Wheelchair curler returns from Beijing Paralympics with bronze medal
'I'm pleased that it turned out so well for us,' said Collinda Joseph
When Collinda Joseph launched her first rock down the ice at the Beijing Paralympics, she was so nervous she was shaking.
"You think, 'Oh, this is great, I got this, I'm going to nail it.' And then when you're actually out there ... the reality hits you!" said the Ottawa curler.
"It was a draw, and I was a little bit amped up. And it was a little bit heavy and it went through the house."
While Joseph's nerves may have initially got the better of her, she and the rest of the Canadian squad conquered them — and ultimately came home from Beijing with bronze medals.
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In fact, Canada's wheelchair curling team hasn't missed the podium at a Paralympic Games since the sport was added to the program in 2006.
'We support each other'
In wheelchair curling, players deliver the rock with a stick rather than by gliding along the ice. A teammate can sit behind the shooter to brace their chair.
There are no sweepers, so having a precise touch is incredibly important.
The Paralympics were a bit of a rollercoaster for the Canadians: they started out on a four-game winning streak, dropped three in a row, and then won their last three to eke out a spot in the playoffs.
While they lost to China in the semifinals, they rebounded with an 8-3 win over Slovakia to nab bronze.
As the team's alternate, Joseph only played in one game.
But as she told CBC Radio's All In A Day, she contributed in other ways, from offering feedback on how rocks were behaving on the ice to boosting her teammates' spirits when things weren't going as planned.
"When we're together, we support each other. And I think, as the alternate, it's also really important that I do what I can to support them ... and just to be the cheerleader they need," Joseph said.
"I took that role pretty seriously. And I'm pleased that it turned out so well for us."
With files from CBC Radio's All In A Day