After winning the first Olympics Women's Curling Gold medal since the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Jennifer Jones and her rink visited Yorkton on Monday on part of their tour of appearances through the country. Stopping by the Painted Hand Casino for a luncheon/supper speaking event and meet and greet, the Olympic champions took the time to continue to celebrate their moment of glory with the rest of the country during their Parkland stop.
During a well attended event, Jones and the rest of the Olympic champion team of some of the top women's curlers in the country remarked at how well they continue to be supported in the country even as the winter leads into summer and the post-Sochi honeymoon drags on.
"We still feel like we just got home from Sochi," said Jones on Monday. "From running into fans on the street to doing various events around the country, everyone seems to still be excited to come and say congrats on winning the Gold which shows just how special the bond between Canada and its Olympians can be which has been really special."
"It has been absolutely incredible and we have been overwhelmed by the support since we have got home," adds Jill Officer on the ride of returning home. "I think the Olympics just does something to Canadians and brings people together and we have come home to a lot of people who are emotional and passionate about the accomplishment and us bringing the Gold medal to Canada so it has been an amazing experience."
Because of that support Jones mentioned that her and the rest of the Women's Curling team have made an effort to continue to attempt to share their experiences with a country that has embraced their ride to the Olympics and beyond in a curling obsessed country. "You feel like when you take a step on the podium you feel like you are taking the step on the podium for the entire country so to come and to share the experience/medal with the rest of the country is an incredible honour so we try to share as much of that Olympic experience with the country as we can."
Dawn McEwan mentioned that the Olympics have opened her up to a new level of fan experience. "To see so many people invested in us and our accomplishments on a national scale is a new level of support that you would never get to feel without being an Olympian so it is a special feeling to get to show the medal off and share in the moment with others."
That support as well as a decade plus drought at the Olympics for the women's curling team led to lots of talk about pressure from the media heading into the Sochi Olympics, however Jones says that the support of the fans in the country muffled any narratives and talking points about pressure inside of the team that eventually ended the drought. "Honestly we felt more support than anything," says Jones. "People were talking about the pressure of Canada not winning at the Olympics for so long, but we were getting flooded with so many messages on social media or by mail that all we could really feel is the support of the country which motivated us to keep going forward and continue with the goals we set out before heading over to Russia." "We went over there with the philosophy that we wanted to enjoy whatever the Olympics had to offer on and off the ice and we did while being so determined to step onto the podium which in the end really helped us achieve that goal in the end."
When asked about the differences of playing at home or all the way across the world in Sochi for Team Canada, Jones admitted that she enjoys the home ice advantage of the raucous Canadian support even if Sochi brought Olympic glory and had Canadian support as well. "They are different experiences, but when you are playing at home you know almost all of the support is for you and you alone, but with the way we were embraced the entire time we were in Sochi it almost felt like we were at home which really helped us," said Jones.
As for future plans as a team, Jones says that for now they are enjoying the rid but after winning the teams enjoys the chemistry they share. "For now we are all enjoying the moment and soaking up an amazing accomplishment, but we all love playing with each other so after waiting to make the next step we will have to see what happens," closes Jones.
