VICTORIA, February 20, 2009 (CCA)… Alberta skip Cheryl Bernard posted the top score in Friday’s Ford Hot Shots qualifying round at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian women’s curling championship.
Bernard scored 25 points to lead all shooters who took to the ice at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, and will play in the round of eight on Saturday.
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, semi-finals and final. Four curlers per team can compete, including alternates. Sweeping (qualifiers can select two sweepers) is permitted, beginning with the final eight.
Joining Bernard in Saturday’s playoff round will be Nova Scotia’s Sheena Gilman (22 points), Quebec’s Nancy Belanger (21), Saskatchewan’s Lana Vey (20) and Sherri Singler (20), Newfoundland/Labrador’s Heather Strong (20), Prince Edward Island’s Rebecca Jean MacPhee (19) and Team Canada’s Cathy Overton-Clapham.
Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited, will provide the winner of the Ford Hot Shots at the Scotties with a two-year lease on a 2009 Ford Flex SEL FWD. The all-new Ford Flex was recently awarded the 2009 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year by the Automotive Journalist Association of Canada (AJAC). A two-year lease on a 2009 Ford Flex SEL FWD has a value in excess of $20,000 and is full of class-leading technologies, including Ford Sync™, voice-activated navigation with reverse camera system, new premium sound from Sony and innovative, surprise-and-delight features like EasyFuel™ capless refueling and an exclusive refrigerated console.
Saturday’s second-place finisher will be presented with a cheque for $2,000, while the third-place finisher receives $1,000.
To mark the 15th anniversary of Ford’s support of the Ford Hot Shots competition, Ford, in collaboration with the Canadian Curling Association, has launched an exciting and interactive on-line version of the Hot Shots skills competition to be enjoyed by all curling fans this season. Fans can go to FordHotShots.curling.ca and play like the pros for a chance to win like the pros a two-year lease on a 2009 Ford Flex, with a retail value in excess of $20,000.
The Ford Hot Shots On-line game has drawn an overwhelming response with more than 400,000 games played to date. When the contest closes on March 31, 2009, the top two players will be determined and will both receive an all expenses paid trip to the 2009 Ford World Men’s Curling Championship in Moncton, NB, where they will compete online in a one-game winner takes all playoff to be held Friday, April 10th to win their own two-year lease of a brand new 2009 Ford Flex.
All information, from player registration to playing the game, is available at HotShots.curling.ca.