The Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship gets underway today in Leduc Alberta, returning to the city where the event made its debut in 2013 at the BMO Centre, when won by Quebec’s Robert Desjardins and Isabelle Néron.
The 32-team competition lineup includes the husband and wife tandem of Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing, along with last year’s champions and world mixed doubles silver medallists Joanne Courtney and Reid Carruthers. Jones, the 2014 Olympic gold medallist, and six-time Scotties champ, recently won the 2018 Ford World Women’s Championship in North Bay, her second world title, after claiming the 2008 championship. Laing is a three-time world men’s champion.
Photo: Calvin Smith (left) and Lauren Ferguson
The PEI champions, Lauren Ferguson and Calvin Smith from the Crapaud Community Curling Club, will face Jones and Laing in their opener at 11:30 pm Atlantic tonight.
Here is PEI’s round robin draw:
| Date | Draw | Time (ADT) | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28 | 2 | 11:30 PM | Jones/Laing |
| Mar 29 | 4 | 2:00 PM | Ferguson/Epping |
| Mar 29 | 6 | 7:00 PM | Peterman/Samagalski |
| Mar 30 | 8 | 12:00 AM | Kitz/Stewart |
| Mar 30 | 10 | 2:00 PM | Sweeting/March |
| Mar 30 | 12 | 7:00 PM | Kasner/Kalthoff |
| Mar 31 | 14 | 12:00 AM | Sturmay/Sturmay |
Other well-known curlers include the pairings of Chelsea Carey and Colin Hodgson, Cathy Overton-Clapham and Matt Dunstone, Dana Ferguson and John Epping, Marliese Kasner and Dustin Kalthoff, Nancy Martin and Steve Laycock, 2016 champ Jocelyn Peterman, paired with Derek Samagalski because her regular partner Brett Gallant is competing in the World Men’s at Las Vegas with Team Canada skip Brad Gushue, Laura Crocker and Kirk Muyres, who replaces her regular partner Geoff Walker, since he, too, is at the World Men’s with Gushue, 2015 winners Kalynn Park and Charley Thomas, 2014 champions Kim and Wayne Tuck, 2017 Canadian Mixed winning skip Trevor Bonot (paired with Amanda Gates) and 2013 winner Robert Desjardins.
While not playing, Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris, 2018 Olympic gold medallists in the debut of Mixed Doubles at Pyeongchang, South Korea last month, will make a special media and public appearance on March 28, when the championship gets underway.
The winner of the 2018 Canadian Mixed Doubles will represent Canada in the 2018 World Mixed Doubles Championship, April 21-28 at Östersund, Sweden.
CBC Sports will live stream various games during the preliminary rounds and finals. You can watch at cbcsports.ca or via the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android.
Event website: www.curling.ca/2018mixeddoubles/
Draw results are available at www.curling.ca.