Monthly Archives: January 2010

Alberta, Team Canada both stay undefeated at Scotties

Posted on by January 31, 2010

Jennifer Jones counted four in the sixth, and Valerie Sweeting rang up six of her own in the sixth end, as Team Canada and Alberta both stayed undefeated through two games during Sunday morning’s third draw at the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts at the Essar Centre.

Jones’s two-time defending Scotties champions from Winnipeg’s St. Vital Curling Club edged New Brunswick 5-4. Team Canada (2-0) is tied atop Scotties standings with Alberta (2-0), which scored a runaway 13-2 victory over previously undefeated Prince Edward Island.

In Sunday morning’s other action, British Columbia (1-1) and Manitoba (1-1) both chalked up their first wins of the tournament, with Kelly Scott’s Kelowna outfit squeaking past the Territories 7-6 and Jill Thurston’s Winnipeg quartet downing Nova Scotia 7-3.

Jones’s big score gave Team Canada a 4-2 advantage over New Brunswick in the sixth. Andrea Kelly’s foursome from the Capital Curling Club hung tough, though, counting singles in the seventh and ninth ends, and the game was only decided when the New Brunswick skip missed a take-out on the button with her final stone of the 10th.

“We had to fight hard to win that one. All game, they played great. They played really well,” said Jones in praise of her opponents from New Brunswick (0-3). “We were getting some chances, and then they would make a good double to get out of it.

“They made every freeze. When they got in trouble, they’d make a double. It was a tough game, and we came through in the end. It was a fun game to play . . . the kind that keeps you on your toes.”

Sweeting’s young Alberta foursome, meanwhile, pounded the Islanders (2-1) with that six-ender in the sixth and stole four more in the seventh when Erin Carmody’s final rock sailed through the house.

Prior to Alberta’s big score, the two squads had been locked in a 3-2 struggle through five.

“I didn’t really plan on (a six-ender). Erin made a nice little runback and took ours out, but unfortunately for her, the way the rocks were left, it opened up a short little runback double (takeout) for us,” said Sweeting, 22, who had four rocks in the house surrounding P.E.I.’s deuce in the four-foot.

“Both teams were playing pretty good. We both missed a few chances as well. But we really came together in the sixth end, and luckily we had that little runback for six. It was a team shot – the girls pounded it all the way down.”

Scott, the 2006 and 2007 Scotties champion, rebounded from a 6-5 loss to Sweeting on Saturday night. B.C. scored three in the fourth and two more in the seventh for a 7-2 advantage, then held on as Sharon Cormier’s Yellowknife team (1-2) clawed back with a deuce in the eighth, and singles in the ninth and tenth. Scott erased one of two Territories counters with her final stone to end the comeback threat.

“We had a good game. We had to be patient. When you get up early like that, you don’t want to gamble too hard to close out the game and give them opportunities in doing so,” said Scott. “We were trying to hit and eliminate their opportunities.

“They made some real key shots, there, to keep things close right till the end.”

Thurston’s squad from Winnipeg’s Deer Lodge Curling Club also showed some resiliency after a 10-5 loss to Jones on Saturday night.

Manitoba stole a pair in the fifth end during a pivotal moment in Sunday morning’s match, going up 5-1 and never looking back.

“(Saturday) night, the ice was completely different than it had been in practice, and again in the Hot Shots (competition) in the afternoon. We definitely got fooled by the draw weight,” said Thurston. “But today, it was the same as it has been. We really felt comfortable out there.

“The fifth (end) was huge. We really put the pressure on them, and (Nova Scotia skip Nancy McConnery) didn’t really have much of a shot. We knew we were going to steal one, maybe two,” added Thurston.

“That’s what we have to do – continue to put pressure on teams, and make them make some big shots.”
Sunday’s fourth draw, which began at 4 p.m. AT, pits Canada against the Amber Holland-led Saskatchewan outfit (0-1); B.C. against Quebec (1-0), led by Eve Belisle; Manitoba versus Newfoundland/Labrador (1-0), helmed by Shelley Nichols; and Alberta against the host Ontario squad (1-0), led by Krista McCarville of Thunder Bay.

PEI suffers 1st loss at Scotties

Posted on by January 31, 2010

Alberta’s Valerie Sweeting rink scored six points in the sixth end, and four more in the seventh today, in a 13-2 victory over PEI’s Kathy O’Rourke rink at the Scotties in Sault Ste. Marie. PEI’s record is now 2-1.

Change to PEICA Entry Form

Posted on by January 31, 2010

The Canadian Curling Association and the World Curling Federation both define the skip of a curling team as the person who “directs” (or calls) the game, regardless of throwing order.  Traditionally, the person who calls the game (i.e. the skip)  has been the person who throws the last two rocks of an end for their team. In the last few years, though, a number of teams have used different throwing orders, so that the last person throwing is not the skip who calls the game. For example,  the PEI team at the 2010 Scotties in Sault Ste. Marie is skipped by Kathy O’Rourke, who throws second stones, with Erin Carmody throwing fourth. The PEICA’s entry form did not have a way to identify when a team’s skip is different from the person throwing last.

To allow this to occur, the PEI Curling Association has, effective immediately, changed its electronic entry form to ensure that the person who calls the game (not necessarily the person who throws last), is identified on the form as the skip.

A new field has been added to ask for “Skip name”  i.e. the person who calls the game,  if different from the person throwing fourth.

The field for name of the person throwing last is now identified at the “Fourth name”, rather than  “Skip Name:.

This change was approved at the PEICA General Meeting on Monday night.

PEI’s O’Rourke rinks beats NB to go to 2-0 at Scotties

Posted on by January 31, 2010

Tricia Affleck, Erin Carmody

Photo (L-R): Tricia Affleck, Erin Carmody

(CCA) It was good enough for Russ Howard and Brad Gushue at the 2006 Olympic Games, so why not Prince Edward Island’s latest Scotties curling contender?

“That’s the way we figured it,” said veteran skip and second shooter Kathy O’Rourke following her second straight Scotties victory Saturday night at the Essar Centre, an 11-8 conquest of New Brunswick’s Andrea Kelly.

O’Rourke actually was the last piece of the puzzle in place for this new Island team that sets the pace at 2-and-0 going into today’s three-draw schedule.
Having played in five previous renditions of the Canadian women’s curling championship, O’Rourke was obvious choice to call the shots on a team with a pair of 21-year-old junior grads and long-time lead Tricia Affleck.

The latter was looking for a new team and consulted O’Rourke who recommended the back end of last year’s P.E.I. junior contender — Erin Carmody and Geri-Lynn Ramsay. The three joined forces and then decided O’Rourke would make an ideal fourth, much like Howard fit like a glove when Gushue won the 2005 Trials and the 2006 gold medal at Torino.

O’Rourke said the young players on the back end “are very good shooters” and lifting the responsibility of skipping from Carmody’s shoulders in her first Scotties is a sound tactical move.

“I think it will be very helpful,” said O’Rourke. “She (Carmody) doesn’t have to worry about whether or not she has taken the right ice, she just has to go down and execute. And the combination has worked well so far.

“It was a little tricky at first, skipping for lead rocks, then running down the ice to throw two, then running back to call the shots for the last four. But I’m getting used to the drill now.”

Carmody agreed.

“Kathy calls a great game, she knows exactly where to put the broom down and we all trust her completely,” said the last-rocker. “It just makes sense the way we’re lined up and, also, I love to sweep so I get my share of that.”

Still, the Islanders are far from looking forward to a picnic following Day One.

“It’s exciting to be here,” said Carmody, “but I think I’m still a little nervous.”
Earlier, P.E.I. stole nine points in a surprising 10-3 pummelling of Saskatchewan’s Amber Holland Kronau who had won the Ford Hot Shots skills competition earlier in the day.

“I’d trade the car for the win,” said Holland. “We forgot how to curl. They came out strong, we didn’t, hence the result.”
Defending champion Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg opened with an evening win in her lone assignment of the day, pulling away from a former teammate — Manitoba’s  Jill Thurston — by a 10-5 count.

Jones stole three-enders in the fourth and ninth ends.

“The ice was fudging and I just never caught on to it,” said Thurston. “I’d throw what I thought was draw weight and it was light. I threw eight feet more and it was light. I’d throw another six feet and I was still light. I just never got it.”

Said Jones: “The teams that catch on to the ice for the whole week are the teams that’ll be there at the end. The ice may have been a little challenging but you have to adjust and I think we did a pretty good job of that.”

On an adjacent sheet, young Alberta upstart Valerie Sweeting of Edmonton followed a string of upsets in her home province by stunning 2007 world champion Kelly Scott of Kelowna 6-5.

Sweeting was scored at 95 per cent on her last shots. Scott was heavy on a last-rock draw for two in the 10th end to force overtime.
“We lost our first game to Tracy Streifel and came back to win the Scotties,” reasoned Scott, “so this isn’t the end of the world.”
Sweeting, 22, said her team is far from being intimidated by the field of champions.

“We just wanted to go out there and play like we know we can,” she said. “We knew it would be a good game and we had to take our chances when they came along and if we did that we could do well.”

Host-province favourite Ontario exploded from the starting gate on the afternoon shift, stealing six points en route to as 9-2 pummelling of New Brunswick’s Kelly.

McCarville won 11 straight at the start of the month to win the Ontario title after finishing third at the Tim Hortons Olympic Trials at Edmonton in December.
“It was a nice way to get it going,” said McCarville, who added she’s never entered a Scotties feeling more confident in herself and her team.

This is McCarville’s fourth Ontario representation in five years.

“It’s nice, too, because she (Kelly) beat us last year. So we got a little revenge there.”
The game’s turning point was the sixth end when Kelly, trailing 4-1, needed to avoid a guard and erase McCarville’s lone rock in the rings for a tying three-count.

McCarville had partially buried her last stone, then watched Kelly’s last wreck on the front stone.
Elsewhere on the tournament’s opening draw, Newfoundland/Labrador clobbered the Territories 12-2 and Quebec stole two in an extra end to polish off Nova Scotia 8-6.

The squad from The Rock had an easy time of it with an ice cold group of Polars skipped by Sharon Cormier of Yellowknife.

“My girls played so well today and it made my job so easy,” said St. John’s skip Shelley Nichols.

“Tell you what. This means we won’t be going 0-and-11 and I’m excited about that.”

Cormier rebounded in the evening to throttle Nancy McConnery’s Bluenosers 8-2.

“This afternoon we didn’t have draw weight,” said Cormier. “Tonight, we had it. That was the difference.”

Quebec trailed the Nova Scotians all the way until two precise shots from skip Eve Belisle squared the account in the 10th end of their afternoon fracas.
The jig was up when McConnery missed her last shot of the 11th end.

“They were above us all game so we were lucky,” said a relieved Belisle. “But she had a tough shot in the extra end and I think we played well there.”

PEI upends Sask., Ont. downs NB in Scotties opener

Posted on by January 30, 2010

(CCA) Host-province favourite Ontario exploded from the starting gate at the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts on Saturday afternoon.

Krista McCarville’s Thunder Bay team stole points at will (six in all) and pummelled New Brunswick’s Andrea Kelly of Fredericton 9-2.

McCarville won 11 straight at the start of the month to win the Ontario title after finishing third at the Tim Hortons Olympic Trials at Edmonton in December.
“It was a nice way to get it going,” said McCarville, who added she’s never entered a Scotties feeling more confident in herself and her team.

This is McCarville’s fourth Ontario representation in five years.

“It’s nice, too, because she (Kelly) beat us last year. So we got a little revenge there.”

The game’s turning point was the sixth end when Kelly, trailing 4-1, needed to avoid a guard and erase McCarville’s lone rock in the rings for a tying three-count.

McCarville had partially buried her last stone, then watched Kelly’s last wreck on the front stone.

Elsewhere on the tournament’s opening draw, Prince Edward Island upended Saskatchewan 10-3, Newfoundland/Labrador clobbered the Territories 12-2 and Quebec stole two in an extra end to polish off Nova Scotia 8-6.

The Islanders, taking a page from the book of the 2006 Canadian Olympic team skipped by Russ Howard with Brad Gushue throwing the last bricks, stole nine points against Saskatchewan’s Amber Holland of Kronau who had won the Ford Hot Shots skills competition earlier in the day.

“I’d trade the car for the win,” said Holland. “We forgot how to curl. They came out strong, we didn’t, hence the result.”
Veteran Kathy O’Rourke skips the Island team and throws second stones with junior grads Erin Carmody and Geri-Lynn Ramsay throwing skip and third rocks respectively.

“We knew that would be a tough game but we bore down and concentrated,” said O’Rourke.

She said the young players on the back end “are very good shooters” and lifting the responsibility of skipping from the 21-year-old Carmody in her first Scotties, “I think will be very helpful”.

“She doesn’t have to worry about whether or not she has taken the right ice, she just has to go down and execute,” said O’Rourke. “And the combination has worked well so far.”

The squad from The Rock had an easy time of it with an ice cold group of Polars skipped by Sharon Cormier of Yellowknife.

“My girls played so well today and it made my job so easy,” said St. John’s skip Shelley Nichols.

“Tell you what. This means we won’t be going 0-and-11 and I’m excited about that.”

Quebec trailed Nancy McConnery’s Bluenosers all the way until two precise shots from skip Eve Belisle squared the account in in the 10th end.

The jig was up when McConnery missed her last shot of the 11th end.

“They were above us all game so we were lucky,” said a relieved Belisle. “But she had a tough shot in the extra end and I think we played well there.”

Amber Holland wins Ford Hot Shots but loses opener to PEI at Scotties

Posted on by January 30, 2010

(CCA) Suddenly, Amber Holland needs a double garage.

The skip of the Saskatchewan team at the 2010 Scotties at the Essar Centre executed a perfect last-rock double-takeout which vaulted her into the driver’s seat of a brand new Taurus in Saturday’s Ford Hot Shots finale.

Holland already drives of 2006 Mitsubishi Outlander, an all-wheel drive vehicle perfect for Saskatchewan winters. Now she also has a two-year lease on the 2010 Taurus.

Holland, who doubles as executive-director of the Saskatchewan Curling Association, defeated Ontario lead Kari MacLean of Thunder Bay 21-18 in the Hot Shots wrap-up. MacLean took the lead on the first shot of the points competition with a draw to the button and the advantage see-sawed back and forth between the two on every subsequent shot.

Holland reaped a five-point reward from her double-kill to complete the assignment. MacLean then drew a blank on the same shot.
So what’s Holland going to do with the new unit and how will she split the spoils with her rinkmates?

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ll probably drive it. Actually, I guess I get the car pool for the next two years. I’ll be picking up everybody and driving everywhere we go. Sometimes I drive when we’re on the road. Now it’s going to be full-time.”
Holland and lead Heather Kalenchuk reside in Regina while the Schneider sisters, third Kim and second Tammy, are from Kronau, a handful of kilometres southeast of the Queen City. All are appearing in their initial Scotties.
Ironically, the Schneiders’ father and uncles made their only Brier appearance at the Sault back in 1990 and compiled a 6-6 record. They are leading the Saskatchewan cheerleading brigade at the Scotties.

But while Holland considers the Hot Shots victory a good omen of sorts — “why not? she asks — it really doesn’t take away from the Scotties job at hand.

“It’s nice to win the competition, I’m just glad I executed enough shots,” said Holland, who favoured the out-turn on her shots. “I really didn’t expect to win it. But there’s a whole lot of games left to happen. We have to do what we came here to do. It hasn’t got anything to do with winning a car.”

Holland’s wasn’t as lucky in her first game at the Scotties, losing 10-3 to PEI’s Kathy O’Rourke rink (more on this in a later story).

Back at the Hot Shots, Holland tied with MacLean at 16 points in the quarter-finals behind Tammy Schneider (25) and Winnipeg’s Jill Thurston (21).
Eliminated were Friday’s preliminary leader Dawn Askin of Team Canada with 13 points, Quebec’s Brenda Nicholls with 14, Manitoba’s Kristen Phillips with 13 and Territories lead Danielle Ellis with 10.

In the semi-finals, Holland and MacLean set up the tight final by matching 24-point performances. Thurston logged 19 points and Schneider faltered to a mere 12.

MacLean won $2,000 for her runner-up finish while Thurston, the Manitoba skip, claimed $1,000.

The shotmaking competition requires curlers to execute six shots: Hit-and-stay, draw-the-button, draw-the-port, raise, hit-and-roll and double takeout.  Each shot is awarded points on a scale from 0-5, rating the success of each.

Sweepers were allowed for the final rounds Saturday but were not involved in the preliminaries.

The Ford of Canada Taurus has an approximate retail value in excess of $25,000. The vehicle features a 3.5L V6 engine with 6-speed automatic transmission.

The only two-time winner in the history of the event was Kelley Law of Vancouver, the B.C. runner-up this year and 2002 Canadian Olympic skip.

Other previous winners:
Kelli Turpin, formerly of Inuvik N.W.T., Sherry Fraser and Kristy Lewis of Richmond, B.C., Marcy Balderston of Grande Prairie, Kay Montgomery, playing out of Prince Albert, Gerri Cooke of Minnedosa, MB, Andrea Lawes of Toronto, Jenn Hanna of Ottawa, Allison (Franey) Farrell of Saint John, Suzanne (Gaudet) Birt of Charlottetown, Colleen Jones of Halifax and last year’s winner and current Olympic skip Cheryl Bernard of Calgary.

For the second consecutive year, Ford and the Canadian Curling Association are promoting an interactive on-line version of the Hot Shots skills competition.

Curling fans have a chance to win a two-year lease on a 2010 Ford Taurus, an autographed Team Canada curling jacket, full event VIP passes to the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier in London,Ont., Nintendo Wii and gift certificates to the Online Store of the Canadian Curling Association’s Season of Champions.

The Ford on-line game culminated last year with a one-game playoff in the Ford Worlds (men’s) at Moncton after approximately 27,000 participants had played a total of over 1.6 million games. Dan Sherrard of Edmonton was the inaugural winner.
Similarly, once the current contest closes on March 14, two finalists will be flown to Swift Current, SK, site of the 2010 Ford Worlds (women’s), March 20-28, for a one game playoff.

All information, including rules, regulations, player registration and game instructions are available at FordHotShots.curling.ca.

O’Rourke first game at 4 pm

Posted on by January 30, 2010

Kathy O’Rourke rink’s opening game at the 2010 Scotties in Sault Ste. Marie Ont. is against Amber Holland of Saskatchewan, beginning at 4 pm.

Besides the TV broadcasts, TSN will have every draw from the Scotties Tournament of Hearts  available online shortly after the broadcast has concluded.

Here is the PEI rink’s round robin schedule (all times Atlantic)

Saturday, Jan. 30
4 pm – vs. Saskatchewan (Amber Holland).
8:30 pm – vs. New Brunswick (Andrea Kelly).
Sunday, Jan. 31
11:30 am – vs. Alberta (Valerie Sweeting).
8:30 pm – vs. Northwest Territories/Yukon (Sharon Cormier).
Monday, Feb. 1
4 pm – vs. Manitoba (Jill Thurston).
Tuesday, Feb. 2
11:30 am – vs. Nova Scotia (Nancy McConnery).
8:30 pm – vs. Ontario (Krista McCarville).
Wednesday, Feb. 3
3 pm- vs. Quebec (Eve Belisle).
7:30 pm – vs. Team Canada (Jennifer Jones).
Thursday, Feb. 4
11:30 am – vs. Newfoundland and Labrador (Shelley Nichols).
4 pm. – vs. British Columbia (Kelly Scott).

Youth and experience-PEI team at the 2010 Scotties (Journal)

Posted on by January 30, 2010

JASON SIMMONDS
The Journal Pioneer

CHARLOTTETOWN – Erin Carmody and Geri-Lynn Ramsay won’t have far to look for advice at the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
The two first-time participants at the Canadian women’s curling championship, who are both just out of the junior ranks, will team with Kathy O’Rourke and Trisha Affleck on Team P.E.I. in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., starting today.

Click to read this story in the Journal-Pioneer.

Summerside wins their first-ever Provincial Firefighters

Posted on by January 29, 2010

2010 Fire Fighters champs

Photo (L-R): Jim Arsenault (lead), Dwayne MacNeil (2nd), Leo Stewart (3rd), Gordon MacFadyen (skip), Brian Burke (PEI Fire Fighters Assoc.)

The Gordon MacFadyen rink from the Summerside Fire Department were the winners of this year’s Provincial Firefighters Curling Championship, the first victory by a Summerside team in the 39 year history of the event. Other members of the team, who defeated Montague’s Jeff Nelson rink in the final, are Jim Arsenault (lead), Dwayne MacNeil (2nd), and Leo Stewart (3rd). Hydrant trophies were presented to the winning team by Brian Burke of the PEI Fire Fighters Association. The MacFadyen rink will now represent PEI at  the 51st annual Canadian Fire Fighters Muscular Dystrophy Hydrant Curling Championships, March 25-April 3 2010 in Regina.

O’Rourke headed to sixth Scotties after putting retirement on hold (Journal)

Posted on by January 29, 2010

JASON SIMMONDS
The Journal Pioneer

CHARLOTTETOWN – Sometimes the best decisions an athlete makes are the ones they don’t.
Case in point is Kathy O’Rourke.
The Summerside native and Charlottetown resident will call the game and throw second stones for P.E.I. at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., starting Saturday. Erin Carmody throws skip stones, Geri-Lynn Ramsay makes third-stone shots and Trisha Affleck plays lead for the Charlottetown Curling Club rink, coached by Al Ledgerwood.

Click to read this story in today’s Journal-Pioneer.

Sweet and Sweetapple win PEI Masters

Posted on by January 28, 2010

The Clair Sweet rink from the Maple Leaf Curling Club in O’Leary beat the Roddie MacLean foursome from the Cornwall Curling Club twice today to win the men’s section, while Carol Sweetapple beat Cornwall clubmate Diane MacKay in the final  to win the women’s division at  The Medicine Shoppe PEI Masters Curling Championships, for curlers age 60 and over, at the Crapaud Community Curling Club.

Sweet, with teammates Bob Matheson, Cliff Poirier, and Wayne Arsenault, handed the MacLean rink their first loss of the tournament this morning, with an exciting come-from-behind  8-7 extra-end decision in the “B” final of this double-knockout event. Sweet trailed 7-3 after five ends, but took a single in the sixth, and stole a single, a deuce, to tie the game, and another single in the extra end for the win. The two teams met again in the championship game, with Sweet taking four points in the first end, stealing a pair in the second,  taking another four in the sixth, and stealing another four-pointer in the seventh for a 14-4 victory. Both winner Sweet and runner-up MacLean will advance to the Maritime Masters, February 14-17 at the Beaver curling club in Moncton. Sweet can also compete in the Canadian Masters, March 28-April 4 in Saint John. Other members of the MacLean rink are Ron Giggey, Edgar Coffin, and George Younker. Eleven men’s teams took part in the PEI Masters.

In the four team women’s section, Diane MacKay of Cornwall eliminated six-time defending champion Jeanne Duffenais from the Silver Fox in the “B” final this morning, with an 8-4 win, taking a triple in the third, and stealing a deuce and a single in the final two ends. Val MacLean, Eileen Blanchard, and Marilyn Diamond round out the MacKay team.

MacKay then met “A” division winner and clubmate Carol Sweetapple in the final. MacKay grabbed an early lead, stealing  a deuce in the first end, and a single in the second. Sweetapple, playing with Marie MacDonald, Danielle Girard, and Karen Fisher, tied the game with a triple in the third, and stole the next two ends for a 5-3 lead. The teams both picked up a deuce and a single over the next four ends, for a final score of 8-6 for Sweetapple. Both rinks will advance to  the Maritime Masters, February 14-17 at the Beaver curling club in Moncton, with the winning Sweetapple team also earning the right to compete in the Canadian Masters, March 28-April 4 in Saint John.

Recreation PEI training course to include CPR/AED

Posted on by January 28, 2010

Recreation PEI are holding an arena training session on February 24th. Many of the components of this session, particularly the CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation)/AED (Automated external defibrillator) item, would also be of interest to curling clubs, who are welcome to attend all or part of the day.  Here are the details:

Recreation PEI February Arena Training Session

9 am to 4 pm, Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at CARI, Charlottetown, PEI
AGENDA

 

8:30 am – 9:00 am Registration

9:00 am -9:30 am  Worker Compensation Board – What you need to know specific to arenas – e.g. Gloves, Boots, Scott Air Packs for ammonia environments, etc.
Presenter: Joe MacAulay
 
10:00 am – 10:30 am Event Preparation – Time Management/ Juggling to make it happen. Tips to pull it off.
Presenter: Brodie O’Keefe
 
10:30 am – 10:45 am BREAK
10:45 am – 11:45 pm On site walk around: refrigeration, safety, zamboni, energy audit/retrofit
Presenter: Andy Worth and Paul Miller
 
11:45 am – 12:00 pm BREAK
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm – Working LUNCH &“PENALTY BOX TALK”
Open Floor Discussion on: What are the challenges and successes you are facing? Learn from your colleagues what works/ and doesn’t work for them: Liability, Risk Management, Insurance, Electricity Cost Management, AED’s, CO Monitor, Safety
Netting, Spectator Behavior, Alcohol in Dressing Rooms, Greening your Facility, Mandatory Helmet use, logbooks, Check lists for opening day, Training needed and when is a good time to do it? (First Aid, WHIMIS), etc.
Facilitator: Andy Worth
 
1:30 pm – 1:45 pm – BREAK
1:45 pm – 4:00 pm – CPR and AED Training
 
Cost: Lunch, breaks and materials included.
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
$60.00 CPR/AED included
 
9:00 am – 1:30 pm
$25.00 without CPR/AED
 
1:45 pm – 4:00 pm
$35.00 CPR/AED training only
 
Registration: Please register by noon February 4, 2010
Recreation PEI
902-892-6445 (T) 902-368-4548 (F)
40 Enman Crescent, Charlottetown, PE, C1E 1E6

Full event passes go on sale Feb. 1 for 2011 Charlottetown Scotties

Posted on by January 28, 2010

“The Big Ticket” full event pass, which offers the chance to choose the best seats in the house all 21 draws at the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Charlottetown, as well as access to the “Heartstop Lounge” and the  opportunity to meet  many of the curlers, goes on sale February 1st at 10 am at the Charlottetown Civic Centre box office, by phone at (902) 629-6625 or online at seasonofchampions.ca. The Big Ticket, priced at $359, including all taxes and service charges, offers a price reduction of up to 30% over single draw walk-up prices at time of event. The Scotties Canadian women’s curling championship, in its 30th year of sponsorship by Kruger Products Ltd.  will be held at the Civic Centre February 19-27, 2011.

McGrath, Dolan

Photo (L-R) Dave McGrath, Kim Dolan

Kim Dolan, Chair of the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, and Dave McGrath, General Manager of the Civic Centre, were on hand for the announcement. “The Big Ticket is definitely the best way to see the big picture at the Scotties” said Dolan. “Our fans have always been strong supporters of championship curling, and we’re confident that the Big Ticket will generate tremendous interest among fans.”

Coming March 1st is the new FLEX option, a package of 21 tickets, which lets you use a number of tickets at a time (some restrictions apply), for families, companies, etc., and will sell for $399.

The 2011 Scotties tournament of Hearts will feature 12 women’s teams, representing the 11 provinces and territories, as well as the defending champions from the 2010 Scotties, which gets underway Saturday in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario.

Scotties Logo

Ford Hotshots now in its 16th season

Posted on by January 28, 2010

(CCA)- For the 16th consecutive year, the popular Ford Hot Shots curling skills competition will be contested at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Sault Ste. Marie and the Tim Hortons Brier in Halifax.  
 
The pre-event shot-making competition requires curlers to execute six shots: Hit and Stay, Draw the Button, Draw the Port, The Raise, Hit and Roll and Double Takeout.  Each shot is awarded points on a scale from 0-5, rating the success of each.

The Ford Hot Shots consists of a preliminary round, final eight, final four and final.  Four curlers per team can compete, including alternates.  Sweeping (qualifiers can select two sweepers) is permitted, beginning with the final eight.
 
Ford of Canada will provide the winner of the Ford Hot Shots at both the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (January 30-February 7 in Sault Ste. Marie) and Tim Hortons Brier (March 6-14 in Halifax) with a two-year lease on a 2010 Ford Taurus SEL FWD, an approximate retail value in excess of $25,000. 
 
The vehicle features a 3.5L V6 engine with 6-speed SelectShift Automatic™ transmission with paddle shifters, MyKey™, heated folding exterior power side mirrors with puddle lamps, dual zone electronic automatic temperature control, SIRIUS Satellite Radio® with 6-month paid subscription, engine block heater, moonroof, leather wrapped steering wheel with speed control and audio control, Easy Fuel™ Capless Refueling, unique cloth heated front seats, power windows, locks and mirrors, and 18” fully painted sparkle 5-spoke aluminum wheels.
 
For the Scotties Tournament of Hearts at the ESSAR Centre, the Ford Hot Shots preliminary round is scheduled for 1:10 pm – 4:40 pm ET on Friday, January 29.  The playoffs (Final Eight, Final Four, Final) begin at 1:15 pm ET on Saturday, January 30, following the Opening Ceremonies.
 
For the Tim Hortons Brier at the Metro Centre, the Ford Hot Shots preliminary round will be held Friday, March 5 from 1:10 pm – 4:40 pm AT.  The playoffs (Final Eight, Final Four, Final) take place Saturday, March 6 starting at 1:15 pm AT, following the Opening Ceremonies. 
 
In addition to the two-year lease of the 2010 Ford Taurus SEL FWD for each winner, the second place finishers will be presented with a cheque for $2,000, while the third place finishers receive $1,000.  
 
Since 1995, the Ford Hot Shots event has provided not only an exciting beginning to each championship but has proven to be an extremely popular competition for curlers and fans.  Previous Ford Hot Shots winners at the Hearts are Yukon/NWT’s Kelli Turpin, British Columbia’s Sherry Fraser, Kelley Law (twice) and Kristy Lewis, Alberta’s Marcy Balderston, Saskatchewan’s Kay Montgomery, Manitoba’s Gerri Cooke and Jill Officer, Ontario’s Andrea Lawes and Jenn Hanna, New Brunswick’s Allison Farrell (Franey), Prince Edward Island’s Suzanne Birt (Gaudet), Nova Scotia’s Colleen Jones and last year’s winner, Alberta’s Cheryl Bernard.
 
Past winners at the Brier have been Greg McAulay and Pat Ryan of British Columbia, Alberta’s Don Bartlett, Randy Ferbey and John Morris, Saskatchewan’s Steve Laycock, Manitoba’s Steve Gould (twice), Northern Ontario’s Mike Coulter, Ontario’s Ed Werenich, New Brunswick’s Rick Perron, Jeff Lacey and Marc LeCocq, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Mark Nichols and Ontario’s Craig Savill, who won last year.
 
Ford Hot Shots On-line
 
For the second consecutive year, Ford of Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Curling Association, has launched an interactive on-line version of the Hot Shots skills competition. Curling fans will have a chance to win a two-year lease on a 2010 Ford Taurus SE, an approximate value in excess of $25,000, an autographed Team Canada curling jacket, full event VIP passes to the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier in London, Nintendo Wii and gift certificates to the Online Store of the Canadian Curling Association’s Season of Champions.
 
The Ford Hot Shots On-line game, unveiled last year, culminated with a one-game playoff at the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship in Moncton, after approximately 27,000 participants had played a total of over 1.6 million games.  Dan Sherrard of Edmonton was the inaugural winner of a two-year lease of a 2009 Ford Flex, valued at over $20,000.
 
Similarly, this year, once the contest closes on March 14, two finalists will be flown to Swift Current, Saskatchewan, site of the 2010 Ford World Women’s Curling Championship, March 20-28, for a one game playoff.
 
All the information, including rules, regulations, player registration and game instructions are available at FordHotShots.curling.ca.

Roddie MacLean and Carol Sweetapple advance to Masters finals

Posted on by January 27, 2010

The Roddie MacLean and Carol Sweetapple teams from the Cornwall Curling Club have earned byes to tomorrow’s finals in the men’s and women’s divisions respectively of The Medicine Shoppe Provincial Masters Curling Championships, for curlers age 60 and over, being played at the Crapaud Community Curling Club.

In the eleven team men’s section, MacLean, with teammates Ron Giggey, Edgar Coffin, and George Younker, scored four points in the final end this morning to beat Lou Nowlan of Summerside, a five-time Masters champion, by a 9-6 score in the “A” section final of this double-knockout event. MacLean then beat Bob Acorn of Charlottetown by a 7-3 score to advance to the B section final, 10 am on Thursday. In that game, he’ll be playing Clair Sweet of O’Leary’s Maple Leaf club, who edged Louis Walsh of the Silver Fox 6-5 in an extra end this morning, and doubled Nowlan 6-3 this afternoon.

If Sweet wins the B final, he’ll face MacLean again in the 2 pm championship final. If MacLean is the winner, the final will not be necessary, and his team will be declared the champion. Playing with Sweet are Bob Matheson, Cliff Poirier, and Wayne Arsenault.

In the four team women’s division, Carol Sweetapple got by Cornwall clubmate Ruth Stavert by a 6-4 score to win this morning’s “A” final, but did not advance to the B final, losing this afternoon to six-time defending champion Jeanne Duffenais of the Silver Fox by a 7-1 score. Rounding out the Sweetapple rink are Marie MacDonald, Danielle Girard, and Karen Fisher.

 In the other qualifier game for the B final, Stavert lost out to another Cornwall clubmate, Diane MacKay, by a 9-3 score. MacKay scored five points in the fifth end en route to the win. So it’s Duffenais vs MacKay in the B final, Thursday morning at 10. The winner of that game will then play Sweetapple in the 2 pm final. Other members of the Duffenais rink are Georgie Coulson, Marg Nowlan, and Pat Barrett, while Val MacLean, Eileen Blanchard, and Marilyn Diamond complete the MacKay foursome.

Men’s and women’s winners and runners-up advance to the Maritime Masters Championships, February 14-17 at the Beaver Curling Club in Moncton.  Winners may also participate in the Canadian Masters, March 28-April 4 in Saint John.

2010 Scotties Countdown

Posted on by January 20, 2010

(CCA) After a banner curling season, Team Canada’s Jennifer Jones and her team came up short with a disappointing performance at the Olympic Trials. While the opportunity to go for gold in Vancouver has been lost, the Jones team will … Continue reading →

Canadian Juniors starts Saturday

Posted on by January 14, 2010

(CCA) The M&M Meat Shops Canadian Junior Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships will be contested in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec from January 16-24.   It’s the fifth year of title sponsorship by M&M Meat Shops, Canada’s leading retail chain of specialty frozen … Continue reading →

Provincial Stick Curling date change

Posted on by January 13, 2010

To remove a date conflict between the Maritime Masters and the Ferguson Funeral Homes Provincial Stick Curling Championship,  the Stick event will be moved from Feb. 15-17 to one week later, Feb. 22-24 2010. There will be no change in the registration deadline of Jan … Continue reading →

Pepsi Junior Award Winners (corrected)

Posted on by January 8, 2010

[Corrects name of junior women’s Fairplay recipient – original information provided incorrectly by source]  Following the completion of the Pepsi Junior Provincial Curling Championships at the Maple Leaf Curling Club in O’Leary,  the annual coaching and Fairplay awards were given out. … Continue reading →

Crapaud TV draw

Posted on by January 8, 2010

Come to the Crapaud Community Curling Club and view the 50″ Plasma TV you can win.  Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5 at the bar.  Draw will be made at the Melt Down bonspiel in April.