Moncton, April 12, 2009.(CCA).. The unique Ford Hot Shots Online Game contest, which was launched in mid-December last year, culminated on Friday, April 10, with a one-game playoff battle between the two finalists, Dan Sherrard and Doug McLeod, both of Edmonton.
The playoff, held in the Keith’s Patch at the Moncton Coliseum during the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship, was won by Sherrard, by a score of 3,706-2,594.
For the victory, Sherrard received a 2-year lease of a 2009 Ford Flex, valued at over $20,000, along with an autographed Mondetta Team Canada jacket and an official 2009 Ford World Men’s Curling Championship baseball cap.
McLeod, meanwhile, earned a Nintendo Wii Console and Deca Sports Game Bundle, an autographed Mondetta Team Canada jacket and an official 2009 Ford World Men’s Curling Championship baseball cap.
Ironically, both Sherrard and McLeod had qualified for the final by finishing tied with 79,037 points, a total which represented the sum of the best 20 games by each player during the contest, which ran from December 9, 2008 to March 31, 2009.
Both Sherrard and McLeod were flown to Moncton and provided with accommodation at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in order to play the final game online.
Sherrard, who used the alias Peeler McSweepy, played the Ford Hot Shots Online Game a total of 1,400 times, while McLeod, under his HoldFast_10 moniker, played 1,500 times. There was no restriction on the number of games played by individuals.
The Ford Hot Shots Online Game attracted approximately 27,000 participants, who played a total of over 1.6 million games, simply by visiting Fordhotshots.curling.ca.
Patterned after the traditional and popular Ford Hot Shots Competition, which has taken place at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Tim Hortons Brier during the past 15 years, online players were required to execute six basic curling shots (Hit and Stay, Draw to the Button, Draw the Port, The Raise, Hit and Roll, Double Takeout), with points awarded for the success of each.
The Ford Hot Shots Online Game, a partnership between the Canadian Curling Association and Ford Motor Company of Canada, marked the first time an interactive skill-based game had been unveiled on the CCA website.