The eighth annual Rodd Curling Classic at the Charlottetown Curling Club gets underway Thursday at 4 pm, and wraps up with the 3 pm Sunday finals in both the men’s and women’s sections.  The men’s section is an 18 team, 3 pool round robin, while the women’s event features 12 teams in two pools. Six teams from the men’s side and four from the women’s will advance to the qualifying round, with $5000 going to the men’s winner, and $3500 to the top women’s rink. Runners-up will receive $3300 and $2100 respectively, with $2200 and $1600 going to the third and fourth place men’s and women’s teams respectively. Fifth and sixth place in the men’s section will take home $1400.

Defending champion Russ Howard is not back to defend his title, but current PEI women’s champion and former world junior champion Suzanne Birt is back with her new team of Shelly Bradley, Leslie MacDougall, and Stefanie Clark, the only remaining member from last year’s team.

Men’s entrants include John Likely from the host club, who won the event two years ago, along with Rob Harris from Nova Scotia’s 2004 Brier-winning rink, 2008 Nova Scotia Men’s champ Brian Rafuse, former Nova Scotia Men’s champ Shawn Adams, Kevin Champion from PEI’s 2008 men’s championship rink, and 2004 PEI men’s champ Mike Gaudet.

Besides Birt, who has won the last three PEI Scotties titles, other contenders in the women’s section include Birt’s former teammate Robyn MacPhee, veterans Kim Dolan of Charlottetown and Nancy McConnery of Halifax, former Canadian Junior women’s champions Andrea Kelly of New Brunswick and Jill Mouzar of Nova Scotia, and 2006 and 2007 New Brunswick Junior Champ Mary Jane McGuire.

Live results will be available at www.charlottetowncurlingclub.ca and peicurling.com.