TSN locks in curling through 2014

OTTAWA – Stunning news today from the Canadian Curling Association (CCA) and The Sports Network (TSN) as a new TV curling broadcast deal has been signed.

TSN will replace the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) as exclusive TV rights holder for CCA properties from 2008 through to the 2013-14 season.

CBC is the present rights holder and currently subcontracts TSN for round-robin coverage of the "Big Three" Canadian events: the Tim Hortons Brier, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the Ford World Championships (alternating men's and women's championships in Canada).

It's a six-year broadcast and multimedia deal, crossing platforms such as broadband, mobile, video-on-demand, interactive television, podcasts and even rights for radio broadcasts. TSN "intends to fully leverage these rights to continue in its efforts to build and grow Canada's curling audiences, reaching out for the first time to new and existing fans on multi-platforms."

The deal also includes – as of 2008 – the return of morning draw action. In addition, TSN's parent network, CTV, may carry selected matches.

Phil King, TSN President:

TSN has always been a staunch supporter of curling in Canada, and this deal further establishes curling as a cornerstone of the network's programming leading up to the 2010 Olympic Games and beyond. TSN's commitment to the sport for the past two decades has been paramount in making curling the TV-friendly broadcast it is today and helped put curling on the map in Canada.

Dave Parkes, Canadian Curling Association CEO:

Unprecedented coverage and the return of morning draws will be embraced by our fans and viewers across the country and around the world. This agreement and a strengthened relationship with TSN ensures a positive, exciting and long-term future for our sport.

Other partners, from the CCA's Season of Champions sponsor family to the World Curling Players' Association, have weighed in with words of media support.

Les Harrison, World Curling Federation President:

The World Curling Federation recognizes the value of securing long-term predictability in a broadcast partner and is very pleased that the CCA's agreement with TSN will span two Winter Olympic Games.

Paul Boutilier, WCPA President:

When a major national broadcaster like TSN commits to a 50 per cent increase in the amount of live curling coverage, it's clear that the players are extremely happy.

Unhappy is the CBC, which apparently received a "perfunctory courtesy call" on Thursday morning, and was not involved in any negotiating processes. CBC was Canadian curling's first broadcaster, and has been involved in the sport for 40 years. Meanwhile, TSN has been involved in the sport since 1984, with the current (and continuing) broadcast tandem of Vic Rauter, Linda Moore and Ray Turnbull developing a devoted following.

Let the debates begin anew!

Lindholm makes curling history

Yes, it's true.

For the first time in 400 years, Swedish ace Peja Lindholm (photo) has a brand-new curling team.

Okay, enough exaggeration. But a team of four individuals that has been together for more than 20 years...? That is truly a lifetime in this fickle world of curling.

Longtime friends Tomas Nordin (third), Magnus Swartling (second) and lead Peter Narup have reportedly lost the drive and determination that helped fuel the three-time world champions squad, and they will not compete next year.

Lindholm, whose team finished a disappointing eighth in Turin – they lost the bronze-medal game to finish fourth in 2002 – is still gunning for Olympic glory in 2010. He's lined up James Dryburgh, Anders Eriksson and Viktor Kjall for the run. Dryburgh?! Yes, that's the two-time world junior champ out of Scotland who ended up marrying former Swedish junior whiz Margaretha Lindahl. The Scot has been in country for six years now, speaks very good Swedish and even handles occasional curling commentatary – in Swedish – for the Eurosport TV channel.

Lindholm, who finished runner-up at the previous two European Championships, first announced his curling presence by winning the 1986 World Juniors in Markham, Ontario. Nordin was ill all week and didn't play, which saw Swartling move to third and alternate Uwe Ljungdahl take over second position. The Swedes defeated Canada's Mike Wood in the final, and Lindholm's charisma – and sharp future – was apparent to one and all.

In Canada, Olympic gold medallists Brad Gushue and Mark Nichols continue their Newfoundland school/youth tour and Gushue has spoken more about his own team changes, which feature new Alberta import Chris Schille (see recent posts).

Gushue told The Western Star that Schille is 23 years of age and they were hoping to get somebody closer to their age as they move towards defending their title at Vancouver 2010.

While not too many people out this way have heard much about Chris, he is a good up and coming player. Out west he is well known and well respected. I got to know Chris a little bit when I spent time with him recently. He's an easy going guy, we're (team members without Russ Howard) all of a similar age, have the same goals and Chris will bring enthusiasm to the team.

Gushue also said that Schille will want to go out and prove himself, adding that Mike Adam will remain with the team as alternate and they are excited he is staying on.

I think we've found a formula that works for us in picking up Chris, and Mike is good in the role of fifth, and it will work for all of us.

Elsewhere:

• The fiery death of Winnipeg's Thistle club is blamed on arson. Disappointment is the order of the day as club members don't think they can rebuild. The Freep's Paul Wiecek goes through the memories here (subscription only) but reports the club was struggling financially, and the surviving assets could be given to the Manitoba Curling Association, which is listed as the club's designated charity. Meanwhile, curling builder Arnold Asham, who will receive a community award this fall, has offered his Asham Arena – just six blocks away from the Thistle's graveyard – as a new home for the Thistle's 400 members...

• On to some (potentially) good facility news: the city council in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan have received a MultiPlex update, while early plans for a similar complex in Caledon, Ontario include a “possible” six-sheet curling rink. Also, British Columbia's Port Moody CC is celebrating a $25,000 contribution to their facility...

• And you thought we were done with U.S. open houses? Not on your life. Olympic bronze heroes Team Pete Fenson will appear at the Evergreen CC in Vancouver (that’s Washington, not B.C.) this Saturday for a clinic/meet-and-greet; cost is only $10...

• Speaking of 2010, this Globe story provides an update on Vancouver planning, and also reminds us that curling's pitch for a new Olympic discipline – singles play – is very much alive and in the mix for medal consideration...

CTRS deadline September 30

First of all, here's a look at the newest member of Team Gushue (see previous post), Chris Schille (photo). Someone send the lad a T-shirt, willya?

Secondly: earlier this week we mentioned July 1 as a deadline for teams to register with the CCA if they, and we quote: "want to compete in Canada’s next Olympic Trials for 2010? Er... want to try, anyway?"

We should clarify: this is to register your squad to collect CTRS points as one way of – hopefully – qualifying for the Trials. Oh, and the deadline isn't July 1, it's actually September 30.

That's also the deadline for events, as well... so cashspiel organizers, go ahead and submit your tournament for CTRS consideration. It's free, so what're you waiting for? Eh?

Finally, some stuff for your weekend absorption...

• Remember those Swedish heavy-metal curling wannabees? Well, Hammerfall are at it again, this time shooting a video with other Swedish athletes...

• More U.S. open houses going on this weekend, in Brainerd, Minn. on Saturday. Kind of odd Brainerd has been going so loco for curling as of late, as their Minnesota location means they aren't exactly rookies to the sport...

• Looks like Canada's The Sports Network – currently embroiled in a footy frenzy, as are we – are regular readers of this blog!

Schille joins Gushue

After lengthy online rumours, some media confirmation today – courtesy of the Calgary Herald and The Curling News wizard Allen Cameron – that Red Deer's somewhat unheralded Chris Schille, the 2004 Alberta junior champion skip, has joined Brad Gushue's Newfoundland team for their dash to defend the Olympic gold medal at Vancouver 2010.

The story is available via subscription only, but here are a few essential points:

• Russ Howard, the veteran skip who joined Gushue at second stone for their '06 Olympic run, will play a handful of events with the squad in the near future – such as November's Continental Cup – but is not in the running for 2010. Factors cited are his age (he's 50) and his desire to qualify for the Brier with his son Stephen, out of New Brunswick.

• Mike Adam, the fifth man who originally stepped aside for Howard to join the team, remains as fifth (or is that sixth?) man. Apparently Adam indicated to Gushue that he might not be available for a full run to 2010, which sparked the player search.

• Schille had no idea he was under consideration until Gushue third Mark Nichols approached him at the Players' Championship in April.

• Schille has spoken: I've worked hard for something like this and, hopefully, I can make the best of it. I'm really excited. I wish we were starting right away.

• So has Gushue: I did a lot of research before I made the decision. I talked to a lot of people about him, and everything was very positive. There were other players that we talked about, but Chris was the easiest fit for the team.

We were looking for somebody younger, closer to our age. We wanted somebody who was eager and would have the intensity and will to win that we all have. It could be real easy for our team to get a little bit complacent, and I think bringing in new blood like Chris and his enthusiasm is not going to allow us to get complacent.

Curling in June

Meet Bruce Folkard, folks.

He's from Guelph, Ontario. He's a lot of fun. And he recently won the 2006 World Rotary Curling Championships in Scotland. He and his Oshawa teammates have been carting the Silver Bell trophy (photo) along to their Rotary meetings back in Canada. Why? A silver bell is rung at these meetings, and this here trophy actually has a working bell. So there you go.

By the way, Team Folkard won the final with a victory over Scotland's Matt Murdoch, the father of David Murdoch, who of course won the 2006 men's worlds in Lowell, Massachusetts. So there you go, again.

There's lots going on as this off-season churns its way into June. Don't believe us? Read on.

• First it was a ton of free beers – guesstimated to continue through life everlasting – and then it was a highway and a few city streets named after them. Now, the Gushues have been bestowed honourary university degrees. Meanwhile, back-enders Brad Gushue and Mark Nichols have been hired to visit five Newfoundland and Labrador communities this month...

• Want to compete in Canada’s next Olympic Trials for 2010? Er... want to try, anyway? You need to register your team with the governing poobahs by July 1, so get cracking!

• The timing might be odd – there hasn’t been ice for over a month now – but here’s a first-person newbie story out of Vancouver...

• Speaking of no ice...? You’re not going to let us get away with that, are you? Of course you know about summer bonspiels, which are everywhere, including one coming up in Toronto this weekend? And there’s no way you’ve forgotten that the Australasian continent is in the middle of their winter – hence, their curling season – as we speak?

And speaking of: it sounds like Bendigo, AUS will get two new curling sheets, and they're already hosting the Aussie Nationals July 22-23... meanwhile, next door in New Zealand, curling interest is booming in Aukland...

• Believe it or not, there is still curling going on the U.S. – we kid you not. The most enthusiastic club in America, the SoCal, is at it again, with an announcement of a summer league and yet another June open house... and so are those nutbars in Arizona, who will also host some August workshops...

• Speaking of America, marathon man Gordy Savela (remember him?) not only made it halfway, he then finished his 13-day, 300-mile fundraising run across Minnesota... all the while clutching a curling brush.

"Because of having to use Vaseline (for chafing), and also because of sweat, I simply could not hold onto the broom," Savela said. He eventually solved the problem by wrapping a bandana around the broom handle for a better grip. "After two days I was totally oblivious to the thing."

Savela, a member of the Itasca Curling Club, began his quest on the North Dakota border May 19 at the Fargo-Moorhead Curling Club in Fargo, Minn. He originally planned on running 340 miles, but changed his route to 300 miles after dealing with knee and hip problems and several days of hot and stormy weather. He finished his run at the steps of the Duluth Curling Club, surrounded by junior curlers.

"I'm really excited about doing this again next year," said Savela. "The sky's the limit. I'd like to involve other states, too. Next year I think we could multiply the money raised (over US $3,000) five or six times."

• Back to Lowell, site of the successful 2006 world men’s. Did you know the area recently got the heck kicked out of it by Mother Nature? Turns out an anonymous “World Curling Federation member” stepped up and donated US $10,000 to flood victims. It then turned out to be none other than legendary curling supporter – and honourary event chair – Kay Sugahara of New York City...

• Did you know: that a curling term – bonspiel – tripped up one of the competitors at the world’s biggest spelling bee?

• Did you know (pt. II): that freestyle motocross rider Cary Hart, also an MTV star, thinks Supercross would get better Olympic TV ratings than curling?

• Back in Canada, two notes out of Manitoba: the curling association had some new announcements, both in the media and on their website (click on the month of May); and Portage will host this fall’s MCT Championship...

• In Ontario, the minor-league Hamilton Bulldogs hockey club isn’t happy about being locked out of their arena, thanks to Disney and, of course, the Tim Hortons Brier...

• Finally, veteran TV Olympic guy Brian Williams is leaving the CBC – after 30 years! – to jump to CTV, the network best known for spending all its money on U.S. content. CTV and a consortium of others outbid CBC for two upcoming Olympic Games, the critical Vancouver 2010 and also London (Ingerlund) 2012, and now the guy who threw to Don and Don – and later Don and Mike and Joan – at the Olympic curling venue is headed out the door.

Here's two takes, both from the Glob & Flail, with Bill Houston and Al Maki, who warns of impending disaster at the Mother Corp...

Curlers take Parliament Hill

The pride remains strong... months after bidding farewell to northern Italy.

A horde of Olympians and Paralympians – including Paralympic Wheelchair Curling medallists Team Chris Daw as well as able-bodied curling medallists Team Shannon Kleibrink and Team Brad Gushue – were recently hosted in Ottawa by Canada's Minister of Sport, Michael Chong. The itinerary ranged from a meet and greet at the famed Tulip Festival to a charity breakfast, climaxed by the now-traditional march onto the floor of the House of Commons and a reception. Prime Minister Stephen Harper (photo) addressed the athletes, and a copy of his text is located here.

A touching moment occurred when the Paralympians met Conservative MP Steven Fletcher, who continues to write history as the first quadriplegic to sit in Canada's parliament.

Trivia: we spot five curlers in the photo... can anyone name them?

Elsewhere:

• Speaking of wheelchair curling, did you know the sport is used in a U.S. Paralympic military program?

• Team Ferbey says they had a great year, and who is going to argue? Certainly not The Curling News... we ranked them #2 for the entire 2005-06 season, second only to Newfoundland's golden boys. Sayeth The Ferb:

Obviously not doing better at the Trials was a disappointment and we would have liked to get back to the Brier but it’s not that we didn’t play well this year.

For whatever reason we weren’t at the top of our games for those two events. But overall the year was very, very successful. We finished the year out as the number one rated team in the world. We won the money list so from a cash point of year we were successful there too. We won a lot of games this year. There aren’t that many teams that wouldn’t have loved to have had the year we had.

There's more from The Ferb on a recent podcast over at The Curling Show.

• It seems that British politician Gordon Brown – touted by some as the successor to longtime PM Tony Blair – has some funky musical tastes. But he's also a fan of women's curling...

• It’s that time of year: curling clubs look for something new to brighten their chances of luring fresh members in the fall. Curlers in Powell River, BC have approached their municipal government for help with a new facility... but local government has kiboshed Nova Scotia’s “Pugwash Project”... and what’s the answer to a blase facility exterior? Well, partner up with students from your local community. Of course.

Run Gordy, run

40-year-old Minnesotan Gordy Savela (photo) is off and running, today through May 31, on a 340-mile one-man marathon... with a curling broom in his hand.

No, we're not kidding. Read all about it here, and here, and as of this morning, here.

Does Gordy have a cause? You bet: to promote junior curling, and encourage youths to embrace a more active lifestyle. The Itasca club member from Grand Rapids, Minnesota says:

I think curling is a great way for young people to get some physical activity and have a lot of fun.... the broom should differentiate me from all the other joggers out there. It should serve as a conversation starter for when I'm sitting on a park bench or in a coffee shop somewhere. I really want to use this run as a chance to get people talking about curling.

Here's two sites that are also promoting/sponsoring his run. Best of luck to Gordy from The Curling News!

• Still with the USA, the sun-drenched SoCal club has a new logo and website, and this eager group also has two of three open houses already under their belts (the third runs tomorrow in Escondido)... meanwhile, not too far away, curling is also set to make a splash in Vacaville, CA...

• Sad news this week out of British Columbia, which now reaches into the sport of curling: one of the four miners killed in tiny Kimberley was a very busy curler and coach; stories here and here...

Meet the Premier

Last week saw Ontario Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman and the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, co-host a reception for Ontario's national team athletes from no less than three 2006 Games: the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games. McGuinty (and other politicos) welcomed his guests, worked the room and eventually met up with Paralympic gold medal wheelchair curling skip Chris Daw (photo).

When Daw queried the Prem on his curling history, McGuinty acknowledged having curled before... but said he threw the rock “overhand.”

Mr. Premier: there are quite a few GTA clubs awaiting your next on-ice effort – perhaps through a staff outing or community team-building exercise? – not to mention more opportunities in your Ottawa hometown. This fall, perhaps?

Later, some of the athletes attended the legislative assembly where Minister Jim Watson made the reception, and the accomplishments of his guests, a matter of government record.

Some media outlets focussed their day-after copy on Ontario's long-suffering sport funding and infrastructure woes. While the province's amateur sport support network is indeed in poor shape – like Canada's military, it has suffered from multiple years of neglect – the current Liberal government has taken steps to address this sporting “fiscal imbalance.” Witness the creation of a new ministry – with a new minister and a dynamic Olympian MP on board – and even a grassroots plan (and fund) aimed at addressing child obesity and inactivity through sport participation.

True, much of the government's “sport” focus is geared around participation issues, and aims to improve quality of life and relieve Ontario's stressed-out healthcare system. But there was also a new lottery launched prior to Torino 2006 which delivered cash proceeds directly to athletes. And the Ontario chapter of stalwart agency KidSport – a longtime favourite of The Curling News – has been revitalized with new funding from Queen's Park.

Onward and upward.

Elsewhere:

• Team changes continue to hit the news, and Olympic teams are not immune. The back end of Japan's impressive women's team have both called it a day, which must be concerting to the host city of the next world women's championships – also the hometown of the departing athletes. Closer to Canada, the Olympic bronze men's team needs a new lead, as the USA's John Shuster has left the Pete Fenson squad, intent on skipping his own team...

• It's another year and another honour for the amazing Anne Dunn squad, from Cambridge/Galt, Ontario, winners of yet another Canadian Senior women's championship...

• The fledgling SoCal Curling Club got some press for their recent open house, in which Yanks are invited to “Blame Canada... and Scotland” for this “curling disease”...

New player for Gushue?

Alberta continues to dominate the curling headlines early in this off-season.

Take Olympic gold medallist skip Brad Gushue (far right in photo, along with golden teammates). He's in Vancouver today, helping to kick off the arrival of the RBC 2010 Flag Tour, a big family-oriented fun station which has been travelling the nation over the last couple of months. The Tour pumps up Vancouver through this weekend.

Okay... so what does a Newfoundlander (and Labradorian) hanging out on the Left Coast have to do with Alberta?

Turns out there are rumours of a new player on Team Gushue next season... and in a turn from the ordinary, this player would be leaving the land of black gold for the far east, not importing into it. The player is reported to be Chris Schille, a young'un with a colourful Alberta resume, who some feel would mesh well with the Gushues.

If true, this means ancient mariner and Monctonian Russ Howard will not be trying to pull a residency move to play full-time with the squad; he would no doubt make some special tournament appearances with them, but overall would return to New Brunswick to skip his own team.

Still with Alberta: former Ontario skip Mike Harris is en route – literally – to his new gig in Banff, where lo and behold, city council just happens to be mulling over a new $38 million sports and recreation complex, complete with six sheets of curling ice... sounds like there's trouble in Falher... and, not to forget Canada's other Olympic curling team, skip Shannon Kleibrink and third Amy Nixon will take up softball this weekend, accompanied by many Calgary sports heroes and all for a great cause.

The Curling Show

We've been proud to partner with curling's first-ever podcasting show this past season. Available at their website, or from iTunes, or via Yahoo!, The Curling Show has showcased some solid and entertaining Q & A with big names – and some lesser known but still fascinating names – all year long.

Dip into their archives and check out interviews with ballsy veterans like Kevin Martin and The Wrench; relative newbies like Jean-Michel Menard; The Superwoman of Curling, Anette Norberg, and other characters like The Doctor, Johnny Mo and the legendary Johnny K.

And they've finally nailed the elusive chief of The Curling News, George Karrys, for a two-part summary show that is now posted online.

So who dat in the photo?

Nope, it's not Karrys, although the tall hair might just work for him as well... it's none other than Curling Show host and honcho Dean Gemmell, the former Brier competitor out of Quebec who now resides in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and pines for the day when curling rears its head in his current base of operations.

Elsewhere:

• Okay, Carter Rycroft can talk now. His new squad of Blake MacDonald, Kevin Koe and Nolan Thiessen is confirmed in today's Calgary Herald. Rycroft, of course, is the ex-second for 2002 Olympic silver medallist Kevin Martin; Koe was third for the now-Martin-bound John Morris; MacDonald is a two-time provincial finalist (twice bonked by the Ferbey 4) with Team Jamie King, and Thiessen – lead puck for 2006 Alberta finalist Mark Johnson – also counts a 2003 curling gold from the World University Games on his resume.

Sez Koe:

None of us have played together, but if you look at our past history, we've all had success everywhere we've gone. We're all pretty good friends, we're all about the same age group – what's not to like?

• TCN caught up with David Nedohin recently, and asked for a comment on the new Team Martin. The last-rock Ferbster was much obliging, and offered this:

I don't think there is any question as to the talent of the players on the team, and that they'll be a major threat over the next few years. However, similar to the development of any team, the chemistry of these four individuals together has yet to be seen. If they can gel, and each player accepts the roles and responsibilities of their position, they will be a formidible force.

• Anyone who doubts that the accomplishments of amateur athletes have little or untraceable positive impact on kids – and by extension, society as a whole – needs to read this story, which tells how Marcia Gudereit's 1998 Olympic gold helped build and deliver an Olympic silver medal, eight years later in Turin...

• This just in: those cool tractor photo cards are now a collector's item, as Kubota Canada has forwarded a joint news release, announcing the end of their curling sponsor parternship with Team Jeff Stoughton.

As the story goes, skip Stoughton met a Kubota honcho on a plane and the two hit it off, resulting in what the now-changed-up Team Stoughton described as the best team sponsor in curling. The five-year partnership is now over, but hopefully Kubota will be back someday. Their investment helped Stoughton stay near the top of the curling ladder... and according to Team Stoughton's many female fans, also brought hot orange into curling fashion just as it became trendy...

Wing Ding rings it in

Congrats to Team Kristy Jenion of Winterpeg (photo, left to right: Raunora Westcott, Jenion, Lisa Roy and Leslie "Chesty LaRue" Wilson) on the success of last Saturday's unique fundraising idea: a wing night at Hooters, complete with a big silent auction table and a putting contest with a BBQ as top prize. A good time was reported and the news is thus presented here, courtesy of your friendly neighborhood TCN Blog.

TCN readers will recall a Newsdesk spotlight on Lisa Roy and her valiant comeback from nearly losing an eye in a shocking highway incident (December 2005 issue, Vol. 49 Number 2). Obviously, her squad's second straight provincial runner-up appearance in 2006 means that Roy is on track to continue regaining optimum vision, and we join thousands of others in wishing her well on this continuing road.

Nova Scotia curling recently held their second annual Celebration of Excellence luncheon, emceed by former Colleen Jones lead Nancy Delahunt, which saw presentations made to 20 provincial championship teams including four national bronze medallists and one national gold medallist. The big news was the creation of an NS Hall of Fame, which will (finally) honour contributors across the spectrum of athlete, coach, volunteer and/or builder. Unsurprisingly, the first winners were Team Colleen Jones, but there was an impressive list of other winners as well...

Here's a cool story about some Ottaweans making the long trek to Winnipeg for the May 7 Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame ceremonies; this year's inductees were listed in the March issue of The Curling News, but here's an online link...

Did you know: the Canadian Curling Association is applying for a federal charity rebate? According to this newsbyte, it's got some other Ottaweans up in arms...

Here's a B.C. story on one of wheelchair paralympic skip Chris Daw's teammates, Gary Cormack. Also in the story is mention of a growing fundraising/awareness tournament called Wheels On Ice. Great stuff; wonder if they've told SFAC Curling about it...?

Finally, ex-Kevin Martin second Carter Rycroft spoke to Monday’s Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune, and he has a team for next year... but isn't talking. Yet.

Said the 28-year-old Rycroft:

(The phone) has been ringing pretty steady. So there are no lack of options, but I have a pretty good idea what I'm going to do.

We had a great run. We won a silver medal together. As far as events go, no one won more events than us in that stretch. We won seven (World Curling Tour) events in a row and I think the next closest is four. Seven tour events in a row is a record that probably will never be broken. We had the money record for one year's earnings.

CJ at third? Why not?

No surprise here that three weeks to the day after news broke that her ex-teammates had re-formed into a new squad, legendary Halifax skip Colleen Jones has attracted a talented new team... for which she will play third (ie. "mate" in Atlantic Canadian terminology).

And why not? If one trend sees big-name skips dropping down to third, second or even lead stone to form a "super-squad", why not the reverse (see Morris, John earlier this week)?

Jonesy is no stranger to the position. She won the national mixed championship twice, in 1999 (with skip Paul Flemming) and in '93 with skip/husband Scott Saunders. She also played third at three other national mixed events in the 90s.

Here's what CJ told the Daily News:

I absolutely loved that position. Your shots are massive. You just have to watch the great thirds, like Randy Ferbey, or Mark Nichols of the Brad Gushue team. Sure, the skip saves an end, but the three people in front of them are the ones who make or break the deal. And I think it's a position I'm dying to get at. And a position I just want to be really strong at in every way.

This marks the first time that three members of the 1982 Scotties championship team – with a rookie Jones skipping at only 22 years of age – have reunited on a team (we think). Skip Kay Zinck had this to say:

She was looking for a change. She's kind of burnt out from skipping and leading a team. She's had the gun on her back and the pressure on her for a long time now. Where some of us might just take a year off to rebuild, she's looking to refresh herself with just a change.

Speaking of, check out this "That Was Then" feature in the Chron: Another Team Jones, ripping up junior curling way back in '76 (second paragraph from the bottom).

Elsewhere, sounds like Saskatchewan curling is in trouble, and we're not talking about Benny Heebz' departure for Calgary. The new president is facing all kinds of problems – everything from plummeting team entries to financial woes – and now there's a movement to put provincial finals back into curling clubs. Saskatchewan once led the way in moving events from clubs into arenas – the men's provincial has been staged in arenas since 1992, while the women's championship moved to arenas in 1998 – but as George Regnier told Monday's Regina Leader-Post at the recent AGM:

I don't think it's going backwards. Times have changed and we're finding the crowds aren't as large. You have to work really hard to get people out for a Tankard and women's championship. It's not that simple anymore.

What's definitely not simple – it's actually quite baffling – was the previous arena strategy: it somehow excluded the big centres of Regina and Saskatoon. Said Regnier:

Is it not better for our game to have the championships in the biggest markets in the province? You have a lot more people to draw from. I'm not saying anything bad about the smaller communities, it just gives other places a chance to play host to the championships.

Well, yeah! So why not allow arena provincials in those cities? Why does the event have to revert to a curling club? Are there no small arenas – minimum seating for 800, TV considerations etc. – in Regina or Saskatoon that would fit the bill? Bueller?

Alberta would argue this is indeed "going backwards." According to today’s Calgary Herald (subscription only) there's a rush to put Alberta women’s provincials into arenas, and it could happen as early as 2008. As the delightfully-quotable Heather Rankin told Allen Cameron:

That would be fantastic, as long as we have a good icemaker who makes swingy ice. If we're playing on straight, quick ice, that does nothing for us. I actually believe that's the reason Alberta hasn't done well over the last 10 years, because we play on bowling alleys most of the time, and when you get to a Canadian championship, it takes us four games to figure it out.

Some curling bullet points for your weekend:

• Brad Gushue and Jennifer Jones were jetted into Guelph, Ontario last weekend for the Canadian Curling Association's Coaching in Curling clinic. Gushue gave two presentations and was part of a panel discussion, and he quoted – to the Guelph Mercury – precisely what The Curling News asked him about back at the Regina Brier:

I think it was about 1993 or 1994 when I started, and that's when the announcement was made that curling was going to be an Olympic sport. Even before that I grew up watching the Olympics. I always wanted to be an Olympian, and the only sport that I played was hockey. You dream about that, and the first time I started curling I quit hockey. So then it switched over to that, I wanted to curl in the Olympics. Most high level competitive curlers dream about the Brier. That's their original dream. For me, I'm probably one of the first in this generation to have this dream of the Olympics.

Kudos also to Gushue for a willingness to help get the peak age of competitors down from the mid-30s to mid-20s... and TCN agrees that coaching, begun at an earlier age, is one way of helping.

• All kinds of curlers up to no good (just kidding) this weekend: Gushue golden boy Mike Adam will be in Winnipeg, along with various other athletes including the Flying Canucks... maybe Adam will drag some Olympians out to Team Kristy Jenion's unique fundraiser, a Wing Ding at Hooters Restuarant, where the gals – back-to-back Manitoba finalists to go to the Scotties TOH in both 2005 and '06 – will fundraise for next season, using beer and a barbeque (genius!), a silent auction, and even an NHL jersey as a prize. We won't comment on the possibility of tight T-shirts and orange shorts also making an appearance (looks like we just did!)... and we did mention a sayonara to Toronto's Mike Harris – soon to be an Albertan – taking place in west-end T.O. on Saturday night as well, right?

• Speaking of Winnipeg, will their wildly successful BDO Classic Canadian Open Grand Slamarino take place again in early January – and will that get confirmed soon? – so that it might not conflict either with women’s provincials or the MCT Championship? Just asking. And as for the lead position on JJones' squad, it has returned to local city limits as Winnipegger Dana Allerton will replace import Georgina Wheatcroft, who returns to B.C. and just might hook up again with Kelley Law...

• More Turin curlers – Canadian bronze gals Shannon Kleibrink and Amy Nixon – will bash with bats as part of a Stampeders charity softball game next month...

• More stories on country music star Toby Keith and his wayward curling dreams; these cowpokes seem to think we throw a "huge metal disk" (sigh) and here's an on-ice challenge to mister fancy-hat himself...

• Scotland might finally have a new curling academy, worth 1.5 million pounds. Sounds exciting, but sadly this will merely replace the Gogar Park CC, which closed two years ago to make way for a new corporate headquarters...

• In U.S. news, communications dynamo Rick Patzke is the new honcho of USA Curling... as this U.S. journo agrees, no Double-A baseball player can possibly win a name award in an Olympic curling (hello Markku U-15) year... remember Salt Lake City 2002? The local blat looks both backward and forward at the sport in that town, four years later... now we've got Purdue (Indiana) students taking on curling...

• Finally, we're not sure how we missed this one during Torino 2006, but this timewaster (look for "game") involves cows and a "real chocolate vodka shake." So there you go.

Alberta in turmoil

Once the rumours were confirmed – see yesterday's TCN Blogpost, below – the discussions burst forth, and there's more fallout today.

There’s a free on-screen interview with workmates – and new teammates – Kevin Martin (photo) and Marc Kennedy available on the CurlTV homepage... Martin also spoke to the ConMan... and Kevin Koe has confirmed that he in talks with another Edmonton skip, Blake MacDonald – he throws skip stones, but doesn’t call the game – which would further damage the men’s competitive scene in Calgary. Note the above story, scribbled once again by TCN wizard Allen Cameron, also reveals that Bob Ursel and Jim Cotter have joined forces in B.C., and that Mark Dacey’s 2004 Brier championship squad is in fact sticking together for the 2006-07 campaign.

In Saskatchewan, the departing Ben Hebert has spoken out, while former world junior champion skip (and Hebert teammate) Steve Laycock has been announced as Hebert’s replacement. Laycock has already played lead for Pat Simmons once before – with Hebert at second – at the first Grand Slam of last season, The National in Port Hawkesbury, where the squad lost the final to Toronto's Wayne Middaugh.

Said Hebert to RLP curling scribe Murray McCormick:

We had three good years together, they were my best friends and they will be for the rest of my life. They know it was a career move and I just didn't quit their team for no reason. I was moving for work and it turned out fortunate for me that I got on a really great team.

Sometimes life takes you funny places. It worked out well for everyone and they got a good player to fill my shoes.

Alberta may be (arguably) the place to live – and curl – and the 2007 Kia Cup provincial men's final is certainly going to be a doozy. And new import Mike Harris – yes, he of 1998 Olympic and CBC commentary fame – may still change his mind and decide to compete once he heads west. There's a sendoff for Harris in west-end Toronto this coming Saturday night at 7:30pm...

Martin, Morris on path to 2010

After it was all said and done – and carefully considered for about a month – the young skip went and signed up with the fellow he's been calling The Old Bear.

In an exclusive print scoop, today's Calgary Herald reports that effective today, youthful John Morris (photo) and veteran skip Kevin Martin have joined forces in a four-year curling pact to win Olympic gold at Vancouver 2010.

Edmonton’s Martin, the 2002 Olympic silver medallist, has parted ways with all three Olympic teammates: the two Dons (Walchuk and Bartlett) and youthful second Carter Rycroft.

Morris, the occasionally tempestuous Calgary-by-way-of-Ottawa skip, drops to third stone, and has brought regular second Marc Kennedy along for the ride. At lead stone is Saskatchewan import Ben Hebert, a key cog in the successful Pat Simmons foursome from the past two seasons.

Today’s story by Herald curling writer Allen Cameron – also a top scribe for The Curling News – is in today’s edition and also appears throughout the CanWest Global news empire, including the National Post; in papers located in Regina and Saskatoon; in Victoria and also in Ottawa.

In a TCN exclusive, we spoke with Morris, who said:

I know that these other three guys share my desire and passion for the sport of curling, and I think with some hard work we can have a pretty deadly foursome.

We’re all very excited and are looking forward to putting in a lot of hard work for 2010.

Hebert, just 23, is moving to Morris’ HQ city of Calgary. Kennedy lives in Martin’s hometown of Edmonton, and in fact works for Martin at his curling/tennis supply shop at the Saville Centre. Both previous Martin and Morris squads were sponsored by Bruce Saville, the magnanimous curling sponsor who also steers the ownership group behind hockey’s Edmonton Oilers.

Said Morris:

I’m really looking forward to my new role at third, to being in a more supportive and sharpshooter type of role... even a little bit of sweeping in there is gonna keep me in better shape. We’re gonna work hard in the off-season and hit the gym, and be ready to go for next year.

The Martin/Morris merger brings together two of Alberta’s top squads. Martin won the 2006 Alberta title – breaking arch-rival Randy Ferbey’s string of five consecutive crowns – while Morris finished third. Morris also finished third at the Olympic Trials in Halifax, behind runner-up Jeff Stoughton of Winnipeg and the eventual Olympic gold medallist squad of Brad Gushue and Russ Howard.

For the castoffs, some are assured of bright futures. Both Rycroft and former Morris third Kevin Koe will be tremendous additions to any squad, at any position...including skip. That happens to be Koe’s natural position: he returned there this past weekend and won the final celebrity/charity event of the season, the 25th anniversary Heart to Heart Bonspiel in Thunder Bay.

The two former leads are out of the local picture – Bartlett is taking the 2007 season off while ex-Morris lead Paul Moffatt is moving to his original home province of Ontario. Longtime Martin third Walchuk, constantly on pins and needles with his skip (Martin asked Morris to play third prior to the 2004-05 season, but Morris declined) could return to skip stone, which he played for a couple of years in the mid-1990s, or could retire: he suffered from a serious stomach illness this past season. Earlier rumours had him shuttling down to road to Red Deer to hook up with returning Alberta legend Pat Ryan.

Here, there and everywhere

We've been here, there and everywhere the last few weeks, and the season is just about over... one more trip for a charity spiel in Thunder Bay, the venerable and 25th Heart to Heart, and that's a wrap for an exhausting season.

We were in Lowell, Massachusetts, to see America host the men's worlds in an atmosphere of excitement for the future. Sure, crowds were small during the week but both weekends were big... and loud. As one of the Canucks on the media bench said, Man, I wish our fans were as loud as this.

Two stories, from TorStar and CP, on the end result (Canadian perspective) and naturally a) lots b) of c) Scottish d) coverage e) as well. Not to be outdone was some fun stuff from locals, including the Boston Herald (a few gaffes, naturally, such as the line “laying one in” and their belief that Menard won Olympic gold) and of course the new star on the block, the Lowell Sun, which wrapped it all up nicely in this piece and also had a postscript worth noting.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press is one fellow who was given the curling beat in Turin and seems to be off and running with it: here's his championship piece – featuring a delicious Robbie Burns quote – plus here's his story from the semi as well.

As for final Lowell thoughts: what happened to Pete Fenson, who looked so darn good the first few days of the round-robin?... critic AdJab really liked the Lowell TV ticket adverts (thanx to Blog readers Table 23 for the link)... new Canuck hero – you should have seen the sea of red and white fans and noise in Lowell – Jean-Michel Menard reflects on his year, in Joe The Throw’s final Ott Stun column... and finally this glorious feature, which ran in the Montreal Gazette on Lowell's opening weekend, charmed us to the core; we remember many an hour (or three) spent in the basement of the Lobel home, growing up with all things curling plastered to the walls, the floor (the homemade table-top game) and of course looped constantly within the guts of the ancient VCR. Charming and meaningful because homeowner Art Lobel played third for Jim Ursel, the last (and first) Quebec team to win the Brier, back in '77.

We were in Calgary during the final weekend of the worlds, checking out Cheryl Bernard's incredibly successful Curl For A Cure charity bonspiel. Over half a million dollars raised for the fight against breast cancer in the last three years... and this year's single-day event brought in an incredible $350,000.

If we can track down any photos of the incredible costumes the fun-filled participants wore – including the wild heavy-metal getups of the Calgary Stampeders squad – we will display them here. For now, here's a heartfelt note Cheryl wrote in this year's event program:

I truly believe that everything you do is a statement to the rest of the world of your personal character. Thank you for showing such character, and for giving the gift of hope to all those fighting the battle of cancer.

Let's Tour-talk some cashspiel curling... yes, we'll get to the World Curling Tour's Players' Championships in a moment, but did you know there was another whopping $76K up for grabs at the new Bear Mountain Arena Classic in Victoria? It wasn't well-promoted but here's one piece from Vernon, and another from Saanich, plus this wrap from the Victoria News.

Now for Players'. Media coverage was generally fair – not a comment on bias, but on quantity – but should have been bigger, particularly in an Olympic year. There were pre-event stories, many of which highlighted the fact that this was the first-ever Tour championship for women, and few mentioned that this was the first time women would compete on Tour ice tech Mark Shurek's ice... and the native of Stonewall, Manitoba was only 19-for-19 – a perfect 1.000 batting average – coming into the event. That's right... 19 Grand Slams and 19 displays of perfect ice, satisfying the most finicky of male curling critics dating back to the fall of 2001.

The stage was thus set for the best women's show of the season and, with all due respect to the very well-played Olympic final and also the exciting Ford World Women's final, women's curling needed to go out on a high note. It was not, it says here, a particularly great year for the women's game.

Did it happen? Doesn't look like it. Kelly Scott skips a mildly aggressive team, and for her to score a seven-ender (hi there Janet Harvey) and later an eight-ender (hello Cathy King) in the Players' Championship is, in a word, unbelievable. As finalist Cheryl Bernard commented after the event: "I'm done now and I don't want to play anymore."

Now comes the fun part... team changes and switcheroos for next season. For example, the worst-kept secret in Saskatchewan's women's curling broke before the PC; prior to that, a very dark secret – out of Halifax – created quite a shockwave... and John Morris ended his season – and his team – with a loss to The Ferb in Calgary, but there’s a big announcement coming this week on his new squad for 2006-07.

And you'd already heard about Bubba, right?

• The final curling column for BC's Lyndon Little points out that no Vancouver-area universities will be adding curling to next year’s new CIS programme...

• Hot on the heels of next year's world women's in Aomori, Japan comes the news that Korea will host the 2009 world women's...

• Hey, there's a pretty good ex-junior world champ looking to latch on to a team in Edmonton...

• Soon after the world Seniors came this year's – er, next year's – Canadian Seniors, and the reunited "rookie" squad of Al Hackner and Rick Lang won the men's title for Northern Ontario. Big Al Laine and Brian "Blackie" Adams anchored the front end. On the women's side, Ontario's Anne Dunn won her fourth title in the last five (or is it six?) years, a remarkable accomplishment... which you can't read anywhere, since there was zero media coverage and event the Canadian Curling Association event page doesn't have the results. Remarkable.

• Speaking of seniors, how 'bout them Masters... teams from Kelowna and Halifax captured this year's shootouts, and you might have heard of the women's champ before...

• As first reported in her column in the April issue of The Curling News, Jennifer Jones second stone Jill Officer will make a leisurely climb (say what?) to the base camp of Mount Everest...

• What's up on the U.S. grass roots curling front, you may ask? We're glad you did: word has it that the sport may take deeper root in places like Aspen, Colorado... and in northwest Arkansas... and lo and behold, there’s an open house this Sunday in Ontario, California, home of the fledgling SoCal Curling Club. You go, folks.

• Props to curling's voice over at Blogcritics, The Suss-Man, for a great season of CurlBlogging. He wraps up this fascinating 2005-06 season here...

• Still need your curling fix? Head on over to Dean Gemmell's place, as The Curling Show continues to conduct informative and entertaining interviews with the people who shape the sport. Right now you can find the quiet (according to most North Americans) Swedish star Anette Norberg venting her spleen...

• Okay, here’s the first report that revealed that country music star Toby Keith was big into curling. And in today’s Vancouver Province (and other CanWest Global family papers) Ken Gilchrist has tons more, including some quotes from Sean Gerster, the Ontarian who led Keith out onto the ice for his virgin experience...

• Finally, what the hell is puckhead Bob Hartley talking about?

The Curling News: April issue

LOWELL, MA – Welcome to the Worlds. For our initial thoughts, check out our guest Blogblat on CurlingZone's host event Blogpage.

The World Curling Fed had their elections today, and fresh new blood has been instilled at the top rungs: Canada's Les Harrison is the new President, Scotland's Kate Caithness is the new VP, and 1998 Olympic champion skip Patrick Huerlimann of Switzerland was elected to the Board on the first ballot. There are other rookies on the board as well, but we at TCN are big fans of those three. Great things could be afoot for our sport moving forward.

For the latest and greatest in the world of print, check out the final issue of the 2005-06 season (cover photo), available by subscription now. In this new April issue:

• Sverige! Anette Norberg completes the troika;
• Al Cameron on the Parti Gras Brier;
• Al Cameron – again! – on the last Scott Tournament of Hearts;
• Larry Wood's busy scratchpad on this amazing 2005-06 season;
• Shot Tracker: yet another new statistics system rocks curling fans;
• Doug Maxwell wraps it up until November: TCN's 50th year!
• Adam Daifallah on the reverberations of Quebec's shocking Brier win;
• Blogspot: TCN was there for Quebec's big party night;
• Players' Championship: $250,000 up for grabs in Calgary;
• Mary-Anne Arsenault: behind-the-scenes of the Colleen Jones team split;
• Matt Hames on crazy curling border crossings;
• Jill Officer on "hiking" up Mount Everest;
• TCN's Torino Insiders: not one but TWO behind-the-scenes spies tell all about the 2006 Olympic Games (the second is online at The Curling News homepage);
• TCN TV Guide for April: where to find your TV curling fix!

Jon Mead steps down

Word this afternoon from Winnipeg that there are major changes to Team Jeff Stoughton for next year's 2006-07 campaign.

First, longtime Stoughton second Garry VanDenBerghe announced his retirement, with youthful skip Ryan Fry taking his place.

Now comes word that Jon Mead, Stoughton's hot-shooting third since 1998-99 (resulting in a Brier win and silver medal at the Ford Worlds in Saint John that year) has stepped away from the team. Fry now moves up to third stone, former Kerry Burtnyk second Rob Fowler comes in and Steve Gould remains at lead.

Mead will not reappear with another squad: he reportedly wants to take some time away from the sport.

After Manitoba's disappointing Regina Brier campaign, word spread of a knee injury Mead had been battling since the provincial championships.

Prior to the Brier, Team Stoughton had been on a hellish roll since losing the finale of the Olympic Trials to the Brad Gushue/Russ Howard combination. They won their hometown Grand Slam, the BDO Classic Canadian Open, and sailed through their Safeway Select provincial championship.

VanDenBerghe is supposed to compete with Stoughton at the final two stops on the World Curling Tour circuit: this weekend's Bear Mountain Arena Classic in Victoria and the season finale, the Calgary Herald Players' Championship in Calgary. It is anticipated that Mead will also compete with Team Stoughton in the squad's swan song, but that news is unconfirmed.