TPC: Jeanna is pregnant!

by Jill Officer

CALGARY – The 2007 Tylenol Players’ Championship is now rolling along. However, we waited for what seemed like an eternity to play our second game. It was almost like we were starting a new spiel!

We didn’t play until 5:30 on Wednesday afternoon... and we were got on the bus with some teams that were already playing their second game of the day – third of the tournament – and a qualifying game at that. Some teams that played the late draw last night were scheduled to play first thing again this morning. Er... what’s going on?

Something’s not right. Anyway, now we’re on first thing in the morning. It’s an early one, too... 8:20, but the bus leaves one hour before game time, at 7:20.

I need to eat so that means running down the street to Timmy’s by about 6:45 (it’s Tim's, we know it will be very busy). Also because we’re women, that means alarm rings at about 5:45 – at the latest. Ugh! I’m sure we'll be fine. It’s not like we didn’t get to sleep in today.

There are a couple of lineup changes to report from the ice here. Apart from Colleen Jones, who has been recruited by the Kelley Law squad to skip the team this week, Stefanie Lawton has a new but familiar lead playing this week: its 2007 Scotties runner-up Lana Vey, from Team Jan Betker. No official word yet on whether or not this is a permanent change.

Seems the new timing system is causing some time management problems with some teams. For the women’s teams, of course, this is our first experience with the “think time” clocks. As opposed to the clock running while you’re thinking AND while you’re throwing, the clock only runs when you are thinking and stops when the thrower’s rock hits the nearest tee-line.

Team Law/Jones ran out of time in their first game, but in everyone’s first game there was no penalty. Team Sherry Middaugh also ran out of time yesterday – turns out they missed their last shot anyway. And apparently Team Jeff Stoughton ran out of time and were indeed penalized for it. They lost. Now, I will declare that I wasn’t at the game and don’t know what the game situation was, nor whether or not they had a chance to win.

Also, as an interesting side note, we have a few pregnant curlers out there throwing and sweeping “for two” this week. Crystal Webster is seven months pregnant! She looks great and made some fine shots against us yesterday. Other great-looking expectant mothers include Team Colleen Madonia lead Moira Klein-Swormink, and Team Kelly Scott third Jeanna Schraeder (photo by CurlingZone). That last one should point out, once and for all, that Team Scott’s much-ballyhooed decision on no pregnancies leading up the 2010 Olympics was a joke, and not real to begin with... although we still find the “other” world champion’s Sportsnet videospoof to be quite amusing!

Just a reminder that the finals are on CBC-TV this weekend: it’s your official last TV shot of the season before we all reach for the golf clubs!

The Women’s Final is Saturday at 10:00 pm ET (following CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada) with the Men’s Final underway on Sunday at 4:00 pm eastern time.

That’s it from the Corral in Calgary for, but stay tuned in. You never know what might happen when the best teams in country – and possibly the world? – are duking it out!