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.

Lowell rocks world this weekend

All kinds of speculation on how this weekend's World Men's Championships will eventually play out, with the home-squad USA team skipped by Pete Fenson (photo) of great local interest, and Canada's Jean-Michel Menard also at the heart of many discussions.

A quick note to The Curling News from third Francois Roberge, who is ready to rock:

We thought that our win will help curling in Quebec... it is much bigger than what we expected... it is huge. All the media are still talking about it, we did so many interviews. We are ready to take on the World... they better be prepared for us!

Lowell certainly looks ready to host; here's a look back at how they got the gig to begin with... and don't forget CurlTV, the only place to catch the round-robin action (apart from Eurosport) until the weekend's playoffs on CBC-TV.

• A U.S. wheelchair curler has won a major "spirit" award... did you know Manitoba third Jonny Mead was nursing a bum knee in Regina? He's also welcoming a new teammate to Team Stoughton for 06-07... Speaking of the Brier, CBC’s Nancy Lee has confirmed the Brier’s TV numbers were "quite a drop" from the previous year...Olympian Shannon Kleibrink is on the school circuit, discussing bodyguards, gelato and Mats Sundin...

• On ice, Nova Scotia has its new Mixed champs; some big names are into the Canadian Senior men’s playoffs... and in the women's, too... and Saskatoon’s Scott Coghlan will play for former skipper and good buddy Mark Dacey at the Players' Championship. This is probably a good thing: the last we saw of Dacey and regular third Bruce Lohnes (in the Brier semi) they wanted to strangle each other...

• Grass roots problems in Slave Lake, Alberta... typical challenges, really, which curling boosters can never lose sight of...

• These guys are going for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, and don’t think for a moment they’re not a threat to get it. Vancouver, you may recall, came from nowhere to just beat PyeongChang for the right to host 2010... and the six other potential sites are, with the exception of Salzburg and Sofia (curling fans may recall a world junior and a European Championship hosted in the Bulgarian capital), far from household names. Here’s how the contenders rank, according to GamesBids...

• Here’s a weird – and annoying – one... the University of Saskatchewan (Huskies) just won the Canadian University Men’s Championship, but are refusing to add the sport to its list of competitive sports for next year's title chase...

• Congrats to radio’s Harvey Kroker of Altona, MB, a big curling fan, on his lifetime achievement award...

• Have you tried YouTube today? Check it out by using the search term “curling” in the top right corner... ignoring the barbell videos that crop up, of course... there’s tons of rookie American efforts as well as lots of stuff on the Japanese Olympic women’s team (use “Onodera” to get most of them called up on one search page)...

• More fun n’ games for your weekend... tried Monkey Curling yet?

Sverige caps stunning season

We’re on deadline today for the last issue of The Curling News – the April edition – so there’s not much time to spare on today’s Blogpost.

If you watched the outstanding Ford World women’s final from boomtown Grande Prairie, either live or on CBC, you saw the Old Barn – home to two Briers and two world championships – refuse to fall; you saw a snippet of Hammerfall (and company) and you also saw one hell of a world championship final, featuring the two best teams – sorry Kelly – going at it in a point-scoring slugfest.

Links to various stories of Anette Norberg's remarkable triple for Sweden – European, Olympic and World championship gold – are 1) all 2) over 3) the web, and let's not forget the great showing from the U.S. team skipped by Debbie McCormick. Their 10-9 loss was very nearly an upset victory.

As for Canada's Kelly Scott, she simply says that Until you're here, until you're playing in this atmosphere, you have no idea. People can say or think what they want, but as long as we're happy, that's all we care about.

• Curling will become an official CIS sport next year, but this year’s informal Canadian University Championships saw the winners get some cool stuff: funding, training and a trip to Italy for the World University games. How cool is that?

• Did you know: that the Ferbs are up for a Canadian Sport Award? And that they’ll be in Toronto on Friday?

• Did you know: that Brad Gushue will be in Halifax this weekend with RBC and VANOC?

• Only two major events left before we break out the golf clubs... next up is the Men's Worlds in Massachusets. The Lowell Sun submitted about 20 media accreditations the other day (deadline was March 1, but that’s another matter) and curling delirium has officially started... and, of course, they'll root-root-root for the home team...

• Hey... is curling starting to catch on in Quebec? Maybe... this news is only a month old, but hey, it's a start... sigh...

Another dance: SWE vs USA

A year ago in Scotland, Sweden's Anette Norberg decimated the USA's Cassie Johnson to win her first – and long overdue – world title. Sunday the two nations will boogie again, as Norberg meets the USA's Debbie McCormick (photo), the 2003 world champion, in the final of the 2006 Ford Worlds.

Norberg breezed through McCormick in Friday's Page 1/2 game, and did same during the round-robin. The Americans will definitely be in tough against this Swedish machine, also the 2006 Olympic champions. Who, believe it or not, are not even throwing practice rocks today... the gals say they're tired. Who can blame them?

McCormick drew for the winning deuce this afternoon to beat Canada's Kelly Scott 8-7 in the semi-final. The see-saw affair will be remembered for some bizarro strategy calls – the Canadians have been driving critics bonkers all week, and today was no exception – while the Yanks got away with a stunning boo-boo early in the 10th.

So, no Canada (woe Canada) in tomorrow's finale – only the seventh time in 26-odd women's worlds the Canucks have lost the semi (plus three other times losing earlier) – which is televised live on CBC-TV at 12:30 ET. Too bad... the Kelowna gals were just starting to have fun.

Hey, did you know The Seniors is on? Neither did we. No offense, it's just been a looooong season....

World curling: Canada joins final four

GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALTA – No, they're not waving goodbye just yet.

Against all odds, Team Canada's Kelly Scott pulled a Houdini last night, and is through to this afternoon's Page 3/4 playoff game.

First there was biiiiig trouble with a morning loss to the currently skipless Danes. Facing a must-win evening joust with Norway's Dordi Nordby – turns out if the Canucks had lost, they would have still been involved in tiebreakers thanks to Germany's defeat of China – they were down 6-2 and the writing was on the wall. But a big three-ender in nine, a steal in 10 and another extra-end steal gave the Canadians a wild 9-8 win over the hapless Norwegians.

We snuck in, Scott told CanWest's Vicki Hall. But it's nice. It's very rewarding for a really tough week. I was tougher than we ever expected, to tell you the truth. And we don't know why.

The sold-out crowd was surprisingly boisterous as Canada flailed about early in the match. The volume rose further with Canada's first deuce, and the three-ender raised the roof with a outlandish roar, shocking the media bench out of its stupor.

Scott again: They never give up, those fans. Even when we were doubting it, they aren't and we really do appreciate how they've stuck by us all week.

Perhaps the fans are used to seeing a national women's team struggle? Calgary's Shannon Kleibrink, who defeated Scott in December's Olympic Trials final, was a mess throughout the Olympic Games and caused much long-distance gnashing of teeth amongst Canada's curling fan base... and they still managed to regroup to win bronze with very little actual fan support, and a whole lot of ailments.

Scott takes on veteran Andrea Schoepp of Germany, while the Page 1/2 sees powerhouse Olympic champs Sweden, skipped by Anette Norberg, lock up with 2003 world champ Debbie McCormick of the USA.

Watch for fire between Germany and Sweden, if the Germans can get there... speaking of the Swedes, they haven’t had much time to chase down golden eggs, but they’re not optimistic of finding endorsement or sponsorship success. Why is this so?

Elsewhere around the rings:

• Have you heard? Of course you have: Team Colleen Jones is toast, but don't be surprised to see Jonesy back with a new team, which could include Mary-Anne Arsenault. Watch for the season-ending April issue of The Curling News for an exclusive behind-the-scenes column from mrnn...

• Have you heard? Of course you have: Bubba’s back, inspired by 50-year-old Olympian Russ Howard. Welcome back to a living legend...

• The Kevin Martin rumour mill is swirling... the young Olympian with the bold new attitude will present a Juno award... and a charter TCN advertiser, Asham Curling Supplies, is now sponsoring the Canadian University Curling Championships...

• To the USA: Lowell excitement is heating up and they've got a wicked piece of public curling art on display... we've got more U.S. grassroots success stories to tell, from a couple of different markets, also from somewhere in PA, and even from faraway Springdale, Arizona...

• Have you heard? Of course you have: it’s now the Scotties Tournament of Hearts... more Ana Arce calendar stories, this one from Edson, Alta... here's a Toronto blogger who tried curling...

• And finally, two Hollywood flicks have a curling angle on display. The promotional plans of the new (April 7) shlock-comedy The Benchwarmers, starring has-beens David Spade, Rob Schneider and hopefully-not-yet-a-has-been Jon Heder has the filmhouse creating a Benchwarmer's Day; a holiday that purportedly celebrates everyone who has ever been an underdog. Revelers are encouraged to participate in easily winnable games, such as kickball or curling... hmph. For more information, and to submit your own sob stories of the times you were picked on as a kid, visit here...

• As for the second, did you know the Disney animated comedy The Wild features curling? In the movie, the characters play an animal version of curling, which may or may not be quite amusing (we're betting it IS). Incidentally, there are also lots of Canadian in-jokes... Canada geese who joke about Canadian border-crossings, and a penguin (the MC) who is voiced by famous Canuck hockey announcer Don Cherry...

Electric, and infectious

It was well past midnight and National Team coach Jim Waite was still lecturing on uniform sizes, documents and other stuff. Suddenly, the Regina hotel salon was invaded by a horde of clapping, chanting curling fans, many clutching cases of beer.

Hold on, yelled Waite. We have to get through this, and then you can party with them, just give us five more minutes.

Six minutes later the Canadian Curling Association bureaucracy was finished, and the latest round of leaping, hugging and backslapping began.

Just being around Canada’s first francophone Brier champions is inspiring. The excitement is electric and infectious.

It’s not hard to imagine a similar party with Team Ontario – or Manitoba or Alberta – being a much quieter, businesslike affair... all in a day’s work for the big-name teams, and low-key satisfaction of a job well done.

Instead, it becomes apparent that Team Quebec’s Francois Roberge (photo middle-front) – who dropped himself from skip position three years ago and recruited Jean-Michel Menard (photo left) from faraway Gatineau to man the tee – is quite possibly the most excited champion in the history of curling. Three hours after the match, his feet are still far off the ground.

Roberge and lead Maxime Elmaleh (photo second from right) both speak passionately of their love of curling and the Brier. I cannot believe it, says Roberge, who is called "Frankie" by teammates and opponents alike. I have watched every Brier final since 1985, I watch like crazy, declares "Max".

Roberge, the all-star third, confirms that he too is a Brier TV junkie, whereupon he is asked if he wants to hear The Call – the last words pronounced by CBC commentator Don Wittman during Menard’s winning throw– right then and there, or if he would rather wait to see it on videotape. Now, now, tell it to me now! Roberge exclaims.

Jean-Michel Menard... trying to become the first Francophone team to ever win the Canadian Men’s Championship... will he do it? (whack) He does!

Simple yet classic. The veteran Witt timed it perfectly; “He does!” came just after the final rock made contact and just before the athletes exploded into the air in celebration.

Roberge was in tears, listening to the words. He balled his fists together and shook them with his eyes closed... and promptly went in for another hug. Of course.

Later, a fan shows off the video of their victory stone, shot on a tiny digital camera from far up in the stands. The boys crowd around, then start screeching and hugging again. Frankie watches it twice.

The team – which includes second Eric Sylvain (photo second from left), himself a former skip – are all big U2 fans, and like many athletes use music – and other superstitions – to support their mental approach to the game. During (the Quebec provincial) the song I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For was on, and that was not good, says Roberge. I said turn it off, it’s negative!

Then, here at the Brier, we have the hotel room number 2006, and I say that this means something! And the first song in the van is the first line from the U2 song Sunday Bloody Sunday ... “I can’t believe the news today”...

Through Brier week there was much media coverage of the challenges Quebec curlers face to grow the sport in their province. Prior to Regina 2006, Menard’s team took the unpaid job of such self-promotion very seriously, and now they find themselves to be the driving force of what is sure to be a renewed effort in publicity, promotion and participation. Menard himself won the Brier’s Ross Harstone Award, a sportsmanship honour bestowed by his fellow players, which also includes in its critiera a committment to promoting the sport of curling.

Roberge had one of the best media quotes of the week: What I want is for Quebec to stay in Canada, so I can get back to the Brier. But first comes the World Championships, and Roberge reports that immediately after the final, the first 25 Quebecers were committed to making the 7-hour drive to Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Mass. The team hopes many more will take advantage of the close proximity and make the trip.

The squad – minus their skip – returned home to Quebec City yesterday and a victory party was held at their home Victoria Curling Club. Menard lives in faraway Gatineau, just outside of Ottawa, and enjoyed a victory celebration of his own at the airport.

Here’s an on-the-scene report from a TCN spy:

JM arrived late. Lots of TV and radio reporters...TVA, CBC French and English, TQS, CTV, Le Droit newspaper and a few that I am not sure about. He had to do a few interviews over the phone for the radio and other reporters that couldn’t be there. Lots of friends and family were there. The Rideau Curling Club manager and members; the president of the Gatineau Curling Club that is not built yet; friends from his work... his uncles... a few members from the Ottawa Curling Club... I would say around 50 or so! JM was very happy!

Leaving Regina on Monday night, gold medallist Russ Howard spoke about the Quebecers. It might have been difficult for Howard to watch his brother Glenn lose the final, but the Olympian spoke almost proudly of the newest champions.

I played in a spiel with my son just the weekend before the (Olympic) Trials in Quebec, and they (Team Menard) were there. We played them twice. They are just great guys. Everybody at that event was so happy to see us there, and we were just four guys who drove through the middle of the night from New Brunswick. They treated us like kings.

I was near the ice after they won, and Maxime leaned over the boards to me and he was crying his face off. He yelled You’re my hero and I told him You’re MY hero.

Russ added that he was very nearly laughing at Elmaleh, whose emotional state was so powerful that his anguished face looked more hurt than happy. Amazing to see, said Howard.

Congratulations Quebec, on winning only your second Brier title in 77 years (following Jim Ursel at Montreal’s Veladrome in 1977) and the first for a true francophone team. As stated earlier:

In an Olympic year, which saw five Newfoundlanders and a living legend from New Brunswick-by-way-of-Ontario win the first-ever men's Olympic gold for Canada, nothing should surprise any of us anymore.

Links:

CCR Scotty Harper award winner Allen Cameron
Terry Jones
Perry Lefko
Jim Bender
The Bender Awards
Donna Spencer