But many nations now are looking to take that spot away, so the popularity and the success of Canada probably then drives other nations to want to beat you.

So we’re doing well in Canada. But we’re doing well with greater depth in the field worldwide.

Have Canadians played a role in helping other countries step up their curling games?

Some of our best coaches and some of our best athletes are moving to different countries and supporting those nations in their development programs. So we take a hit.

It’s not a new phenomenon. In 2000, if you went into Sydney you could turn in every direction and see a Canadian coach there. We pulled a bunch of them back again. That’s been happening in curling as well over the past number of Olympic cycles.

Should Canada rethink how it selects curling teams for the Olympics?

This is one of those really interesting sports where typically athletes don’t make a living from this. But it also means in Canada the depth of field that we have across the country is enormous.