John Morris (curler)
| John Morris | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | December 16, 1978 Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Team | |
| Curling club | Saville Sports Centre, Edmonton, Alberta |
| Skip | Kevin Martin |
| Third | John Morris |
| Second | Marc Kennedy |
| Lead | Ben Hebert |
| Alternate | Dustin Eckstrand |
| Career | |
| Brier appearances | 5 (2002, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011) |
| Top CCA ranking | 1st (2006–07, 2007–08, 2009-10, 2010-11) |
| Grand Slam victories | 9: The National (Mar 2007, Dec 2007, Dec. 2010); Players (2004, 2007, 2010); Canadian Open (Jan 2007, Dec 2007, 2010) |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Curling | ||
Competitor for  Canada |
||
| Winter Olympics | ||
| Gold | 2010 Vancouver | |
| World Curling Championships | ||
| Gold | 2008 Grand Forks | |
| Silver | 2009 Moncton | |
| World Junior Curling Championships | ||
| Gold | 1998 Thunder Bay | |
| Gold | 1999 Östersund | |
| Tim Hortons Brier | ||
| Gold | 2008 Winnipeg | |
| Gold | 2009 Calgary | |
| Silver | 2002 Calgary | |
| Canadian Olympic Curling Trials | ||
| Gold | 2009 Edmonton | |
| Bronze | 2005 Halifax | |
John Morris (born December 16, 1978 in Winnipeg, Manitoba; nicknamed "Johnny Mo") is a Canadian curler, and Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic gold medalist from Chestermere, Alberta. Morris plays third for the Kevin Martin team.[1] Morris, author of the book Fit to Curl,[2] is the son of Maureen and Earle Morris, inventor of the "Stabilizer" curling broom. John grew up in Ottawa and at the age of five began curling at the Navy Curling Club.
Contents |
[edit] Career
[edit] Early career
After finishing second at the 1997 Canadian Junior Championships, Morris, who at the time curled out of the Ottawa Curling Club, went on to win the next two national championships in 1998 and 1999, setting records for most wins by a skip along the way. In both those same years, Morris would win world junior championships; in 1998 against Garry MacKay of Scotland and in 1999 against Christian Haller of Switzerland.[3]
After living in Ottawa, Morris moved to Southwestern Ontario to attend Wilfrid Laurier University, and curled out of the Stayner Granite Club in Stayner, Ontario.[4] During the 2001 Olympic trials Morris garnered national attention after a difficult loss to Russ Howard. While in Stayner, Morris won the 2002 Ontario provincial championships, qualifying him for the 2002 Nokia Brier. At the Brier, Morris would lose to Alberta's Randy Ferbey in the final. By 2004, Morris had moved to Calgary, where he played out of the Calgary Winter Club.
[edit] 2006-Present
In 2006 the formerly dubbed bad-boy of curling joined forces with veteran skip Kevin Martin[5] on a four year plan aimed at winning a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.[6] On February 27, 2007 just four days before the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier Morris was hit by a car. He was knocked unconscious, but went on to compete at the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier, where Alberta placed fourth after a loss to Jeff Stoughton in the 3-4 page playoff.[7] Morris later recovered by winning all-star third in the tournament.
John Morris and the Kevin Martin (Alberta) rink returned to the 2008 Brier in Winnipeg. Roughly a week before the Brier, Morris broke his right hand and subsequently had to wear a special brace while sweeping.[8] The Martin team went 11-0 in the round robin, and won their 1-2 playoff game to make the finals. In a game marred by tricky ice and missed opportunities, Alberta won by a score of 5-4. John Morris was named MVP of the finals after curling 90%. At the following 2008 World Men's Curling Championship, Morris led all players with a round robin percentage of 90%, and helped team Canada to a World Championship crown; the first for any player on the team.
At the 2009 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings, Morris and Team Martin won the tournament and the chance to represent Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. On February 27 at the Vancouver Olympics, Team Martin won the gold medal with a score of 6-3 in the final against Thomas Ulsrud of Norway.[9]
[edit] Personal life
Morris, a certified personal trainer, currently serves as a full-time firefighter for RockyView Fire Service. Drawing on his degree in Kinesiology from Wilfrid Laurier University,[10] in 2009 Morris co-authored the book Fit to Curl, a sport-specific training manual.[11]
In 2010, Morris was featured by ET Canada in a Valentines special as one of Canada's most eligible bachelors.[12]
[edit] Teams
[edit] Awards
- Canadian Junior Men First Team All-star skip: 1998
- Canadian Junior Men First Team All-star skip: 1999
- WJCC All-star skip: 1999
- Canadian Citizenship Award: 1999
- Canadian Men's Curling Championship First Team All-star Third: 2007
- Canadian Men's Curling Championship First Team All-star Third: 2008
- MVP-Canadian Men's Curling Championship Final
[edit] Gallery
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Team Martin walking in for the 2009 Roar of the Rings final. From L-R: Kevin Martin, John Morris, Marc Kennedy & Ben Hebert
[edit] References
- ^ "Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Athlete Profile". February 2010. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-curling/athletes/john-morris_ath1053565pf.html.
- ^ "Fit to Curl". September 2009. http://www.fittocurl.com.
- ^ "Canadian Associated Press Athlete Profile". The Star (Toronto). February 2010. http://olympics.thestar.com/2010/athletes/739718#bio. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "Laurier Grad Morris Finds His Match With Martin Rink". February 2010. http://news.therecord.com/article/671974.
- ^ McAndrew, Brian (March 2009). "Curling's Former Wild Child Simmers Down a Bit". The Star (Toronto). http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Curling/article/598655. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "Olympic Curling Spots up for Grabs at Canadian Trials". CBC News. December 2009. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/curling/story/2009/12/03/sp-curling-canadian-trials.html.
- ^ "John Morris Hit by Car, Could Miss Brier". CBC News. March 2007. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/curling/story/2007/03/01/morris-hospital-brier.html.
- ^ "John Morris Out With Broken Finger?". February 2008. http://communities.canada.com/calgaryherald/blogs/curling/archive/2008/02/26/john-morris-out-with-broken-hand.aspx.
- ^ "Canada Cruises to Gold Medal in Men's Curling". February 2010. http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Canada+defeats+Norway+wins+gold+curling/2622579/story.html.
- ^ "Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Athlete Profile". February 2010. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-curling/athletes/john-morris_ath1053565pf.html.
- ^ "Morris' Fit to Curl Battles Sport's Stereotypes". October 2009. http://www.ctvolympics.ca/curling/news/newsid=17182.html.
- ^ "John Morris Named One of Canada's Most Eligible bachelors". February 2010. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/curling/john-morris-named-one-of-canadas-most-eligible-bachelors-84177837.html.
- Curlers from Ontario
- Curlers from Alberta
- Sportspeople from Winnipeg
- World curling champions
- People from Ottawa
- People from Calgary
- 1978 births
- Canadian firefighters
- Living people
- Brier champions
- Canadian sportswriters
- Curlers at the 2010 Winter Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for Canada
- Olympic curlers of Canada
- Olympic medalists in curling
