The She Leads – Women in Sport Grant deadline is coming up!
The purpose of this grant is to support women in sport by providing a grant they can use for personal development opportunities.
This grant was made possible by the donations of the women who participated in Sport PEI She Leads events in 2020.
The development of women leaders in sport is extremely important to Sport PEI, and they hope that through this grant, we can help foster a more inclusive, equitable environment for women in sport.
The value of the grant is $1200. Depending on the applications, this may result in one grant being awarded or two grants of $600.
CALGARY, Alta. (story by Jason Simmonds)— Geri-Lynn Ramsay is excited to be back on the competitive curling scene in Alberta.
The 32-year-old Summerside native is joining the Calgary-based Kayla Skrlik rink for the 2021-22 season.
Geri-Lynn Ramsay is excited to return to competitive curling for the 2021-22 season. The Summerside native will join the Kayla Skrlik-skipped rink. – Cole Beattie Photo
“Honestly, I am super excited to have Geri-Lynn come onboard,” said Skrlik. “I’m excited that she said ‘yes’ and she’s going to be part of our team for this year.”
Ramsay, who did not curl during the 2020-21 season, said the final positions have yet to be determined, but she will be in the house for Skrlik’s skip shots. The rink also includes Brittany Tran and Skrlik’s sister, Ashton Skrlik.
“Brittany Tran and I are good friends,” said Ramsay, who has 25 years of curling experience. “We played together for three years back when I was skipping.
“We have stayed close friends while she has been gallivanting to the Scotties and mixed doubles. She had me in mind, and they knew they needed someone with a little more experience because the girls are quite young. So, with Brittany’s experience and mine, it made sense.”
Along with experience, Ramsay brings versatility to Team Skrlik. She has played every position but lead and skipped for three years in Alberta.
“Geri meshes really well with the dynamic of our curling team,” said Kayla. “I see Geri being someone who glues our team together dynamically, which is a great asset.
“Also, Geri has played a ton of different positions, so she is someone who is a great player at any role.”
Role reversal
Ramsay, a product of the junior program at the Silver Fox in Summerside, finds herself in a role reversal from when she broke into women’s competition.
Rookies Ramsay and Erin Carmody teamed with veterans Kathy O’Rourke and Tricia MacGregor to earn a silver medal at the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian women’s curling championship in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., dropping an 8-7 extra-end decision to Jennifer Jones in the championship game.
Now Ramsay will be looked upon for leadership.
“Geri has a ton of experience curling in the competitive world,” said Kayla. “She was a natural fit on our team.
“My sister and I, I’m 23, and she’s 22, and Geri brings an experience factor that we didn’t necessarily have on our team before to guide us into the competitive world of curling.”
It’s an opportunity Ramsay is looking forward to, and she believes her experience will be an asset. She likes the makeup of the rink.
Canada has finished fourth overall in the 20-team field after losing the bronze-medal game at the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Aberdeen, Scotland
Canada’s Kerri Einarson (Camp Morton, Man.), Brad Gushue (St. John’s, N.L.) and coaches Scott Pfeifer and Heather Nedohin lost 7-4 to Sweden’s Almida de Val and Oskar Eriksson on Sunday at Curl Aberdeen.
For Einarson, it marks the end of an extended stay in curling bubbles around the world. First winning the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Home Hardware Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship, presented by Nature’s Bounty Vitamins, a Grand Slam of Curling event and then qualified Canada for the women’s curling discipline at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games at the LGT World Women’s Curling Championship, presented by BKT Tires. To cap it off, Einarson and Gushue also qualified Canada for the mixed doubles event at the 2022 Olympics.
“It’s been an honour to represent Canada twice on the world stage. We gave it our absolute all this week and I couldn’t be more proud of us earning Canada the Olympic spot. We fought hard every game. We may not have played out best at times, but we also never gave up,” Einarson said.
Eriksson, one-half of the reigning mixed doubles world champions, returned to the event with a new partner in de Mal and looked like they were potentially going to repeat as gold-medal champions. Sweden was undefeated heading into the semifinal before losing its first game and dropping into the bronze-medal game.
Sweden put the game out of reach in the seventh end. Trailing by four, Einarson and Gushue were brewing up a potential big end, but that screeched to a halt after a perfectly executed an around-the-horn thrown by de Val and swept by Eriksson. They eliminated two Canadian stones and ricocheted behind cover for shot stone. Canada played a peel-weight raise double-takeout hoping to score two, but the raised rock rolled too far. Canada settled for one to trail by three.
All four players at the back of the house during the bronze-medal game at the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. (Photo, World Curling Federation/Celine Stucki)
In the eighth end, Sweden ended the game early after executing a double peel on the guards and gave Canada no chance to set up a steal of three.
“I’m very proud of how Kerri and I battled throughout the week. There was no doubt we were tired and not at our best, but we left it all on the ice and that’s all you could ask for. We’re disappointed not to earn a medal, but are proud to have earned the Olympic spot for Canada,” Gushue said.
The problems started early for Canada during a game where its opponents were shooting a combined 91 per cent, compared to Canada’s 72 per cent. de Val, in particular, stood out in her efforts shooting the first and last stones of the end, including her highlight-reel around-the-horn, with a 98 per cent shooting efficiency.
In the first end, Sweden capitalized on a Canadian error and took quick control of the game. Einarson attempted a hit and roll that would have sandwiched her shot rock in between three Swedish counters. However, Canada only made a nose hit and de Val had a draw to the four-foot for four points.
Canada was unable to retaliate with any means of major offence in the second end. Einarson was faced with a challenging raise, needing to curl around a guard while maintaining momentum to bump a rock in the top-four to the button. Einarson came up light on the shot, and Canada was forced to one.
Einarson and Gushue closed out to the third in perfect fashion. Einarson locked her stone right on top of Canada’s shot stone on the button. Not wishing to make things worse for itself, Sweden opted to throw away the last rock and give up one, halving Canada’s deficit.
Sweden grabbed its four-lead back in the fourth end. Einarson and Gushue elected to play a double on their last shot of the end. Einarson needed to hit all that she could see of Sweden’s yellow stone, but it over curled. Instead, it hit another Canada rock back into the four-foot and as everything settled Sweden was left sitting one. del Val cooly drew to the house for a 6-2 lead at the game’s halfway point.
Canada used its power play in the fifth end, but had no opportunity for a big end. On its last shot, Sweden protected the only big potential Canadian score by guarding a double that could have been for four. All Einarson and Gushue could do were draw to the house for one, which furthered Sweden’s control of the game.
Sweden responded with its power play in the sixth end and looked to be in a good position to have a big end. Facing three Swedish counters spread out around the house, Einarson played a perfect freeze for shot rock and forced Sweden to one point.
The 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship comes to a close today at 10 am (ET) with the gold-medal game. Norway’s Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten take on hometown favourites Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat of Scotland with the world championship on the line. The game will be broadcast live on TSN.
Canada lost its semifinal bout against Scotland at the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship on Saturday and will play in the bronze-medal game tomorrow in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Kerri Einarson (Camp Morton, Man.), Brad Gushue (St. John’s, N.L.) and coaches Scott Pfeifer and Heather Nedohin lost to Scotland 6-5. It is the second time Canada lost to the team represented by Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat at Curl Aberdeen.
In the other semifinal, 2018 Olympic bronze-medallists Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten of Norway shocked the previous unbeaten Swedish duo of Almida de Val and Oskar Eriksson by a score of 7-6. Norway stole a point in the last end and advance to the final against Scotland at 10 a.m. (all times ET).
Canada will take on Sweden in the bronze-medal game at 5 a.m. Both games will be broadcasted on TSN.
In the final end, Canada had an opportunity to set up a big score, but a draw from Gushue was heavy and created a pocket. Mouat drew into it and made it very difficult for Canada to score more than one. Dodds put up a guard, forcing Einarson to slip by another guard and hit a narrow piece of a Canadian rock. It was good for one, but short of the two needed to tie the game.
Scotland’s Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat defeated Canada twice at the event – in the round robin and in the semifinal. (Photo, World Curling Federation/Celine Stucki)
Canada forced Scotland to one point in the opening end. Einarson played a draw to the back four-foot and it curled just enough behind cover. Dodds had a double for Scotland that could have resulted in a score of two, but her shot didn’t curl enough and jammed on the back for a single point.
Scotland nearly had Einarson and Gushue in trouble during the second end with a few Scottish stones protected in the four-foot. Gushue played a runback that opened the end up and had Scotland’s final shot not slide too far into the four-foot, Canada would have been looking at giving up at least a point. The miscue allowed Einarson to play a hit for a single point.
Dodds and Mouat took the first big lead of the game in the third end. Einarson had a golden opportunity to freeze her shot onto the button for a potential steal. However, the rock unexpectedly stopped light and over curled into a guard giving Scotland a draw for three.
Canada was forced to one after solid shot-making from Dodds in the fourth end. She played a precise tap into the button that was just enough for second shot. Einarson had a thin slice attempt that would have sent granite flying for a multi-point end, but the rock didn’t curl up quite enough.
In the fifth end, Canada faced an interesting decision of either playing a tap and attempt to steal or guard and force Scotland to one. The Canadians opted for a guard to prevent a double. Dodds responded by nearly making an impeccable draw to the button for two, but it was short. Scotland was held to one.
Canada used its power play in the sixth end for a deuce. Scotland attempted a slash double on its final shot and missed the back stone on the way out. Einarson responded by cooly drawing to the button for two and trailed by one.
Scotland replied with its own power play in the seventh end, hoping to put the game out of reach. Late in the end the house looked quite empty with one Canadian corner guard a stone of each colour off to the wings, but not completely buried. Einarson hit the Scottish stone and rolled across the house for one and a two point lead.
TSN/RDS 2, the official broadcast partners of Curling Canada’s Season of Champions, will provide live coverage of select Canada round-robin games, in addition to all playoff games. CLICK HERE for their complete broadcast schedule.
The She Leads – Women in Sport Grant deadline is coming up!
The purpose of this grant is to support women in sport by providing a grant they can use for personal development opportunities.
This grant was made possible by the donations of the women who participated in Sport PEI She Leads events in 2020.
The development of women leaders in sport is extremely important to Sport PEI, and they hope that through this grant, we can help foster a more inclusive, equitable environment for women in sport.
The value of the grant is $1200. Depending on the applications, this may result in one grant being awarded or two grants of $600.
An inch was the difference for Canada during the playoff qualification game at the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Aberdeen, Scotland. Canada stole a point in an extra end to defeat Switzerland 7-6 and advance to the semifinals on Saturday.
Kerri Einarson (Camp Morton, Man.), Brad Gushue (St. John’s, N.L.) and coaches Scott Pfeifer and Heather Neodhin literally stole the qualification game away from Switzerland by an inch. Facing a draw for the win, Switzerland’s Jenny Perret and Martin Rios were light on the weight and tight to the line. The pair made a valiant brushing attempt, but by the time the rock reached the house, it had barely over-curled, leaving Canada with the winning point.
But the Canadians would not have been in the position to steal had it not been for the game-saving, season-extending shot brilliantly thrown by Einarson in the eighth end. Facing three Swiss stones biting the button, Einarson threw a peel-weight shot at a set of staggered rocks in the eight-foot. The geometry and angles were just right. Canada nailed the essential quadruple takeout to score one, tie the game and force the extra end.
Canada came back from a 5-1 deficit to win the game on Saturday. (Photo, World Curling Federation/Celine Stucki)
“I saw it the whole time. I was like, ‘okay, there’s a quad here if I can get these rocks going and if [Perret’s] guard over curls.’ It over curled and it left me it, so I was eyeing it up,” Einarson said.
“It’s one of the best shots I’ve ever seen,” Gushue said. “You have to throw it really hard to make it, and she hit it absolutely perfect. And even then I wasn’t certain it would roll quite far enough, and when I looked up it had rolled just a foot more than we needed. It was awesome and I was super impressed.”
The final two ends were the culmination of a second-half surge by Canada. Up until the fourth end, Switzerland’s Perret and Rios, the 2018 Olympic Winter Games mixed doubles silver-medallists, had complete control of the game, leading 5-1 at the break.
“We talked about in the fifth end coming out and trying to get two or three and put a little bit of pressure back on them. When you have a four-point lead, you feel pretty comfortable but, all of a sudden, if a team comes back and gets three, even with the power play, it puts a bit of pressure on and that was a big end for us to turn the momentum around,” Gushue said.
And that’s exactly what Canada managed. Einarson and Gushue used their power play set-up in the fifth end and took advantage of a missed double from Rios to maintain sitting three rocks in the house. Perret nearly executed a slash double which would have left Canada with a score for two, but instead, Einarson drew to the button for three and trailed 5-4.
Canada kept the pressure on in the sixth end to tie the game. On her last shot, Einarson threw a perfect freeze into a pocket. After Perret got into the hack, it was clear Canada would score this end; the only question was if it would be one or two. Switzerland nudged away Canada’s second shot stone, leaving Canada with a score of one and tying to the game.
In the seventh end, Switzerland opted for the power play. Late in the end, Rios tried an angle-raise that would have opened up the side of the house and put Switzerland in a great position to score three. However, his team missed the mark and allowed Einarson to play a small tap to lay three, putting pressure on Perret. She didn’t miss, but for the Swiss, a score of one was a disappointment and contributed to the remainder of Canada’s comeback win.
Canada advances to the semifinal and takes on a familiar opponent in Scotland’s Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat. In the round robin Scotland defeated Canada 8-5. The game will be broadcasted live on TSN at 2:30 p.m. (all times ET) today.
The winner will advance to the gold-medal game on Sunday at 10 a.m., and the loser will play for bronze at 5 a.m.
TSN/RDS 2, the official broadcast partners of Curling Canada’s Season of Champions, will provide live coverage of select Canada round-robin games, in addition to all playoff games. CLICK HERE for their complete broadcast schedule.
Canada has cemented their spot in the playoffs at the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship with a tightly contested victory over the Czech Republic on Friday in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Canada’s Brad Gushue and Kerri Einarson earn a victory over the Czech Republic at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships 2021, Aberdeen Scotland (Photo World Curling Federation / Celine Stucki)
Canada’s Kerri Einarson (Camp Morton, Man.), Brad Gushue (St. John’s, N.L.) and coaches Scott Pfeifer and Heather Nedohin had captured early momentum but ended up being tested to their limits with a 7-6 win over the Czech Republic’s Zuzana Paulova and Tomas Paul (4-4); a match which had massive playoff implications.
With one draw remaining in the round robin, Canada will now place either second or third overall in Group A and is guaranteed a quarterfinal berth. Their opposition is yet to be determined. Scotland (7-1) sits atop Group A and earns a direct bye to the semi finals with Canada (6-2) and Italy (6-2) rounding out the playoff picture. In Group B, Sweden (8-0) leads the pack and will have a direct bye to the semi finals with Norway (7-1) in second and Switzerland (5-3) in third.
The win also secures Canada a place at the 2022 Winter Olympics Games in Mixed Doubles.
“Securing the Olympic berth definitely takes the pressure off a bit,” said Kerri Einarson. “We’re still just focusing on ourselves.”
“You try to not think about it but obviously it’s still there,” said Brad Gushue. “Now it’s something we don’t have to worry about from here on out and now it’s just a matter of seeing if we can use tonight’s game to build momentum going into the playoffs tomorrow.”
Canada opened the match versus the Czech Republic with plenty of momentum thanks to keen execution resulting in consecutive steals of one in the first and second ends for an early 2-0 lead.
Canada was poised to steal again in the third, but a draw on Canada’s last to lay two would come up short and give way to a well executed Czech Republic angle tap back for a single point.
With hammer in the fourth, Canada would already be laying two with their final stone still to come and with an opportunity to make a thin slash to promote a Canadian stone for a third point. Einarson would be close to executing the shot perfectly, but ended up hitting the Canadian stone a bit too thin. After a measure, Canada would still only be counting two, making the score 4-1 after four ends.
Team Czech Republic’s Zuzana Paulova and Tomas Paul. World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships 2021, Aberdeen Scotland (Photo World Curling Federation / Celine Stucki)
The Czechs, undeterred, would use their power play in the fifth end with hammer to turn the tide. With a few lingering Czech Republic stones in the 12-foot, a missed hit on Canada’s final stone would allow the Czech Republic an open hit for four, making the score 5-4.
“I was a little bummed with that shot,” said Einarson about the miss on her final stone. “I slid a little full of the broom and it ran there. Unfortunately, we gave up a four.”
“On the positive side, we still hadn’t used our powerplay and we knew we had a number of ends left,” said Gushue. “The key was to come back in the sixth.”
Canada would rebound in the sixth end with hammer. Sitting two Canadian stones in the top four, the Czechs would draw down for shot stone on the side of the button, applying extra pressure to the Canadians. Einarson would then execute an up-weight thin hit to secure the deuce and make the score 6-5 Canada.
After the Czech Republic would settle for a single in the seventh on a missed in-off for four, Canada would use their power play in the eighth end tied 6-6. Canada would employ a defensive strategy in the final end, keeping the house as open as possible. The Czech Republic would end up missing their final attempt at a double takeout, leaving a single Canadian stone in play for a 7-6 victory.
Canada will look towards their final round robin match versus RCF’s Anastasia Moskaleva and Aleksandr Eremin (4-4) at 2:30pm (all times Eastern). The match will be broadcasted live on TSN.
TSN/RDS 2, the official broadcast partners of Curling Canada’s Season of Champions, will provide live coverage of select Canada round-robin games, in addition to all playoff games. CLICK HERE for their complete broadcast schedule.
Canada’s Kerri Einarson (Camp Morton, Man.), Brad Gushue (St. John’s, N.L.) and coaches Scott Pfeifer and Heather Nedohin, found themselves in an early deficit that they couldn’t overcome. Scotland’s Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat defeated Canada 8-5 at Curl Aberdeen.
Scotland improves to 6-1 after the win and gives Dodds and Mouat a clear path to a semifinal bye in the playoffs as they now own the head-to-head tiebreaker with Canada. Dodds plays second on Eve Muirhead’s women’s team, while Mouat is most recently known for his success in Calgary’s hub city by earning the silver medal at the world men’s championship and winning two Grand Slam of Curling events.
On the other hand, Canada drops to 5-2 and is tied for second place in Pool A with Italy. As an added benefit, Canada owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Italy. The top three teams will advance to the playoffs and earn their nation a spot in the mixed doubles discipline at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
“It was a tough start for Team Canada. We got caught on speeds and a few paths early in the game, giving up three and falling quickly behind,” said coach Pfeifer. “Definitely had some chances throughout the game to catch up but couldn’t quite bring it back to even.”
After their win against Canada, Scotland’s Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat have a clear path to the semifinals out of Pool A at the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. (Photo, World Curling Federation/Celine Stucki)
Canada found itself scrambling as early as the first end against Scotland. Einarson attempted a thin double on her final shot, but it over curled and missed the target. The miss allowed Scotland to score three points early in the game. Adding a bit of insult to injury, Scotland stole another point in the second end. Canada had an angle-raise attempt for two – or even three – points and just missed.
The teams exchanged two points in the third and fourth ends, with Scotland taking a 6-2 lead at the fourth-end break.
Feeling a bit of urgency, Einarson and Gushue elected to use the power play in the fifth end, which worked out very well for the Canadians. Canada was sitting first and second shot behind cover on Scotland’s final throw. Dodds attempted a triple but it didn’t curl enough, allowing Canada to hit three and only trail by one point.
The momentum continued to swing towards Canada in the sixth end when Einarson and Gushue forced Dodds and Mouat to a single point. Scotland had a tricky triple-tap for two, but it nudged their second shot stone off the back button and out of scoring contention.
However, Scotland stopped any form of Canadian comeback in the seventh end. Canada was unable to orchestrate a multi-point end and gave up a steal of one after missing a paper-thin peel shot for a chance to score two. Scotland finished the game by running Canada out of rocks in the final end.
Canada finishes the round robin on Friday against Zuzana Paulova and Tomas Paul of the Czech Republic (4-3) at 7:30 a.m. (all times ET), followed by RCF’s Anastasia Moskaleva and Aleksandr Eremin (4-3) at 2:30 p.m.. Both games will be broadcasted live on TSN.
TSN/RDS 2, the official broadcast partners of Curling Canada’s Season of Champions, will provide live coverage of select Canada round-robin games, in addition to all playoff games. CLICK HERE for their complete broadcast schedule.
Canada’s mixed doubles team capped its two-game day on Wednesday with an 8-3 win against South Korea at the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Canada’s Kerri Einarson (Camp Morton, Man.), Brad Gushue (St. John’s N.L.) and coaches Scott Pfeifer and Heather Nedohin have earned a combined 11 national men’s/women’s championships and four world men’s/women’s championships as players (no alternates).
Their opponents, South Korea’s Ji Yoon Kim and Si Woo Moon, are 18 years old and have represented their country at the Youth Olympics Games in 2020.
But there’s a particular equalizing element in the sport of mixed doubles curling. Those who are shooting well will not necessarily be running away with a game, and those who don’t play as well can sometimes be one big shot away from stealing a game.
That seemed to the case for most of Canada’s game against South Korea, but in the end, experience outplayed youth.
With the win, the Canadian team also let out a small sigh of relief as it bounced back from a loss earlier in the day against Australia.
Canada’s Kerri Einarson and Brad Gushue finished their game against South Korea strong after giving up a steal in the fifth end. (Photo, World Curling Federation/Celine Stucki)
“It definitely feels good to bounce back from this morning. We made some really nice shots out there and put some pressure on them,” Einarson said.
Canada opened the game with three consecutive scores in the first three ends, two in the first end followed by single steals in the second and third ends. South Korea fought back over the middle portion of the game. First, the team ran its power play in the fourth end and scored two. It also took advantage of a missed double by Canada in the fifth end to steal another point and only trailed by one.
But the experience of Einarson and Gushue prevailed during the final ends of the game. First, there was a score of three in the sixth end, set up by a superb double by Gushue and secured with a hit for three from Einarson.
South Korea offered handshakes after the seventh end when the team missed a raise attempt and gave up another steal.
“I missed a couple of shots there in the fifth end, which put us in trouble and then I was overly cautious on [Kerri’s] line call on the last one, but I felt we both played a solid game and getting the three in the sixth kind of put that game away,” Gushue said.
Canada’s next two games on Thursday will be important ones against playoff contenders. Canada will play Italy’s Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner (4-1) at 7:30 a.m (all times ET), and Scotland’s Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat (4-1) at 2:30 p.m., which will be broadcasted live on TSN.
“We’ve got a tough day ahead of us against two top teams tomorrow, so we wanted to make sure we got this one, which puts us in and 4-1, and now we’re in pretty good shape,” Gushue said.
TSN/RDS 2, the official broadcast partners of Curling Canada’s Season of Champions, will provide live coverage of select Canada round-robin games, in addition to all playoff games. CLICK HERE for their complete broadcast schedule.
Montague has sent a number of teams to the Canadian Firefighters Curling Championship over past decades, and now the local curling club will host the 61st edition in spring 2022.
The major tournament has been cancelled two years running due to the pandemic and hosting duties changed from Charlottetown to Montague with the capital city’s curling club shutting down. The competition features a team from every province plus northern Ontario and the Northwest Territories.
Dusty MacLure played at the nationals 10 times in the 1990s and 2000s and said it’s top-notch curling.
“The level of competition was A-1. A lot of good players – Ed Werenich, Neil Harrison, Frank McCourt, all the different names over the years. We curled them all.”
Montague Curling Club manager Larry Richards said it’s one of the top competitions in Canada. The curlers will have accommodations in Charlottetown and be bused to Montague, Richards said. That’s because the original 2020 tournament was to be in Charlottetown and hotels were booked at that time.
The hope is the club will be allowed to have spectators by the time next March rolls around.
Canada’s Kerri Einarson and Brad Gushue continue to sit at the top of the standings following a two-win day at the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship on Tuesday in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Einarson (Camp Morton, Man.), Gushue (St. John’s, N.L.) and coaches Scott Pfeifer and Heather Nedohin picked up their second win of the day at Curl Aberdeen, improving to 3-0 in Pool A with a 7-5 win against Hungary’s Dorottya Palancsa and Zsolt Kiss. After Canada’s second game of the day, Einarson and Gushue are tied with Czech Republic and Scotland in the standings.
“It was much more of a textbook game and I thought we played really well. But even though we played it real well, still textbook, it’s still real stressful in the last end of mixed doubles. There’s still so much that can happen and there’s no lead that’s really comfortable,” Gushue said.
Einarson and Gushue played their best collective game yet against Hungary on Tuesday evening in Scotland. (Photo, World Curling Federation, Celine Stucki)
The teams chugged along at a two-point pace over the first three ends of the game, but momentum swung to Canada in the fourth end with a steal of one. Hungary’s Kiss made a brilliant runback double that had the potential to continue the trend of scoring another deuce, but he over-curled on his next shot, and that allowed Canada to weld two stones onto the button. That forced Hungary to give up a steal of one and provide Canada with a 5-2 lead.
From that point on, Einarson and Gushue outplayed Hungary for the remainder of the game.
As mixed doubles was coming into its own as a discipline before being added to the Olympics, Hungary’s duo of Palancsa and Kiss were the golden standard in the sport. Palancsa and Zsolt debuted at the 2013 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in the best way possible. The Hungarian team defeated Sweden in 2013 to win gold medals. Palancsa was just one month away from celebrating her 18th birthday.
Two years later, in 2015, they repeated as champions by once again defeating Sweden. However, the pair has been unable to achieve that pinnacle since curling nations had amped up their resources to support mixed doubles curling when it debuted at the Olympic Winter Games in 2018.
Palancsa and Kiss were forced to take one in the fifth end, and Canada increased the lead in the sixth by scoring on an open draw for two. Hungary utilized a power play and managed to get two points, but this left Canada with a two-point lead, with the hammer and a power play in the final end. Hungary had a difficult angle-raise into the house and needed to sit two, but the team missed, and Canada didn’t need to throw its last shot.
The Canadians played their best collective game so far at the event with Einarson finishing 82 per cent and Gushue at 85. Both were personal bests for each player, and it’s a positive sign the team is getting more comfortable with the rocks and ice as it drives for a spot in the playoffs.
“I think we’re getting better each game and just trying to learn the ice and the paths and figure it out,” Einarson said.
Canada’s next game is on Wednesday against Australia’s Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt (0-3) at 4 a.m (all times ET), and South Korea’s Ji Yoon Kim and Si Woo Moon (1-2) at 11 a.m., which will be broadcasted live on TSN.
TSN/RDS 2, the official broadcast partners of Curling Canada’s Season of Champions, will provide live coverage of select Canada round-robin games, in addition to all playoff games. CLICK HERE for their complete broadcast schedule.
The 2021 calendar has flipped into May, but one major curling championship is still on the upcoming schedule. Curl Aberdeen in Scotland will host the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. Canada’s Kerri Einarson and Brad Gushue aim to do something that a Canadian duo has never accomplished – win a mixed doubles world title.
Einarson of Camp Morton, Man., and Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., earned the right to represent Canada by winning the 2021 Home Hardware Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship, presented by Nature’s Bounty, the third of seven events staged in Calgary’s curling bubble, in late March. The duo has its sights set on becoming the first Canadian team to earn gold in the event’s 12-year history, which gets underway Monday.
Coaches Scott Pfeifer and Heather Nedohin are in Aberdeen supporting the team. Pfeifer is the national mixed doubles program coach, and Nedohin is finishing her first year as the coach of Einarson’s four-player team. Nedohin joining the team creates gender equity within Curling Canada’s national mixed doubles team.
Einarson and Gushue will attempt to become the first Canadian duo to win gold at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. (Photo, Curling Canada/Michael Burns)
As was the case at the BKT Tires & OK Tire World Men’s Curling Championship, presented by New Holland, and LGT World Women’s Curling Championship, presented by BKT Tires, Olympic qualification spots are on the line next week in Scotland. The top seven teams will qualify their nation for the mixed doubles discipline at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. In a situation where China finishes within the top seven, the eighth-ranked team will qualify because China has earned its spot as the host nation.
Canada has earned three consecutive trips to the podium over the past three world mixed doubles events (silver in 2017 [Joanne Courtney/Reid Carruthers], bronze in 2018 [Laura Walker/Kirk Muyres], silver in 2019 [Jocelyn Peterman/Brett Gallant]). Still, a spot in the top three would be a well-earned accomplishment by Einarson/Gushue in the most concentrated and talented 20-team field in the history of the event. The event was formerly an open-entry event and had 48 entries in 2019. The 2020 event, scheduled for Kelowna, B.C., was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are two groups of 10 teams. Each team plays nine round-robin games, with teams vying for one of six available playoff spots.
There are numerous talented mixed doubles duos in the running at the world championship. Some curling fans will be familiar with after watching them compete in Calgary’s curling bubble, while other teams are mixed doubles specialists that are bound to make an impact at the event.
Within Canada’s pool, Einarson and Gushue will prepare for some big games on the docket, including against host nation Scotland represented by Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat. Dodds played second for Scotland’s Eve Muirhead at the recently finished world women’s championship. Mouat is coming off an incredible run in Calgary with a world men’s silver medal and winning both Grand Slam of Curling events, the Players’ Championship and Champions Cup.
Other notable games within Canada’s group, Pool A, include Tahli Gill/Dean Hewitt of Australia. The Australian duo was one win away from a bronze medal in 2019, losing the game to the United States in an extra end. Canada also faces Hungary’s Dorottya Palancsa/Zsolt Kiss, the 2013 and 2015 world mixed doubles gold-medallists and perennial playoff contenders.
Canada also faces Spain (Oihane Otaegi/Mikel Unanue), Germany (Pia-Lisa Schoell/Klaudius Harsch), South Korea (Ji Yoon Kim/Si Woo Moon), Italy (Stefania Constantini/Amos Mosaner), Czech Republic (Zuzana Paulova/Tomas Paul) and RCF (Anastasia Moskaleva/Aleksandr Eremin).
With the country of Russia serving a two-year World Anti-Doping Agency ban, Moskaleva/Eremin’s team is formally listed as representing RCF.
Pool B contains a slate of talented teams that could potentially face Canada come playoffs, including Norway’s Kristin Skaslien/Magnus Nedregotten (2018 Olympic bronze-medallists), Sweden’s Almida De Val/Oskar Eriksson (Eriksson is one half of the reigning mixed doubles champion and coming off a 2021 world men’s gold-medal win this season), Switzerland’s Jenny Perret/Martin Rios (2017 world champions, 2018 Olympic silver-medallists), and Tabitha Peterson/Joe Polo of the United States (Peterson skipped the U.S.A. to bronze at the 2021 world women’s championship).
The top team in each pool advances to the semifinals, and the second and third-place teams in each pool will cross over and play in qualification games. Winners of the semifinal games advance to the gold-medal game, and losing teams will compete for the bronze medal.
Here’s a look at Canada’s schedule (all times ET):
May 17
vs. Spain (12:30 p.m.)**
May 18
vs. Germany (4 a.m.)
vs. Hungary (11 a.m.)**
May 19
vs. Australia (4 a.m.)
vs. South Korea (11 a.m.)*
May 20
vs. Italy (7:30 a.m.)
vs. Scotland (2:30 p.m.)*
May 21
vs. Czech Republic (7:30 a.m.)*
vs. RCF (2:30 p.m.)*
May 22
Qualification games (5 a.m.)*
Semifinal (11 a.m.)*
Semifinal (2:30 p.m.)*
May 23
Bronze-medal game (5 a.m.)*
Gold-medal game (10 a.m.)*
*Game to be broadcasted on TSN/RDS2
** Game to be broadcasted on World Curling TV
TSN/RDS 2, the official broadcast partners of Curling Canada’s Season of Champions, will provide live coverage of select Canada round-robin games, in addition to all playoff games. CLICK HERE for their complete broadcast schedule.
Sport PEI is offering two $1000 scholarships, in memory of Paul Trainor, available to PEI high school students attending UPEI or Holland College.
Paul Trainor was a graduate of Colonel Gray High School, the University of Prince Edward Island, Saint Mary’s University and the Atlantic Police Academy at Holland College.
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following criteria
• Must be graduating from a Prince Edward Island High School;
• Must be attending UPEI or Holland College;
• Have demonstrated an outstanding sports attitude;
• Have demonstrated a financial need;
• Have maintained an average of 65% or above;
• Must be entering 1st year at a post-secondary institution in the fall of the current year as a full-time student.
Sport PEI offers 4 $1000 Sport Scholarship awards which recognize excellence and achievement in sport, academics and community involvement. Deadline to apply is Thursday May 13, 2021. The Sport PEI scholarships are made possible with support from Sport Centre Physiotherapy, AVIS Car Rental, Connolly Group, and KKP.
CRITERIA
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following criteria:
Graduating from a Prince Edward Island High School;
Have excelled in high school and or provincial sports during the current school year;
Have demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities through volunteerism and sport
Have maintained a strong academic standing during the current school year;
Entering 1st year at a post-secondary institution in the fall of the current year as a full time student.
APPLICATIONS
Applications for the scholarship must include the following items with the application form:
List and prioritize your five (5) most outstanding sport achievements. (Please be specific, e.g. 1st team All-Star AA Field Hockey, Bronze medal at Canadian Judo Championships-Junior division, -44 kg). in order of importance, International, National, Regional, Provincial & School or Club.
List of leadership & volunteering activities in community, sport & school
Detail your future plans in school and sport.
Two (2) Letters of Reference (sport and/or leadership).
Canada’s Kerri Einarson team couldn’t keep up with a red-hot Swedish team skipped by Anna Hasselborg on Saturday morning at the 2021 LGT World Women’s Curling Championship, presented by BKT Tires.
Team Canada skip Kerri Einarson, left, directs sweepers Briane Meilleur, middle and Val Sweeting. (Photo, Curling Canada/Michael Burns)
Shooting a collective 91 per cent as a team, Sweden rolled to an 8-3 win over Canada in the qualification round at WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
The loss eliminates Einarson, vice-skip Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard, lead Briane Meilleur, alternate Krysten Karwacki, team coach Heather Nedohin and national coaches Elaine Dagg-Jackson and Renee Sonnenberg.
Sweden, meanwhile, advances to a Saturday night semifinal at 9:30 p.m. (all times Eastern) against RCF’s Alina Kovaleva, who finished second in the 14-team round-robin standings and received a bye to the semi.
“Disappointed,” said Einarson. “I had a really good feeling going into that game. We just got behind the 8-ball a little early. We just needed to bail ourselves out, and we just weren’t as sharp as we have been.”
The teams traded single points early, but the Swedes would take control with deuces in the third, fifth and seventh ends, while forcing Canada to take single points in the fourth and sixth ends.
Team Canada skip Val Sweeting, left, watches her shot as Sweden’s Agnes Knochenhauer, middle and Sofia Mabergs look on. (Photo, Curling Canada/Michael Burns)
The shot that essentially ended the game after eight was typical of the morning — Canada had two stones partially buried in the eight-foot circle, but Hasselborg made a wonderful runback double takeout to eliminate the threat and sit two. Einarson couldn’t follow with a double-takeout to score one, and Canada conceded after the Swedish steal.
“We struggled a bit early, and they just ran away and made everything after that,” said Sweeting. “We left it all out there, we fought hard. It wasn’t the game that we wanted; we kept trying to make shots and figure it out, but it just wasn’t our morning.”
It was a tough end to what had been a memorable run by the Canadians, who recovered from a 1-5 start to win six of their final seven games to make the playoffs and lock up a berth for Canada in the 2022 Winter Olympics women’s curling field.
It was a long stretch in the bubble for the Einarson team, who won the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in February, then returned three weeks later to play in the Home Hardware Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship, presented by Nature’s Bounty (in which Einarson prevailed with partner Brad Gushue), and then went on to play in two Grand Slam events (winning the Players’ Championship) followed by the World Women’s championship.
“It’s been absolutely amazing,” said Einarson. “So grateful for this opportunity, to be able to even play with everything happening in this world right now. We’re really thankful. We’ve had a lot of great success here, and we can’t be disappointed. We fought extremely hard. A lot of teams might not come back from a 1-and-5 (start), but never quit. I’m so very proud of my teammates.
“I’ve learned so much about myself and my teammates. This is our very first time on the world stage, and we became a tight-knit family in here. We’ll just grow from it and learn from this experience. I’m so excited to see what’s next for us.”
The efforts of the Canadian team did not go unnoticed by Team Sweden coach Wayne Middaugh, who played in the bubble himself at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier, presented by AGI.
“I’d like to congratulate them,” said Middaugh. “I saw a ton of heart out of Team Canada. With the tough start they had, and turning it around and grinding it out, right to the last moment of their last game. To be able to come back after a tough start like that, playing non-stop from the Scotties to the mixed doubles to the Grand Slam events to the world championship? Wow, I can’t imagine it as a curler. Kudos to the entire team for grinding and never giving up. They’re a fantastic representative for Canada.”
Einarson’s season isn’t done just yet. Early next week, she and Gushue, along with coaches Nedohin and Scott Pfeifer, are heading to Aberdeen, Scotland, for the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Championship, beginning on May 17.
In the other qualification round game on Saturday, Tabitha Peterson of the United States shaded Denmark’s Madeleine Dupont 8-7.
The U.S. will play Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni in the other semifinal, at 5 p.m. Saturday.
The semifinal winners will play for the gold medal Sunday at 3 p.m., with the losers battling for bronze Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
This concludes Curling Canada’s coverage of the 2021 LGT World Women’s Curling Championship. Further updates will be available at the event website, worldcurling.org/events/wwcc2021/
TSN and RDS2 will provide complete coverage of all playoff games at the 2021 LGT World Women’s Curling Championship. CLICK HERE for the complete schedule.
Registration is now open for the 108th edition of the Quebec International Bonspiel, January 22-26, 2022 in Quebec City. After 107 years as a men’s bonspiel, the Quebec International Bonspiel will be open to all curlers for the 108th edition, This 5-day bonspiel … Continue reading →
Team Canada will continue its quest to win gold at the 2021 LGT World Women’s Curling Championship, presented by BKT Tires, it was confirmed on Friday afternoon at WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park. Kerri Einarson and Team Canada have … Continue reading →
Sport PEI is offering two $1000 scholarships, in memory of Paul Trainor, available to PEI high school students attending UPEI or Holland College. Paul Trainor was a graduate of Colonel Gray High School, the University of Prince Edward Island, Saint … Continue reading →
Sport PEI offers 4 $1000 Sport Scholarship awards which recognize excellence and achievement in sport, academics and community involvement. Deadline to apply is Thursday May 13, 2021. The Sport PEI scholarships are made possible with support from Sport Centre Physiotherapy, AVIS … Continue reading →
Synergy Fitness & Nutrition, 141 Mount Edward Road Charlottetown, is once again offering an off-season Sport Performance Training Program to Island curlers. All ages are welcome. The folks at Synergy Fitness & Nutrition will work with your level of fitness … Continue reading →
Young curlers with aspirations both on and off the ice can now apply for Curling Canada’s For the Love of Curling scholarship program to help make those dreams come true. PEI’s Lauren Ferguson was one of last year’s recipients. 2020 … Continue reading →
Team Birt, reigning PEI Scotties women’s champs, announced today that Kathy O’Rourke, who was their alternate this past season, is coming on board as their coach for next season. Current coach Mitch O’Shea is stepping back due to other commitments, … Continue reading →
Team Canada skip Kerri Einarson, left, directs sweepers Briane Meilleur, middle and Val Sweeting. (Photo, Curling Canada/Michael Burns)