#BetweenTheSheets: Men, Women, Mixed Doubles.....Oh My!!
The rocks will be BUSY from the Prairies to The Rock to The Baltic Sea
Clear your calendars for the weekend rock heads. No need to go do yard work. Skip the gym. Turn on your bread maker. Toss some popcorn in the microwave. And then sit back and enjoy a weekend full of hits, draws, guards and runbacks. Week 9 is PACKED with curling action.
Now a few people may look at this week as being a quiet one on tour. Many of the Top 10 squads are taking the weekend off to practice and enjoy what, if any, is left of summer weather before fall takes over. But this blog sees it slightly different.
Top 10 resting up? Sure! Quality curling and top notch teams still hitting the ice competing for prize money, trophies and ranking points? 100% baby!!
This weekend also brings you curling from two different continents. Three different countries. Five different time zones. Not to mention three different disciplines.
For those hardcore curling fans, how can you not get excited?
Now normally this blog would tackle a growing issue in the sport before heading into the #TourLifePredictions feature. But frankly with all the previews and predictions needing to be discussed this week, we simply do not have the time nor the blog space to do so.
The Masters field was finalized early in the week. This blog compared the field to the Tour-Tier system used by this blog at the beginning of the week in the updated #PowerRankings post.
The new 2020 #MenOfCurling calendar announcement was also made earlier in the week. Again, this was briefly discussed at the beginning of the #PowerRankings blog post, including comparing the actual invites vs. those who the blog nominated earlier this summer.
What else is there to discuss? All we need to do now is head into the arena and see what is happening on the ice.
Lets slide into the previews and predictions for the weekend. You may notice a common theme emerge.
#TourLifePredictions
#KWFallClassic (Tour 250)
Kitchener-Waterloo, ON
2018 Champion: Team McCarville
Format: 22 team RR with 4 pools of 5. Top 8 qualify.
Top Team Entered: Team Yoshimura, Team Nakajima
#Fav:
The #PACC region is well represented this weekend in Kitchener-Waterloo. Japan's Team Yoshimura and Team Nakajima, along with Korea's Team Gim, are all serious threats to the championship.
Yoshimura currently sits #14 on the Power Rankings, helped by having already played 6 events this season. Yes, 6 folks! Every weekend of the season has seen this team hit the ice. They reached the QF last weekend in Cornwall as well as a few weeks back at the Icebreaker. They consistently win 2-3 games per event but have only qualified in 2 of 6. 3 wins this weekend should qualify but this team is capable of winning their pool.
Nakajima has emerged as one of the top #PACC teams over the past year. Last year's run to the playoffs at the world championships should not be looked at as a fluke. This is a strong team. Similar to their compatriots, they have played a lot in the early goings of the season. This will be their 5th event. They have struggled a bit, only qualifying at the ADVICS Cup back in Week 0. They do have a winnable pool though here and should be a playoff contender.
As for Gim, could she become the next force of Korean curling? We saw Min-ji Kim break onto the scene last season, could this be the season for Un-Chi Gim? The team reached the SF last weekend at a stacked Shorty Jenkins so they have momentum. Add a little confidence and this could be the most dangerous team in the field.
#TeamUpset:
This field is full of #NextGen potential. This event is a great stepping stone for a few up and coming teams to really get their sliders wet on the women's #wct scene. Current U21 Ontario-based squads like Team Ladouceur and Team Kiemele will get some feature ice time against some quality and experienced tour opponents like Team Nakajima and Team Gim.
Team Brunton was a U21 team just last season while Team Little was a U21 team only a few seasons ago. All 4 of these teams represent the #NextGen movement currently in Ontario. Could one of these teams become the next Rachel Homan? Who knows?! But this is a great opportunity to see them compete against top contenders and start building that career resume.
#W2W4:
This tournament has produced some big name winners in the past. Krista McCarville (2018). Sherry Middaugh (2016). Allison Flaxey (2015). And #TwineTimeFam member Julie Hastings, who has won this event four times (2009, 2011, 2013, 2014). Who will be next?
While there are some strong #PACC teams and a few upset-minded #NextGen teams, the pressure could be on one of the experienced teams to make the leap from contender to champion. Susan Froud. Jacqueline Harrison. Jestlyn Murphy. These are 3 Tier II contending teams who could use a good result here. Murphy reached the final here last year while Harrison made the SF (with her old team mind you). Unfortunately they are all placed in the same pool. Welcome to the #PoolOfDeath. Megan Balsdon and Heather Heggested have found success on tour in the past and will look to pad the resume. Heck, Balsdon reached back-to-back QFs at the two Oakville events earlier this season.
This event has been dominated by Ontario-based teams in the past, winning 10 of the past 11 (outlier being Erika Brown, 2012). The favourites may come from the #PACC but history sides with the home province.
Qualifiers: Team Yoshimura, Team Nakajima, Team Balsdon, Team Gim, Team Jackson, Team K. Jones, Team Murphy, Team Brunton
Championship: Team Yoshimura def. Team Murphy
#MotherClubClassic (Tour 250)
Winnipeg, MB
2018 Champion: Team Einarson
Format: 12 team RR with 2 pools of 6. Top 8 qualify.
Top Team Entered: Team Cannon, Team Walker
#Fav:
Earlier this week the blog talked about teams fighting for #gsoc spots. One of those teams on the #IceBubbleWatch was Team Cannon. This new-look team, 3/4 of the old Team Robertson with the addition of Scotties finalist Raunora Westcott, has come out of the gate pretty strong this season. They reached the QF at the Oakville Fall Classic and just missed the playoff bracket last weekend in Edmonton, still putting together 3 wins and losing in the TB. The sit #15 on the OOM rankings and #20 on the Power Rankings. This could be a great event for them to make a deep playoff run and start building momentum towards a future #gsoc appearance.
#TeamUpset:
They were a blog favourite last season so we are keeping them as a #TeamUpset potential flag bearer again this season. Jennifer Clark-Rouire has a slightly altered team this season bringing in Rachel Burtnyk at lead. But the JCR/Burtnyk combo is not new to either of them. The two backended a team in 2015/16 (with JCR as skip) and 2016/17 (with Burtnyk as skip). The team made their season debut last weekend in Edmonton, only picking up a single win against a strong field. This team is capable of a playoff push in Winnipeg though. Collecting 3 wins in the RR is possible. The team did reach the QF last season here as well and would love to defend their points. All eyes may be on Cannon or Japan's Team Koana in Pool A but #TeamJCR could surprise a few people and duplicate, or better, their result from last season.
#W2W4:
Lets talk about rivalries once again. The past few weeks we have discussed the growing rivalry between Beth Peterson and Laura Walker. Well guess who find themselves in the same pool this weekend? Ok I may be the only one pushing this rivalry but come on. This is what the blog talked about in the Season Preview and is exactly what the sport needs. We need budding rivalries on the ice. Peterson and Walker split their games at the Icebreaker, with Peterson eliminating Walker in the B-qualifier. Last weekend at the Booster Juice Shoot-Out the teams found themselves drawn into the same pool once again. Walker would win the RR game BUT Peterson would end up surviving the TB bracket and reach the QF while Walker fell in a different TB game. So who is really getting the last laugh here? Walker owns the H2H but Peterson has qualified in both events while Walker has not. Guess when they play one another in Winnipeg? Saturday morning in the final RR draw. Could that prove to be a de facto elimination game?
And could we see former teammates battle it out between Team Cannon and Darcy Robertson? They have been drawn into opposite pools but, should both qualify, they could meet up in the playoffs. Imagine a championship final between those teams? Cannon got the best of Robertson last weekend in Edmonton in the RR. Could Robertson get her revenge this weekend?
Qualifiers: Team Cannon, Team Walker, Team Koana, Team Peterson, Team JCR, Team Robertson, Team Ackland, Team Watling
Championship: Team Walker def. Team Peterson
#USOpen of Curling - Championship Round (Tour 250)
Blaine, MN
2018 Champion: Team Sinclair
Format: 8 team RR with 2 pools of 4. Top 4 qualify.
Top Team Entered: Team Roth
#Fav:
Without question the favourite in Blaine will be Nina Roth and her team. They are the highest profile name in the field, have the most experience and anything short of a championship win this weekend will be deemed a upset. Roth reached the final here last year and lost to main US rival Sinclair. With Sinclair not competing here this year, perfect opportunity to go one better and take home the title. We saw Team Roth make their season debut last weekend in Edmonton, struggling to only pick up one RR win and missing the playoffs. Last season seemed to be a bit of an Olympic hangover still for the team so it will be interesting to see how they rebound, if they rebound, this season. Also, will the slight position change help or hinder? Becca Hamilton and Aileen Geving have swapped spots with Hamilton now at second and Geving at lead.
#TeamUpset:
If experience falters, #NextGen could succeed. A few up and coming young American teams could make a name for themselves this weekend. Team Bear and Team Farrell have been contenders on the junior American curling scene for the past few seasons. Bear was the 2018 US Junior champion. Both could be dark horse threats here.
But also keep your eyes on the Next #NextGen? Is that what we would call them? Susan Dudt is only 17 years old skipping her team this weekend. Anne O'Hara is only 16 years old, playing second for Christine McMakin, who herself is barely out of juniors. This is a great opportunity for these young athletes to gain experience for the future and continue to help #growthesport for USA Curling.
#W2W4:
The US Open of Curling...won by a Canadian? It is not uncommon. Team Sinclair's win last year was actually the first time a US team has won this event. The previous two years were won by an Ontario based team (Sherry Middaugh 2017, Krista McCarville 2016). This year one Canadian team has made the trek to Blaine to compete and try to bring the title back North. Quebec's Laurie St-Georges will represent the Maple Leaf this weekend. St-Georges is no stranger to success. She reached the Canadian junior final in 2018 and lost the TB to eventual runner-up Sarah Daniels last year. When we speak of #NextGen success, St-Georges is the perfect example. This would be a huge slide in the right direction for her to come away with a victory on US ice.
Qualifiers: Team Roth, Team St-Georges, Team Farrell, Team Bear
Championship: Team Roth def. Team Bear
MEN
#KWFallClassic (Tour 250)
Kitchener-Waterloo, ON
2018 Champion: Team Timofeev
Format: 18 team triple knockout with 8 qualifiers.
Top Team Entered: Team Morozumi
#Fav:
Tough to pick a favourite here. Japan's Morozumi would be the initial pick given the resume and the fact the team has one championship win under the sliders already this season (ADVICS Cup). But they also faltered at the two events in Oakville and still look to be struggling to get back to where they once were. This will be a good indication of just how close the team is to becoming an international threat once again. Can the Morozumi of the past, who won a #PACC title and competed at 6 world championships and the 2018 Winter Olympics, please stand up? Or will we see the team who failed to even pick up one win at the event in Oakville earlier this season? Which team shows up this weekend? This team is capable of winning the entire event....or going 1-3 and being sent home early. Favourite by name, yes! Favourite on already being a winner this season, yes! Favourite based on the overall results this season, debatable!
#TeamUpset:
Lets continue with the #NextGen theme shall we? How about Sam Mooibroek and his U21 squad from Cambridge, Ontario? We last saw this team compete at the Stu Sells Oakville event a few weeks ago where they produced perhaps the shock of the season thus far. The young team was drawn into a #PoolofDeath with Team Epping, Team Ulsrud, Team Matsumura and Team Tardi. Sure they went 1-3 and missed the playoffs but who did they defeat? Team Epping! The same Team Epping who would end up winning the entire event and only suffer one loss all weekend....to Team Mooibroek. Talk about a confidence builder! So why can't they build on that confidence and momentum? The win vs. Epping came in their final RR game where they knew they were eliminated and Epping knew they had qualified but it is still the last game they played heading into this weekend. Don't be surprised if they pull off a few more wins and push for qualification.
#W2W4:
There are a few past champions in this field looking to reclaim the KW Fall Classic title. #TwineTimeFam members Matt Hall (2017) and Mark Kean (2012) are back skipping new teams this season. 2016 champion Richard Krell is also back and also with a different looking team. Kean and Krell actually meet in the opening round game.
But also keep your eyes on the UK movement. Scotland's Ross Whyte, the current two-time defending Scottish junior champ and World Junior silver (2018) and bronze (2019) winner, is a legit threat to steal this title from Canadian mitts and take the trophy across the pond. Timofeev did it last year, surprising many when he won the title for Russian Curling. And what about Rob Retchless? Retchless, a long-standing curler out of Ontario, now curls out of England and will be representing the Three Lions this weekend for the first time.
Qualifiers: Team Morozumi, Team Whyte, Team Willsey, Team Kean, Team Yamaguchi, Team Retchless, Team Ainsley, Team Mooibroek
Championship: Team Whyte def. Team Kean
#MotherClubClassic (Tour 250)
Winnipeg, MB
2018 Champion: Team Lott
Format: 20 team RR with 4 pools of 5. Top 8 qualify.
Top Team Entered: Team McEwen, Team Gunnlaugson, Team Calvert
#Fav:
If we go by rankings, Team McEwen is the favourite this weekend. They enter as the #15 ranked team in the OOM and #14 on the Power Rankings. BUT they are riding the struggle bus right now. One tire is blown with skipper Mike McEwen on the road to recovery while another tire is rumoured to be losing thread with lead Colin Hodgson's knee being a possible issue. Where does this team go from here? They are clinging to their #gsoc lives right now, with many debating whether they even should earn a spot in the field given their poor record last season and struggles this season. If any team is in need of a strong weekend and deep playoff run it is this team. They draw all Manitoba competitors this weekend so a good opportunity for them to re-position themselves as Manitoba champions and remind their provincial competitors who the top buffalo still is.
#TeamUpset:
Sticking with a few tried and true #TeamUpset flag bearers from the past this weekend. Defending Manitoba junior champ JT Ryan is back on the ice after a SF showing at the season-opening Icebreaker. Similar to Ty Dilello, who reached the Icebreaker final. Both of these teams are slowly drifting away from the #TeamUpset section and into serious contending teams to watch out for.
Last season the blog really started to like Riley Smith. The team qualified in all 5 events they played and won 2 titles. This could be a great dark horse contender this weekend. How they follow-up the breakout season last year is the big question mark. People are noticing them and expectations are going up. Can they make the leap to consistent contender? This is a great event to find out.
#W2W4:
To be the best, you have to beat the best. The head buffalo is limping into this tournament so now is the prime opportunity for another team to step up and stake their claim as the top buffalo in Manitoba this season. Team Calvert started knocking on the door last season but, following up their remarkable run to the SF last weekend in Cornwall, they are now pounding on the door and ready to break through. If they can follow-up last weekend's result with a championship win this weekend, against all Manitoba contenders, watch out folks!
But also keep your eyes on a few other top contenders. Jason Gunnlaugson reached the Wildcard game at the Brier last season and is still a major threat for the Manitoba title. Gunner won the Icebreaker event earlier this season but has also struggled the past few weeks. William Lyburn is back with a new front-end and is always a threat. Dennis Bohn is another name who has had success at Manitoba-based tour events in the past and can prove to be a contender.
Qualifiers: Team McEwen, Team Gunnlaugson, Team Calvert, Team Dilello, Team R. Smith, Team Ryan, Team Bohn, Team Horgan
Championship: Team Calvert def. Team Dilello
#USOpen of Curling - Championship Round (Tour 250)
Blaine, MN
2018 Champion: Team S. Kim
Format: 10 team RR with 2 pools of 5. Top 6 qualify.
Top Team Entered: Team Ruohonen
#Fav:
No Olympic champs competing at the US Open of Curling? Whaaaaa??!! Seems a bit strange, no? Oh well. One team not complaining will be 2018 US champions Team Ruohonen. With Shuster's absence, the team from Minneapolis gets top billing. Ruohonen and company have burst onto the scene the past two seasons, making a name for themselves with curling fans after their magical playoff run at the world championships in Las Vegas. But we are going on "that was so two years ago" and now asking "what have you done for me lately?" If the guys want to keep their relevance and really prove USA Curling is not a one-trick pony, strong results on tour are needed. Now they have had a solid season thus far, reaching the QF at the season opening Icebreaker and making the SF at the Oakville Fall Classic. They went 2-2 at Stu Sells Oakville as well, just missing the playoffs. They have momentum and never seem to lack confidence. Plus they already own wins over their two main competitors here, Team Dropkin and Team Birr, earlier this season at the Fall Classic.
#TeamUpset:
The team with a ton of media attention and the ultimate #TeamUpset flag bearer has to be Jason Smith and his football-to-curling squad: former NFL Europe QB Jared Allen at vice, former Offensive Tackle Michael Roos at second and former NFL QB (and 2003 Pro Bowl MVP) Marc Bulger at lead. Everyone knows the story of the football players aiming to make the Olympics in curling. It was WELL documented last season. And sure it is a great story seeing professional athletes from one sport try to excel in another. But are we getting to the point where this novelty is wearing off? The team is 0-5 this season, losing all their games last weekend at the #USOpen Contender Round. Yet here they are in the Championship Round (which makes you wonder WTF was the point of the Contender Round again??!!??). Great story. Great to keep curling in the spotlight, especially south of the border. But eventually the results need to be there for this to still be a team worth talking about. Smith is from Blaine so he is the home-town boy with the superstar squad. This would be the perfect time for them to start winning and making actual noise on the ice, not just off of it.
#W2W4:
The curse is over! In the previous 6 years of running this event, only once has an American team won the title. In December 2017/January 2018 Heath McCormick and his squad (featuring #TwineTimeFam member and now Team Shuster vice Chris Plys) took home the title over Saskatchewan's Adam Casey. 1 US champion in 6 years. Well make it 2 in 7 because this blog predicts a US champion emerging this year. Ok, not a very out there prediction considering all the teams competing are from the host nation. But still, the curse will end and we will have an all-American final. Also something that has never happened. In the past 6 years there have only been 2 American teams to even reach the final: McCormick and Craig Brown (2016, lost final vs. John Epping). And with current US top dog Shuster not here, this is the perfect opportunity for 10 other teams to find their bark against the other dogs playing in the yard. The question is who seizes the opportunity?
Qualifiers: Team Ruohonen, Team Dunnam, Team Birr, Team Dropkin, Team Brundidge, Team Maerki
Championship: Team Ruohonen def. Team Dunnam
#CabotSpiel (Tour 250)
St. Johns, NL
2018 Champion: New Event
Format: 15 team RR with 3 pools of 5. Top 8 qualify.
Top Team Entered: Team Symonds, Team G. Smith
#Fav:
The defending Newfoundland and Labrador champion, Team Symonds, will make their season debut at the new Cabot Spiel. Symonds represented The Rock at the Brier last year in Brandon, going 0-7. This season the team enters play as the defending provincial champion and wanting to prove last season was no fluke and prove they are better than the 0-7 Brier finish. This is the perfect opportunity to restore some top dog bragging rights. The field is full of NL challengers. If Symonds wants to be considered a contender again this season to #DefendTheIce and Tankard title, beating provincial competition and claiming the season opening title would be a great start.
#TeamUpset:
There are a few young #NextGen teams competing in this event, some getting their sliders wet on #wct ice for the first time ever. One team to perhaps keep close tabs on is Daniel Bruce. Bruce won the NL junior title in 2018 and finished with a 4-6 record at the Canadian junior championships. The result is significant because it was the first time the province reached the Championship Pool under the new format, which was introduced in 2013. Now we can see how far Bruce and company have progressed when up against same past NL champions (Symonds, #TwineTimeFam member Greg Smith, Mark Noseworthy, Ken Peddigrew, Rick Rowsell). Are the boys ready for the big ice and set to perhaps become the next face of NL curling? This will be a great litmus test for the young team.
#W2W4:
How about this for #growthesport? We have 15 NL men's teams entered to compete in this new event....and none of them are the Big Bad Wolf Brad Gushue!! The Goo is not competing this weekend which means 15 teams have the opportunity to start their season off with a bang and set themselves up with some momentum and confidence. Look they all know Gushue is back in the provincial hunt this season, no longer the auto Brier berth as Team Canada. So these teams need to start winning now and establishing themselves as the next big opposition for Gushue. Gushue is waiting by the door. Who will come knocking first?
Qualifiers: Team G. Smith, Team Symonds, Team Rowsell, Team Skanes, Team Bruce, Team Thomas, Team Peddigrew, Team Noseworthy
Championship: Team Symonds def. Team Skanes
MIXED DOUBLES
Tallinn Mixed Doubles International
Tallinn, Estonia
2018 Champion: Team Perret/Rios
Format: 18 team RR with 3 pools of 6. Top 8 qualify.
Top Team Entered: Team Skaslien/Nedregotten, Team Perret/Rios, Team Moskaleva/Eremin, Team Palancsa/Kiss, Team Rupp/Wunderlin, Team Turmann/Lill, Team Fowler/Fowler
#Fav:
The top ranked mixed doubles team last season according to the #TwineTime rankings and newly married couple Kristen Skaslien and Magnus Nedreggoten highlight a stacked mixed doubles field in Tallinn. Skaslien/Nedreggoten had one of the strongest and most consistent mixed doubles seasons we have seen on the newly developed MD tour. They won the Curling World Cup Grand Final after winning Leg Two in Omaha. They won a tour title. They finished runner-up at a tour event in the same building they are competing this weekend. And they were named #TwineTime Mixed Doubles Team of the Year at the season closing #GoldenGranite Awards. I mean, what more do you need on a resume to be named the favourite here?
#TeamUpset:
When you have a field this stacked, it can be tough to see an upset contender emerge. But there are a few teams here who could surprise the bigger name duos. Italy's Veronica Zappone and Simone Gonin could have a breakout mixed doubles season. They are former Italian champions, representing their nation at the 2018 world championships, reaching the playoff round with a 6-1 RR record and finishing 12th overall.
But maybe keep your eyes on a pair of South Korean duos who have looked strong already this season. Yujin Song and Jae-ik Jeon reached the final of the Pacific Ocean Cup a few weeks ago. And Hyeji Jang/Yujin Seong won the season opening New Zealand Winter Games, going a perfect 7-0 en route to the gold medal win. Both of these Korean teams may be unknown to fans (and perhaps some of their fellow competitors) but both have already found success on tour this season and come to Tallinn with some momentum. Sometimes flying under the radar and being the unknown can work to your advantage.
#W2W4:
If Europe held a European Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, many of the teams competing this weekend in Tallinn would be competing for continental glory. These are many of the top "elite" mixed doubles teams in not only Europe but the world. Just look at the roster listed above under Top Teams Entered. Wow! This is legit a field where I can name 12-15 teams who not only have legit playoff chances but can also make solid arguments as to why they are championship threats.
You want to know What 2 Watch 4? Great mixed doubles curling....that is what you are going to get keeping your eyes on this event. This prediction might actually be the toughest one to call out of all the #wct events this weekend. Remember last week everyone talking about how the Shorty Jenkins is like a mini-slam? Well this event is the equivalent of a mini-slam on the mixed doubles circuit folks.
Plus the 202 #MenOfCurling calendar announcement was made earlier in the week. Well there are a few #TwineTime nominated athletes competing at this event. For a recap of the blog picks, and to see who you may want to watch closer this weekend, refresh your memory HERE.
Qualifiers: Team Skaslien/Nedregotten, Team Perret/Rios, Team Moskaleva/Eremin, Team Turmann/Lill, Team Song/Jeon, Team Rupp/Wunderlin, Team Fomina/Stukalsky, Team Westman/Ahlberg
Championship: Team Moskaleva/Eremin def. Team Turmann/Lill
College Clean Restoration / Colonial Square Inn & Suites Pro Curling Series
Saskatoon, SK
2018 Champion: New Event
Format: 16 team triple knockout with 8 qualifiers.
Top Team Entered: Team Cottrill/Cottrill
#Fav:
The blog picked them to win a few weekends ago in Boucherville, Quebec and they came away with the title. With that kind of momentum, how do you not tab Katie and Shawn Cottrill as the pre-event favourites in Saskatoon? They are mixed doubles specialists. They know how to win. They have a successful track record of qualifying at mixed doubles tour events and going deep in the playoff bracket. And, in comparison to some of their competition this weekend, they already have competitive ice (and winning ice) under their sliders this season. All signs point to another successful weekend for the Cottrill family.
#TeamUpset:
One duo that really sparked the #TwineTime interest last season was Danielle Schmiemann and Jason Ginter. Fast forward to this season and the blog is still intrigued at the high possibility of this duo waving not only the #TeamUpset flag but also the #NextGen flag for Canadian mixed doubles. Having watched them compete last year, they have positive body language on the ice. They communicate well. And they seem to enjoying being out on the ice competing. Sometimes it can be as simple as having fun translating into success and wins. I think they are still establishing themselves as a strong mixed doubles duo but I also believe this is the season they become a more familiar mixed doubles duo among their opposition and fans alike. If teams were public offerings, I would be buying high early on this duo. I expect the price tag on them to soar over the season.
#W2W4:
This field has some of the best Saskatchewan mixed doubles teams competing. It is actually going to be quite fun to watch. The province has done an outstanding job of really growing the discipline across the prairies and turn out strong competing teams. Nancy Martin and Steve Laycock are familiar name competitors hitting the ice again this season together. Sherry Just and Ryan Deis should be familiar names if you have followed mixed doubles for the past few seasons. Same with Ashley Quick and Mike Armstrong. Chaelynn Kitz and Brayden Stewart are another one of those #NextGen teams to keep your eyes on, a duo quite capable of making a deep run here against some of the bigger, more experienced competitors. And don't forget the defending provincial champions Jill de Gooijer and Garret Springer. They will be looking to #DefendTheIce this season and what a great way to start your year at a big event drawing some of the top provincial contenders. Plus a family that curls together, stays together right? How can the blog not mention #TwineTimeFam member Michelle Englot competing with son Derek Schneider? Right away they have to be the sentimental favourite you hope go far into the weekend. They haven't had the best mixed doubles career to date but this is a perfect time to find the rhythm and start winning. Plus imagine the victory celebration!? Is there enough Fireball in Saskatoon to cover?
Qualifiers: Team Cottrill/Cottrill, Team Schmiemann/Ginter, Team Kitz/Stewart, Team Martin/Laycock, Team Just/Deis, Team Quick/Armstrong, Team de Gooijer/Springer, Team Schwartz/Willis, Team Englot/Schneider
Championship: Team Schmiemann/Ginter def. Team Cottrill/Cottrill
Yowzers....the rocks will be flying around the world this weekend. From a #growthesport perspective, how cool is it to see #wct events taking place in 7 different cities across 3 different countries all on the same weekend? It is worth mentioning, in addition to the events previewed above there is a new event taking place in Calgary this weekend. The #GoodTimes Bonspiel is a dual event classified as a #Tour250 event on the blog Tour-Tier system. Unfortunately draws were not available in time to be included in the #TourLifePredictions but the blog wishes those teams competing good luck and good curling.
You have A LOT of curling action to follow this weekend rock heads.
#StayTuned
Are you ready for a NEW podcast interview? The blog has scheduled a conversation with a respected member of the curling community discussing the exact topic of #growthesport and our future #NextGen stars. Any idea who is joining the podcast for September and what the topic is?
The new podcast will hit your sheet of ice soon. And of course with all these events going on, will the #PowerRankings mountain turn into volcanic activity once the rocks stop spinning? The updated rankings will come out next Tuesday.
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