Brown to wave Red and White
Corryn Brown has long been waving Kamloops’ flag, representing the River City with excellence across the nation.
Now the curler will be waving the Maple Leaf on a global stage in Innsbruck, Austria, at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games — and she can hardly believe it.
“In the morning, my dad comes in and wakes me up and he was like, ‘Corryn, you’re the flag bearer,’ a giddy Brown told KTW.
“I said, ‘Dad, if this is a joke, it’s not funny.’”
Brown’s father, Ken, played the answering-machine message — left by Canada’s Chef de Mission Beckie Scott — for her daughter, then reality set in.
That was about two weeks ago. The 16-year-old had to keep quiet until Wednesday, Jan. 4, when she was officially named flag bearer during an assembly at her high school, South Kamloops secondary.
The Games run from Jan. 13 to Jan. 22.
“I can’t wait to get to Innsbruck, get on the ice and represent our great country,” she said.
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) gave Brown the nod after receiving a nomination from the Canadian Curling Association.
Scott, a two-time Olympic medallist in cross-country skiing, attended the South Kam assembly.
“This team is very special,” she said.
“They are part of the first Canada Winter Youth Olympic team and that is something that they can say for the rest of their lives.”
Brown spoke in front of her peers in both English and French, acknowledging how honoured she is to be Canada’s flag bearer.
Her bilingualism was likely one of the reasons she was chosen by the COC.
“I’m a little rusty, but it’s coming along,” said Brown, who did a phone interview in French with CBC Radio Canada after speaking with KTW.
The South Kam student’s linguistic ablilities are just a side-note on her resumé, though.
Brown and her Kamloops Curling Club rink — third Erin Pincott, second Samantha Fisher and lead Sydney Fraser — won gold at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax in February.
That rink also won gold at the 2011 juvenile provincials.
Brown is a two-time B.C. High School champion, skipping South Kam rinks to gold in 2010 and 2011.
She will be playing third on a mixed team in Innsbruck alongside rinkmates skip Thomas Scoffin of Whitehorse, lead Emily Gray of Prince Edward Island and second Derek Oryniak of Winnipeg.
Helen Radford of Halifax will coach the foursome.
Playing third will be a new challenge for Brown, who has been brushing up on her broomwork, but she is not too worried about the transition.
“I’m still involved with strategy,” said Brown, who has met with her teammates six times leading up to the competition.
“I’m just not throwing last rock.”
Canada’s team, which will compete in 13 sports, consists of 51 athletes, along with 21 coaches and officials.
Brown will lead Team Canada into Bergisel Stadium in Innsbruck on Jan. 13 during the opening ceremony.
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