recreation

8 Page Ford World Women s Curling Championship EYE OPENER FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018

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10 Page Ford World Women s Curling Championship EYE OPENER FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018 Meet the local military units 22 Wing/CFB North Bay 22 Wing North Bay, located at Canadian Forces Base, North Bay (also known as the Canadian Air Defence Sector (CADS)), is responsible for providing surveillance, identification, control and warning for the aerospace defence of Canada and North America at the Sector Air Operations Centre. This surveillance and identification of all air traffic approaching North America (Some 200,000 flights per year) is accomplished using radar information received via satellite from the North Warning System across the Canadian Arctic, coastal radars on the east and west coasts of Canada, and Airborne Warning and Control System Aircraft. All aircraft penetrating this radar coverage are detected and identified by the personnel of 21 Aerospace Control and Warning Squadron (AC&W Sqn), who are on guard 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Unidentified aircraft, aircraft in distress, or aircraft suspected of conducting illegal activities may be intercepted by CF-18 fighters. Critical information on air sovereignty events is forwarded to the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) in Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, where it is in turn passed on to the command authorities, the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Canada, to decide on the appropriate responses. Due to this binational nature of the NORAD agreement, some 33 American personnel belonging to the USAF s 1 Air Force Detachment 2 operate at the Canadian Sector Air Operations Centre (SAOC). Training of the personnel who perform the air sovereignty mission is done by 51 AC&W (Operational Training) Squadron, an integral unit of 22 Wing. Algonquin Regiment (Northern Pioneers) Armed Forces Day provides the military an opportunity to showcase equipment and demonstrations. (L-R) Major Jim Burton, Captain Eric Emanuele, Corporal Chris Chartrand, Major Serge Palin from 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Base, North Bay. Champs again While North Bay is hosting the Ford World Women s Curling Championship this week, the city already has a curling champion of its own the 22 Wing, three-time Ontario Region Curling Championship winners. The team of Major Jim Burton, Lieutenant Eric Emanuele, Corporal Chris Chartrand and Major Serge Palin continued the 22 Wing s dominance this year by winning four of their five games in the event held at CFB Kingston. With three returning members from the 2017 team, 22 Wing beat Kingston in one semifinal and then won the championship with a 9-2, sevenend victory over Petawawa. The Algonquin Regiment (Northern Pioneers) is a Primary Reserve Infantry Regiment which traces its history to the 97th Regiment of Rifles formed on July 1, Since then, the Regiment has had a presence in Northern Ontario stretching as far south as Huntsville, as far north as Hearst, as far west as Sault Ste. Marie and as far east as North Bay. In 1936, the Northern Pioneers were amalgamated with the Algonquin Regiment and that unit is perpetuated through The Algonquin Regiment to this day. Most recently, the Regiment was awarded the Theatre Honour Afghanistan for its involvement in that country from 2002 until Today the Regiment s officers and soldiers carry out training once a week and full time in the summer months. They boast active Ironman and hockey teams, which compete annually. Currently, there are approximately 100 soldiers from the Timmins and North Bay areas who are proudly serving their country and their communities. Army reservists with the Algonquin Regiment. 33 Service Battalion 33 Service Battalion provides secondline Combat Service Support to 33 Brigade units, including transportation, supply, and maintenance for domestic and deployed operations.

11 #WWCC2018 Page 11 Sightseeing put on hold Curlers can t tour until curling done By JOHN KOROBANIK Eye Opener Writer U.S. skip Jamie Sinclair (left); Germany skip Daniela Jentsch (below). Daniela Jentsch and her German teammates would like to go ice fishing. Vicky Persinger of the U.S. would like to explore Northern Ontario, see how it compares to her home of Alaska. Jentsch may get her wish now that her team will not make the playoffs at the Ford World Women s Curling Championships and they have the weekend free. Persinger s hopes remain up in the air since Team USA is in the thick of the hunt for a playoff berth But the curlers here for the championship are like many elite athletes they travel the world, go to cities they ve not been to before and never really get to see the places they visit. The majority of their time here is spent in the Memorial Gardens or their hotels, with the necessary trips to restaurants. Cutline here. See SIGHTSEEING Page 15 Silver Sponsor of the 2018 Ford World Women s Curling Championship. Ready for the Future. Mining Contractors and Engineers redpathmining.com Consider it done.

12 Page Ford World Women s Curling Championship EYE OPENER FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018 Spotlight on: South Korea FACTS Official name: Republic of Korea Location: East and South Asia Status: UN member country Capital City: Seoul Main cities: Busan, Incheon, Duejeon Population: 51 million Area: 100,210 sq. km Currency: South Korean won Languages: Korean, English Religion: 57 per cent unknown, also Christian, Protestant SOUTH KOREA AT THE WORLDS Last five years: 2017: Eunjung Kim : Jisun Kim : DNQ 2014: Jisun Kim : DNQ Last championship N/A World titles 0 Eunjung kim KNOWN AS: Anny AGE: 27 BORN: Uiseong, GyeongBuk, South Korea LIVES: Uiseong, GyeongBuk AGE STARTED CURLING: 17 OCCUPATION: Curler LANGUAGES SPOKEN: Korean YEARS ON TEAM: 8 DELIVERS: Right VARIOUS CLUBS SKIP Eye Opener EDITOR Dave Komosky ASSOCIATE EDITOR John Korobanik PHOTOGRAPHER Mike Burns Jr. PRINT PARTNERS North Bay Nugget the patch pioneerconstruction.ca 1705 SEYMOUR STREET NORTH BAY

13 #WWCC2018 Page 13 THIRD SECOND LEAD ALTERNATE kyeongae kim seonyeong kim yeongmi kim chohi kim Essentials KNOWN AS: Steak AGE: 24 BORN: Uiseong, GyeongBuk, South Korea LIVES: Uiseong, GyeongBuk AGE STARTED CURLING: 13 OCCUPATION: Curler LANQUAGES SPOKEN: Korean Essentials KNOWN AS: Sunny AGE: 24 BORN: Uiseong, GyeongBuk, South Korea LIVES: Uiseong, GyeongBuk AGE STARTED CURLING: 14 OCCUPATION: Curler LANGUAGES SPOKEN: Korean Essentials KNOWN AS: Pancake AGE: 27 BORN: Uiseong, GyeongBuk, South Korea LIVES: Uiseong, GyeongBuk AGE STARTED CURLING: 16 OCCUPATION: Curler LANGUAGES SPOKEN: Korean Essentials KNOWN AS: Chocho AGE: 21 BORN: Uiseong, GyeongBuk, South Korea LIVES: Uiseong, GyeongBuk AGE STARTED CURLING: 12 OCCUPATON: Curler LANGUAGES SPOKEN: Korean Print Facebook Advertising Local Search Optimization SEM (Google Ad Words) SEO Website Development And more With over 100 years in our community we are built on trust Contact one of our qualified Media Sales Consultants to help grow your business through our print publications and suite of online advertising options. 259 Worthington St. W North Bay ON, P1B 3B This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada. Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce au gouvernement du Canada.

14 Page Ford World Women s Curling Championship EYE OPENER FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018 W STANDINGS W L Canada (Jones) 10 0 Sweden (Hasselborg) 10 1 S. Korea (Kim) 7 3 Russia (Moiseeva) 6 4 U.S. (Sinclair) 6 4 Czech Rep. (Kubeskova) 5 5 Japan (Koana) 4 6 Swiss (Feltscher) 4 6 China (Jiang) 4 6 Denmark (Jensen) 3 7 Scotland (Fleming) 3 7 Germany (Jentsch) 2 8 Italy (Gaspari) 2 9 rld Scoreboard LINESCORES Draw 15 9 a.m Total Sweden (Hasselborg) x 6 Japan (Koana) * x 4 Swiss (Feltscher) * Chech Rep. (Kubeskova) Russia (Moiseeva) Canada (Jones) * Denmark (Jensen) Scotland (Fleming) * Draw 16 2 p.m Total China (Jiang) x 7 Italy (Gaspari) x 5 Denmark (Jensen) x x x 0 USA (Sinlair) x x x 6 Germany (Jentsch) Czech Rep. (Kubeskova) Swiss (Feltscher) South Korea (Kim) Draw 17 7 p.m Total Germany (Jentsch) x 5 USA (Sinclair) x 7 Russia (Moiseeva) Sweden (Hasselborg) South Korea (Kim) x 9 Japan (Koana) x 5 Canada (Jones) x x 14 Italy (Gaspari) x x 6 * Last rock SCHEDULE TODAY 9 a.m. Draw A JPN vs. CAN; B GER vs SUI; C DEN vs. CHN; D USA vs. CZE 2 p.m. Draw A ITA vs. SUI; B CZE vs. JAP; C SCO vs. SWE; D KOR vs. RUS 7 p.m. Draw A DEN vs. RUS; B KOR vs. SCO; C CAN vs. USA; D CHN vs. GER 1 LAURENTIAN AVE NORTH BAY 480 CASSELLS ST NORTH BAY

15 #WWCC2018 Page 15 Sightseeing FROM PAGE 11 Restaurants yes, but the town, no, we couldn t really explore, said Daniela Jentsch, skip of Team Germany We went to restaurants. We went to the steak house and that was delicious. We were happy, we were given gift certificates from Ford Canada, that was a great idea. Any other exploration, she said, was put on hold until while the team tried to win enough games to get into the weekend playoffs. Usually you come there, you play and once you re done you have some time to explore or you come earlier. But usually during the competition you need your physio time, your lunch time, your rest time. It s just too busy. Irene Schori, third for Bini Feltscher s Swiss team that is still fighting for the playoffs, said the worlds is always a busy event for the curlers, leaving them little free time to get out and about. We always play back-to-back. Today we have just the morning draw, but we didn t have time to see North Bay. We just went to the lake, Nipissing. But we didn t have the time now, maybe later, she said. Sometimes it sucks a little bit. But we re just enjoying the time here in the arena, it s great. Persinger and her U.S. team, skipped by Alaska native Jamie Sinclair, haven t had SPONSOR OF THE DAY much time to even think about exploring. We ve been on a pretty busy schedule and it s hard to get extra rest, she said. Our nationals just ended last Saturday so we re on a really tight turn-around to begin with. So we just want to conserve all the energy we have right now. We ve had a back-to-back sort of draw and some other obligations with autographs and our Up-Close-And-Personal. So far we ve just seen the rink, our hotel, a couple of restaurants and the Patch. And yes, she would love to have time to see the area. Yeah! I sure would. I relate a lot of Canada to Alaska because we re on the same sort of latitude, so I would have liked to have time to do that. Maybe next time. Jentsch said it is disappointing to not be able to see more of the places they visit but that comes with the career. You get used to it. You know you re travelling all over the world and probably not even seeing the city at all. But they are determined to check something off their bucket list for this trip go ice fishing. Some of the volunteers are trying to organize something for us because apparently at Trout Lake you can still go ice fishing. We ve never done it. That s why it s so exciting for us. They play their final game tonight, which could leave them two days to find someone who wants to take them ice fishing. PROUD SPONSOR OF THE 131 McIntyre Street East NORTH BAY algerfurniture.com North Bay Hydro has provided reliable electricity service to homes and businesses for more than 75 years. Our staff is there to save you by ensuring a reliable and safe electrical system. Our staff is also committed to the journey of promoting responsible energy consumption and environmental management. A major step in that journey begins in 2017, as Memorial Gardens, home of the 2018 Women s World Curling Championship, and some of the surrounding facilities will be subject to an energy transformation. Canada s first community microgrid, powered by onsite generation of electricity and heat, will be contributed to improve efficiency, manage operating costs and to provide resiliency during emergencies. North Bay Hydro, paving our way to a sustainable energy future.

16 Page Ford World Women s Curling Championship EYE OPENER FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018 Anna Sidorova tried her hand at lead Thursday. BINGO HOTLINE: Airport Road, North Bay Kim stopped by a red light A red light is a red light and it cost EunJung Kim of South Korea a victory Thursday at the Ford World Women s Curling Championship. Kim committed a hog-line violation which activates a red light on the stone with her final rock in the 10th end, allowing Binia Feltscher of Switzerland to steal two for an 8-6 victory at the North Bay Memorial Gardens. It felt like it was going to be a bit too strong, so then I just let go a little bit too late. Kim said of the violation. I m not too upset about the actual loss. I m upset about the red light coming on. It happened once before, in the seventh end. It s a different way to win but a red light is a red light, said Swiss third Irene Schori. n n n Anna Sidorova has won four world championship medals as a skip including silver in 2017 but she made her debut in the 2018 Ford World Women s Curling Championship Wednesday night as a lead. Here as an alternate for Russia s team skipped by Victoria Moiseeva, Sidorova replaced Julia Guzieva in the team s 6-2 win over Germany. Sidorova said the change was made to give Guzieva a chance to rest before the team s two games Thursday against Japan and Sweden. It was nothing about (her) playing, just a chance for me to get on the ice and for her to get some power, said Sidorova, who skipped Russia s team in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. So, when was the last time she played lead? Many years ago. Just when I came into this game probably started at lead. My first championship for me, when I played as lead, half the game as lead and half as alternate, didn t even have special shoes. Just had a slider. But during the practices and small bonspiels we used to change the lineup just to get different roles to get more understanding of each other s roles. And was she satisfied with how she played, shooting 81 per cent? Well, no! I m a person who s always looking for the best. As long as I can play better then I wouldn t agree it s the best game for me as a lead. If I get (another) chance I m sure I will play better.