New timeout rule will come into play at the 2011 Scotties

by Dave Stewart

The phrase ‘Hurry, hurry, hurry’ will take on new meaning at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Charlottetown, Feb. 19 to 27.

The Canadian Curling Association has changed the rules around timeouts for the national women’s curling championship.

The new rules were in effect at the Canada Cup last month in Medicine Hat, Alta., but the CCA considers the Scotties to be the first real test for curlers.

Each team used to get two one-minute timeouts but those timeouts didn’t actually begin until the team’s coach made their way down to the ice surface.

So, the CCA decided to eliminate the timeouts altogether. The CCA will allow teams to stop the clock for 30 seconds, long enough for the coach to come down but once the 30 seconds is up, the clock starts ticking again.

Warren Hansen, director of event operations for the CCA, said the change is meant to help speed things up.

“It’s just to try and keep the game within a three-hour time frame for a television point of view which, in the last couple of years is becoming more and more of a challenge,’’ Hansen said.

Kathy O’Rourke, skip of the defending provincial championship rink, said the new rules could alter strategies.

Click to read this story in The Guardian.