IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
The potential for an unprecedented Canadian curling double was certainly there ahead of the Beijing Games. A Curling Canada rule that has been in place since mixed doubles was added to the Olympic program again prevented it from happening.
"Tons of other athletes play in multiple disciplines in the Olympics," curler Brent Laing said in an interview at the team trials. "That's the beauty of it. (Canadian) curlers can't break Olympic gold-medal records because we can only play in one event out of Canada."
Many of the country's top team curlers also excel in the mixed doubles format, which made its Olympic debut four years ago.
However, Curling Canada -- unlike many other top curling federations -- has always ruled out Olympic mixed doubles as an option for players who have already qualified for the Games in four-player team events.
The federation cites potential fatigue, tight schedules and strong domestic curler depth as some of the reasons.
Mixed doubles national coach Scott Pfeifer said the original intent of the rule was to ensure that winners of the four-player team trials had their "full focus and attention" on that discipline in the lead-up to the Games.
"We feel that this is the best way, at least for this quad -- and we're always open to reviewing it -- (of) basically increasing our podium potential for all three: our mixed doubles, men's and women's disciplines," he said in a recent video conference call.
John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes won mixed doubles gold at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea but Canada was held off the podium in the team events.
Lawes is returning to the Games with skip Jennifer Jones while Morris and Rachel Homan were named as Canada's mixed doubles duo after the cancellation of the trials due to COVID-19 issues. Brad Gushue will skip the Canadian men's team entry in Beijing.
The rule eliminated the possibility of Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant -- the top-ranked duo in Canada -- from playing mixed doubles in Beijing, since both qualified with their regular teams. Jones, who's ranked No. 2 with Laing, was also left out of the mix.
Gushue, who won Olympic gold in 2006 at Turin, Italy, took the national mixed doubles title last season with Kerri Einarson. He said playing in both disciplines would be challenging since a single Olympic competition can be a grind.
"I think what we're doing is the right move," Gushue said at the team trials. "I know it's frustrating for some people. It's frustrating for me. I'd love to have the opportunity to do both from a selfish standpoint.
"But we have enough talent in this country that we can allow someone else to go and be rested and be prepared and focus on that event only. Some other countries don't have the luxury that we have."
Canada, Sweden, Great Britain, Switzerland and Norway are among the headliners in the 10-team Olympic mixed doubles field.
Several prominent international players -- including Great Britain's Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds, Sweden's Oskar Eriksson and American Chris Plys -- plan to play both disciplines at the Ice Cube venue.
American siblings Matt and Becca Hamilton finished sixth in mixed doubles at Pyeongchang before competing in their respective team events. Matt went on to win gold with skip John Shuster and Becca finished eighth with skip Nina Roth.
Homan and men's skip Kevin Koe missed the Olympic podium in 2018. Canada also failed to reach the world championship podium last season in men's, women's and mixed doubles competitions.
The Beijing curling calendar begins with mixed doubles round-robin play Feb. 2, two days before the Games' opening ceremony.
"It's a very compressed timeline," Pfeifer said. "Lots of physical and mental tolls that are taken on the athletes. We know that there are some other countries that are doing (both disciplines) this year.
"Fortunately (in) Canada we're blessed with a wide, big talent field that we can draw from."
Mixed doubles medal games are set for Feb. 8, one day before the men's team round-robin opener and two days before the start of women's team play. The curling schedule runs through the final day of Olympic competition on Feb. 20.
It could mean a pressure-packed emotional journey of over two weeks -- about twice as long as a regular championship -- for some players.
"If you're tired at the Olympics, there's something wrong with you," said Laing, who played second for Koe in 2018. "So I don't see (fatigue) being an issue. Yeah there's lots of stress but it's fun. It depends on how you view it and how prepared you are and what you expect.
"I don't see a downside in terms of physically or mentally or anything really. The only downside I see is my kids would get mad because I'd be away for a whole month instead of just three weeks."
Laing was entered in the mixed doubles trials with substitute partner Selena Njegovan. Lawes, who filled in for Homan at the 2018 playdowns, said she "100 per cent" wished that Canadian athletes could play in both disciplines at the Games.
"It's the Olympics," Lawes said at the team trials. "I think you can run off adrenalin. It would be worth that opportunity."
Curling broadcaster Mike Harris, who won Olympic silver for Canada at the 1998 Nagano Games, sees the logic behind the federation's current setup.
"I would lean to staying away from playing both for Canada just for the reason that we have the depth," he said. "We can send an excellent team to the Olympics in mixed doubles without having to use the players that are already going in the four-person game."
Morris, now 43, is making his third trip to the Winter Games. He also won Olympic gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games with skip Kevin Martin.
"I think when I was 25, I could play both no problem and then you could throw me into a tour championship right after and I'd be fine," Morris said in a recent interview. "However at this stage of my career, when you're dealing a bit more with your recovery time, it's not as quick. And you're not as full of piss and vinegar as you are when you're young.
"It would be a bit more of a challenge. But for guys like Bruce and Oskar, I don't see that as being a challenge for them."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2022.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel.
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
In the quiet and leafy Vancouver neighbourhood of South Cambie, best known for its botanical garden, playoff fever is about to set in.
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
Biden wants the 2024 election to be a referendum on Trump's record and plans, but he also wants voters to look favourably on his own policies and actions
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.