More curling sons and daughters

Lots today. There’s a big Ontario player meeting tomorrow; some Seinfeld mischief; Jennifer Jones in Guelph; many hugs in Moncton; a Polish flame; Soo tickets already; the death of Gordie Weber and more.

But first – this nice photo of proud papas Neil Harrison (far left) and Paul Savage (far right) and their sons, Sean Harrison (inside left) and Brad Savage.

Sean toils for Team Chris Gardner, a fine young squad competing at the 2009 Ontario Tankard which is also off to China very shortly, for the 2009 Winter Universiade, otherwise known as the World University Games.

Brad throws lead for Team Peter Corner, currently in second place and confirmed for the Tankard playoffs this weekend.

The original Harrison and Savage, of course, are curling legends... and their old skipper, Eddie “The Wrench” Werenich was also at Woodstock yesterday.

You can read this story and much more by downloading the various editions of the daily event newsletter, the Bull Roar, from this webpage.

And don’t forget the first of our huge, multi-part interviews with The Wrench which is in the current February print edition of The Curling News. It’s typically controversial stuff, and you can’t read it online, so why not subscribe?

Believe us, you’ll be glad you did.

Anyway, this continues yesterday’s father/daughter theme starring Russ and Ashley Howard. And, although we’ve told you this already – come on, people – we are compelled to point out that still yet another Howard, Scott Howard, lost the Ontario junior men’s championship final on the same day his dad – Glenn Howard – lost the Casino Rama skins final to Randy Ferbey. You can see a photo of Scott Howard in action in the story link, too.

And now for the hard news.

The Ontario Curling Association will be present – with no less than six high-powered suits in attendance – at an Open Forum meeting with athletes Saturday morning in Woodstock.

The goal is to attempt to thrash out long-discussed changes to Ontario’s archaic playdown system.

The meeting is no surprise. The usually disorganized athletes have been united in recent weeks, and from the OCA perspective, the absence of a fellow like Wayne Middaugh – who wilfully chose to compete in a Grand Slam event instead of his last chance provincial playdown – tends to get people’s attention. As in fans, sponsors, et cetera.

“Let’s not do (zones and regional qualifying) in curling clubs in January on crappy ice with nobody watching,” says a rather blunt Richard Hart in today’s Toronto Star. “Bring all the best teams to one location at the provincial and then bring the fans in to watch it. It’s a great show.”

“Love him or hate him, Wayne should be here,” said Peter Steski. “Everybody wins if you have the best teams here – the curlers win, the OCA wins, the host committee wins, the fans win.

“I don’t see how anyone can lose.”

And what is the OCA attitude heading into the meeting?

“We don’t really care what the format is as long as the host committee’s needs are met and the sponsors’ needs are met,” said OCA exec Doug Bakes.

Okay, then... that certainly sounds promising.

Incidentally, the original version of this story, located here, concludes with more Steski hijinks – make that George Costanza of Seinfeld fame – and a washroom incident starring the event mascot.

Must be a Friday.

And on that note, here’s your Friday linkfest ...


• Moncton celebrated 60 “sweeps” before the Ford Worlds yesterday. The event included an outdoor rink set up right in front of city hall and the World Curling Federation mascot, Skip, engaged in a massive hug-a-thon ...

• Speaking of outdoor curling, you can do that tomorrow at Winterfest in Surrey, British Columbia ...

• Jennifer Jones did her corporate/charity thing yesterday in Guelph, Ontario ...

• Chelsea Carey is 4-0 in Manitoba STOH play, and we like the cool “downtown” squad photos on her team website ...

• Pat Simmons and Joel Jordison are headed for an A-side showdown at the Saskatchewan men’s Tankard ...

• Given the Canadian Juniors currently going on, you might expect that a new website which focusses on junior and university curling would be very active this week. You would be correct ...

• Speaking of youths, Trent University is hosting OUA curling action this weekend... and here are last year’s award winners ...

• Still with young people, the big flame in Poland has been lit for the 2009 European Youth Olympic festival. Yes, it will feature curling, but more on that later ...

• Early bird tickets are on sale for the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario... and while CCA’s Warren Hansen notes that “Right now, people in the Sault are the only ones aware of it,”... uh, whoops, it looks like we’ve just taken the news around the world!

Anyway, be sure to note the early bird event dates, due to the Vancouver Olympics: January 30 to February 7 ...

• DID YOU KNOW: that just a few days after dumping two-time world junior champ Charley Thomas from his men’s team, Calgary’s Chris Schille won a WCT-E event at Prague, in the Czech Republic? Well, now you do ...

• In this nice piece by Cookie Gilchrist, we discover that legendary Labatt sponsor liaison Gord Weber has passed away. Weber was instrumental in delivering Labatt Beweries into the Brier sponsorship in 1980, and was also a big booster of other sport and community endeavours ...

• The Associated Press has picked up on Pete Fenson’s defeat in the race for the U.S. 2010 Olympic berth, and scored some quotes from the disappointed skip ...

• Awright you Slave Lakers! Lots of pics and a video accompany this story on their men’s bonspiel ...

• Spain has their national mixed and mixed doubles playdowns this weekend ...

• Come on Robert, your pal Arnold expects more than this ...

• And finally, more images of Bob’s Birthday Cake, posted to a different blog. Geez, this guy is pretty popular. Or perhaps it’s the cake ...

Yet another Howard

We’ve been waiting for this.

Ashley Howard, daughter of Russ Howard, is skipping for New Brunswick at the 2009 Canadian Juniors in Salmon Arm, B.C.

And man oh man, is she a chip off the old block.

The same rock-solid slide, the same dead-eye stare at the stick.

Of course, these pics – from TCN’s Anil Mungal and CCA’s Glenn Van Gulik, respectively – don’t show Ashley’s capability to bellow like a Wounded Moose, which is another infamous aspect of her dad’s curling legacy (click to zoom in slightly).

Well, guess what... we do have some comparative pics of her yelling for the sweep, but... you’ll just have to wait a bit longer for those. Sorry.

At time of posting, Ashley was in a six-way tie for the fourth and final playoff spot at 4-4, and this time under the concerned gaze of her father, who will be commentating for TSN during the weekend finals.

Here’s a story about the young Howard’s provincial win, and her dad’s thoughts.

Here’s another story on the national shootout, including Russ Howard’s thoughts on the spectacular venue.

What else, eh?


• There’s still more Ontario Tankard content online: this here website features a bunch of stuff... a blog from the TV commentators, links, video highlights and also a video player, where fans outside the Rogers sphere of influence can tune in to the action ...

• Let’s talk ethics. Al Cameron has an interesting blogpost on some team talk regarding a technique being taught by a former Canadian and world junior men’s champion that could, conceivably, slow a rock down. Cheating or not cheating?

• More ethics: at the abovementioned Canadian Juniors, the on-ice officials allegedly prevented the Ontario junior men’s team from attempting an eight-ender in a match against the Yukon. Ethical or unethical?

• Guess what: the 2009 Sask Scotties really was an amazing show, and this bodes very well for the 2010 Ford World Women coming to town next year ...

• Right you are, guys... let’s hear it for the lowly lead! Heyyo!

• Remember Zach the LifeGetter? Looks like another Zach – this one from Californ-aye-yay – has the wrong idea ...

• And finally, some no-good dimwit bozo jackarse went and robbed Saskatchewan’s Eugene Hritzuk yesterday... and what was taken? His “smelly and old and personal” curling gear, that’s what.

Let’s just say that if we were robbed of our own shoes – original 1988 demo-model Dacks – we’d be very unhappy campers... er, curlers ...

Can anyone stop Howard?

Glenn Howard starts the defense of his fourth straight Ontario TSC Stores Tankard at 2:00pm eastern today in lovely Woodstock, Ontario... and some are suggesting that Howard might have to develop a rather bendy delivery – see Capital One photo by Anil Mungal, above – to lose the 2009 title.

Brian McAndrew of the Toronto Star discusses the matter, pointing out that Howard has cashed $130,000 this season while the rest of the Ontario field has grossed just $34,845.

We’ve also got a local community story here plus check out this stop-motion photography of the transformation of the venue from a house of hockey to the palace of The Roaring Game.

As for TV, check out the Ontario Curling Association website for the televised draws, but keep in mind only The Curling News TV Curling Guide (in the February print edition) tells you which matches were intended for coverage, at press time. “So there” and “ahem”.

As for the talent, veteran play-by-play man Dan Dunleavy of Fan590 Sports Radio will be there, with rinkside commentary provided by Marilyn Bodogh. Rogers TV sports broadcaster Matt McCooeye will host the broadcasts.

Meanwhile:

• Here’s a Bismarck, North Dakota story on the Brazilians, written after their first match. They didn’t last long, losing all three matches in emphatic fashion, but kudos on their debut appearance nontheless. The United States, thanks to Todd Birr, is back in the Ford Worlds in Moncton ...

• Edmonton’s Heather Nedohin took three in the ninth, stole the 10th (showing her grit), but couldn’t quite do it again in the extra frame and lost the Alberta final to Cheryl Bernard.
Sounds like there was a bit of a collapse for Shannon Kelibrink, too ...

• There were lots of tears in Saskatchewan, and this didn’t even involve the winning team. That was Stefanie Lawton, who is back in the STOH ...

• In Ontario, Krista McCarville won her third final in four years, making her Ontario’s dominant team of the decade. But is she ready to make the playoffs in Victoria?

• Bob Weeks found an opportunity to mention curling on his SCOREGolf blog ...

• And finally, this guy loves the USA Curling “Buy the Button” eBay promotion ...

Another Slam, the Bender Cam and more

There’s lots going on as we put the finishing touches on the February issue of The Curling News – have you subscribed yet? – so here’s a linkfest to keep you going. Crack knuckles... now...

• Jeff Stoughton (above) is on home ice as the third Capital One Grand Slam, the BDO Classic Canadian Open, gets underway tonight at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. The event website is located here.

Local blatster Jim Bender sets up the CTRS chase and also talks to Kerry Burtnyk about the recent Brier memories, while Freepman Chris Cariou spotlights young gun Mike McEwen.

Three playoff games will be televised on CBC this weekend, and don’t forget the Capital One “Million Dollar Button” contest, which will be a part of the TV package. They’re jetting in from across Canada for this one – like this gal from Fergus, Ontario – and two people were also selected from 3,300 online entries submitted over the last few months... like this fellow from B.C.

Didn’t know about this? Quit whining; we showed you the link weeks ago ...

• The Manitoba men’s field looks to be almost complete and... but... good lord... Sun Media has given Bender a videocamera, and told him to get out there and file moving pictures, in addition to words. What is this world coming to?

• Meanwhile, the manitoba gals are all set, as are the Ontario men’s and women’s provincial fields (that was a news story, here’s the OCA draw page) ...

• The Nova Scotia women’s Scotties are already underway, and here’s a quick preview ...

• The Ontario Seniors are over and done, with Bruce Delaney and Cheryl McBain taking the 2009 titles. What this summary story fails to tell you is that multiple Canadian and World senior champion Anne Dunn lost the women’s final. Of course, Joe Pavia has that tidbit in his latest column... meanwhile, over on PEI, the 2009 Senior champs are Mel Bernard and Shirley Berry ...

• Here’s a southern Alberta update, leading off with men’s playdowns this coming weekend ...

• Speaking of Burtnyk, he will be speaking about his past cancer battles at a luncheon in April, which is affiliated with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers football team ...

• Former Brier skip Jim Armstrong won his second straight B.C. wheelchair curling championship last weekend, but has already been named skip of Team Canada at next month’s 2009 World Wheelchair Championship in Vancouver. 2006 Paralympic champion Sonja Gaudet, who was on Gerry Austgarden’s runner-up team, was named as the alternate. There’s a recent feature on Gaudet located here ...

• Back in Ontario, the city of Kingston beat out 2008 hosts Collingwood to win the bid to host the 2010 Ontario ParaSport Winter Games, which will include wheelchair curling at the Royal Kingston Curling Club ...

• And Napanee, which is only some 40 kilometres west of Kingston, will be hosting the 2010 Ontario men’s provincial Tankard ...

• The Toronto Curling Association has a new sponsor (top news story) for the venerable men’s bonspiel ...

• DID YOU KNOW: that both of Canada’s teams in the upcoming 2009 Winter Universiade (World University Games) in China are from Wildfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario?

• Finally, Cold-FX has joined the Vancouver Olympic sponsor family. And those of you who remember just how bad 1998 Canadian Olympic men’s skip Mike Harris had it in the gold-medal final will note the company’s opening tagline:

Colds and flu were a big problem for Canada at the Nagano 1998 Winter Games. Thirty-six Canadian athletes, coaches and trainers, including figure skater Elvis Stojko, long track speed skater Neal Marshall, as well as the curling team, came down with colds or flu.

Pat Ryan: Ontario curling champion?

Which is more interesting - news that Pat Ryan is a competitor at next month’s Ontario men’s provincial, or news that Pat Ryan could be Canada’s next country music superstar?

Both newsbits fall within our sphere of interest – and yours – so we shall tell both tales.

Today, his curling.

After winning gold for Canada at the World Seniors in Finland last March (WCF photo above by Bob Cowan) the three-time Brier champion and two-time world champion turned his attention back to his job in Toronto, for which he has maintained a residence in the city for the past couple of years.

He soon discovered the Brampton Curling Club, the west-end facility which doubled for Long Bay in the curling movie Men With Brooms, and the place where Wayne Middaugh and cousin Peter Corner started their curling careers in the early 1980s.

And Ryan was soon discovered by Corner, the man who has won Briers, Worlds and provincial Tankards at both front end and skip positions.

After a few conversations Corner made further contact last fall, and Ryan became the alternate for the latest version of Team Corner... a squad which we revealed in yet another TCN exclusive last summer.

So why would Corner call on Ryan, you might ask?

Corner’s fiancee happens to be expecting a child very soon... specifically, at some point during the 2009 TSC Stores Tankard, for which he and teammates Graeme McCarrel, Ian Tetley and Brad Savage qualified during playdowns earlier this month.

So Ontario Brier hopefuls like Glenn Howard, Mike Harris, Rob Lobel and others may be shocked to see the slick tuck slide of the Alberta (and British Columbia) curling legend barrelling toward them sometime between February 2 and 8 at the Woodstock District Community Complex.

Well, not too shocked... after they read this posting at The Curling News Blog.

So, is this curling Hall of Famer ready to compete in another Brier, this time representing... Ontario?

“I don’t know about that,” Ryan laughed.

“All I know is I’m throwing rocks like crazy. I haven’t done much curling this year.”

Paired with longtime Middaugh third McCarrel at the back end, Ryan isn’t sure what the squad’s no-Corner lineup would be. After all, despite all the pre-planning of Corner’s potential family requirements, Ryan might not end up seeing any action.

“We’ll have to see what the team, and Graeme, think about that,” said Ryan.

“Graeme might want to throw the brick. He might want me to call the game. We’ll have to see if we even get the opportunity.”

In recent years, Ryan called the game with Jim Cotter throwing final stones on a B.C. team which, you may recall, just missed the playoffs at the 2005 Olympic Trials in Halifax. Cotter now throws third stones for Kelowna skip Bob Ursel.

Ryan says he enjoyed his first-ever post-game table talk with Corner last year.

“We really enjoyed each other’s company,” recalled Ryan. “We talked about curling and life, all the time commitments.

“We’d never really had a chance to sit and talk before. We’d always been competitors.”

Longtime curling fans will recall the Brier battles of 1993 and 1994. Corner played lead for Ontario’s Russ and Glenn Howard (plus Middaugh) and Ryan played third for BC’s Rick Folk. The Howards beat Folk/Ryan in the 1993 Brier final in Ottawa and then the Folk/Ryan combo beat the Ontarians in the 1994 final at Red Deer. Both teams went on to capture the world titles.

The team relationships were tense. There were accusations of rock tampering before one Brier playoff game, and another story tells how an enthused B.C. fan – the “Bleacher Creature” – made the mistake of whooping his way into the Ontario dressing room shortly after the ’94 final. He got a cup of water doused over his head.

Ryan said that he and Corner didn’t bother to rehash those days.

“We mostly talked about where we are right now, and it’s really nice to be able to connect with really great players who are of the same mindset,” said Ryan.

“And Pete’s team has world champions on it, and they all want the same things we do. They’re not going crazy with the sport but they still want to keep their hand in it, and they still want to make it to the Brier.”

Ah, the Brier. And this brings us to Pat Ryan: budding country music star.

But more on that coming soon.

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