Miss-Delectable
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Signs of encouragement for Croatia - Press & Journal
Being deaf is not the only problem you face when you are a Croatian curler working with a Canadian coach.
Overcoming the language barrier is only one issue which faces the four members of the women’s curling team which is competing in Section B of the European championships at Curl Aberdeen this week.
Four members of the team – Melani Lusic, Maja Sertic, Marijana Bozic and Emina Crnaic – are deaf. Their coach is Germany-based Jamie Boutin who has no sign language skills, a factor which leaves him relying heavily on his skip Katarina Radovic.
It gets more complicated. Curling is still very much in its infancy in Croatia and Radovic doubles as an administrator for the country’s national association – a role which often impacts on her playing availability.
The hurdles Croatia have had to overcome have put them at a disadvantage in comparison to their rivals but, if desire and commitment could be rewarded, these women would feature highly. Forget the fact every other rink features orders being shouted by a skip towards the rest of the team, the only sound emanating from the Croatian women is the noise of the stone gliding along the ice or the frantic sweeping of the team.
Boutin said: “They played in the deaf hockey and curling world championships last April in Winnipeg.
“There were four teams involved and they won their last game in what was their first event. This is their first year of curling. They used to play badminton together but they had the idea of taking up curling and it has gone well for them so far.
“Katarina is the most experienced and the only member of the team who isn't deaf, but she is also the administrator for the association so she was unable to play today against the Netherlands as she had to go to a meeting.
“There are three women's teams in Croatia and the deaf team beat the reigning champions to earn their spot here. They made it here fair and square and it's been great for them.
“Communication is such a key facet of curling and their disability presents some obstacles for them and for me.
“We have to translate from English to Croatian and then from Croatian to sign, so I wonder what the message is by the time it gets around to them.
“Seriously, in some ways they have an advantage as they are signing each other rather than yelling all the time and the message gets across well.”
While the majority of countries in Section B are pushing for promotion in this year's European championships, some nations are using the event at Curl Aberdeen as another important step in their development as a curling playing team.
The sport is only five years old in Croatia and as Boutin discovered when he agreed to coach the men and women’s teams, finding somewhere to practice is hard enough, never mind debating whether the playing surface is fit for purpose.
In a country where skating and ice hockey figures much higher on the list of priorities, curling is still firmly a niche novelty act in the country’s sporting priorities.
Boutin said: “I've been involved with Croatian curling since the programme started. I met them by chance in Hamburg, where I had relocated from Canada and I was playing my first tournament.
“They were there observing the tournament, but they had already done all the administrative work and formed their association – all they had to do was learn to play. The Croatians are doing really well under the circumstances. They don't have their own rink, they have to train on hockey ice after a game at 1am in the morning on Saturdays right after the skaters. There is no cleaning of the ice, it's all cut up, but the 60 or so curlers in the association don't care.”
The sport is growing in spite of not having a facility. They have lost their three opening games of the tournament, with the unbeaten Netherlands showing them little mercy yesterday, but with Slovakia providing their opposition tonight at 8pm, Boutin admits results are secondary this year.
“This event has been great for the countries who are just getting used to the sport. First of all they get used to playing against other nations, they get to see what is possible in the A group and gives them all a dream to aim for whether it be the European or world championships.”
Being deaf is not the only problem you face when you are a Croatian curler working with a Canadian coach.
Overcoming the language barrier is only one issue which faces the four members of the women’s curling team which is competing in Section B of the European championships at Curl Aberdeen this week.
Four members of the team – Melani Lusic, Maja Sertic, Marijana Bozic and Emina Crnaic – are deaf. Their coach is Germany-based Jamie Boutin who has no sign language skills, a factor which leaves him relying heavily on his skip Katarina Radovic.
It gets more complicated. Curling is still very much in its infancy in Croatia and Radovic doubles as an administrator for the country’s national association – a role which often impacts on her playing availability.
The hurdles Croatia have had to overcome have put them at a disadvantage in comparison to their rivals but, if desire and commitment could be rewarded, these women would feature highly. Forget the fact every other rink features orders being shouted by a skip towards the rest of the team, the only sound emanating from the Croatian women is the noise of the stone gliding along the ice or the frantic sweeping of the team.
Boutin said: “They played in the deaf hockey and curling world championships last April in Winnipeg.
“There were four teams involved and they won their last game in what was their first event. This is their first year of curling. They used to play badminton together but they had the idea of taking up curling and it has gone well for them so far.
“Katarina is the most experienced and the only member of the team who isn't deaf, but she is also the administrator for the association so she was unable to play today against the Netherlands as she had to go to a meeting.
“There are three women's teams in Croatia and the deaf team beat the reigning champions to earn their spot here. They made it here fair and square and it's been great for them.
“Communication is such a key facet of curling and their disability presents some obstacles for them and for me.
“We have to translate from English to Croatian and then from Croatian to sign, so I wonder what the message is by the time it gets around to them.
“Seriously, in some ways they have an advantage as they are signing each other rather than yelling all the time and the message gets across well.”
While the majority of countries in Section B are pushing for promotion in this year's European championships, some nations are using the event at Curl Aberdeen as another important step in their development as a curling playing team.
The sport is only five years old in Croatia and as Boutin discovered when he agreed to coach the men and women’s teams, finding somewhere to practice is hard enough, never mind debating whether the playing surface is fit for purpose.
In a country where skating and ice hockey figures much higher on the list of priorities, curling is still firmly a niche novelty act in the country’s sporting priorities.
Boutin said: “I've been involved with Croatian curling since the programme started. I met them by chance in Hamburg, where I had relocated from Canada and I was playing my first tournament.
“They were there observing the tournament, but they had already done all the administrative work and formed their association – all they had to do was learn to play. The Croatians are doing really well under the circumstances. They don't have their own rink, they have to train on hockey ice after a game at 1am in the morning on Saturdays right after the skaters. There is no cleaning of the ice, it's all cut up, but the 60 or so curlers in the association don't care.”
The sport is growing in spite of not having a facility. They have lost their three opening games of the tournament, with the unbeaten Netherlands showing them little mercy yesterday, but with Slovakia providing their opposition tonight at 8pm, Boutin admits results are secondary this year.
“This event has been great for the countries who are just getting used to the sport. First of all they get used to playing against other nations, they get to see what is possible in the A group and gives them all a dream to aim for whether it be the European or world championships.”