Getting curling gold won't be easy: champ

Curling competition in the Winter Olympics begins this Thursday, and Canadian teams will have a challenge to repeat as gold medalists, according to two-time tournament of hearts champion, world junior champion and two-time world bronze medalist Heather Nedohin.

Nedohin was in Olds Tuesday (Feb. 6) teaching Ècole Deer Meadow students how to curl.

Curling competition begins Thursday, Feb. 8 and ends Feb. 13.

"I think our teams are in tough, going back as double gold champions," Nedohin said. "Defending their Olympic golds from Russia will be extremely challenging.

"But our teams representing us are extremely strong. Team Koe from Alberta, Team Canada - they're going to have a wealth of support. But in the same sense, so does Team Holman."

She can't wait to see how the Canadian duo of Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris do in the new curling sport - mixed doubles.

"Great athletes as they are, they haven't played a lot of doubles and the reality is, us Canadians haven't the experience that the Europeans have in the sport of doubles," she told reporters.

"But they're extremely great athletes who will gather how to play it very quickly. So I'm really excited to see what comes out over the next couple of weeks."

Nedohin is excited to see mixed doubles in the Olympics.

"My husband (David Neodhin) and I play the doubles event and it is a new type of curling," she said.

"I would say us players probably enjoy it to play it more than some of what people want to watch it but I think once we gather the knowledge on how it's played, it's fast, it's like the skins in a condensed version, and there's just shot making all the time."