Canadian curlers endure roller coaster of emotions throughout Olympic journey

It's hard to know where to begin when you start dissecting what happened to Canada's curlers at the Olympics.

It was disappointing no doubt — and that disappointment will be mulled over for the next four years until the next wave of Canadian curlers shoulder the lofty weight of the Maple Leaf at the Games.

Curling Canada is going to have to face some serious considerations about when the Olympic trials are held and how Canadian curlers are prepared for the Games.

But there are bigger-picture things at play in this moment that should be talked about and focused on.

WATCH | Gushue's Canadian rink defeats U.S. to capture Olympic bronze:

And maybe for the first time in Canadian Olympic curling history there's a wholehearted acknowledgement that winning at the highest-level international competitions is hard — so hard that it'll break even the most stoic and composed curlers Canada has.

Take for instance what Rachel Homan posted over the past week in the wake of her and John Morris missing the mixed doubles playoffs — by a few millimetres no less.

Homan took to Twitter, posting how gutted she was after the competition.

Being completely honest because I know many athletes have felt this but I’m in the deepest of black holes wishing we could have found another centimetre for Canada.<br><br>Know that I’m cheering hard for every athlete in Beijing right now but personally struggling beyond words.

"I'm in the deepest of black holes wishing we could have found another centimetre for Canada," Homan wrote.

"I'm cheering hard for every athlete in Beijing right now but personally struggling beyond words."

Then there was Jennifer Jones, who admitted she wished she could have redone about eight shots during the week, having missed the