Summer musings

We're deep in the heart of the off season and there's little news on the curling front.

That won't stop me from updating the site with inanity and crapulosity.

Tour de Farce... The American winner of the Tour de France tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone, and pending a B sample test, he could be stripped of his title. That's another thing I like about curling... not many banned substances could help your game because you would lose your touch for draws if you were hopped up on goofballs.

Road to Avonlea closed... a 16-sheeter is being paved over for indoor soccer in Toronto - sad development. There have not been any updates regarding the displaced curlers from the recently torched Thistle club in Winnipeg.

Free agent market thinning... unlike my waistline, the list of available free agents in Manitoba is starting to thin out. This is unfortunate as we are still trying to secure a fourth for the 2006-2007 season. We're confirmed for play in the Asham Super League, and we intend on entering several MCT events throughout the season. Drop us a line if you are competitive and looking for a team. And, if you run into Kyle Werenich or Ken Tresoor on the golf course, mention Team Bender has an opening.

Words of advice... if your sinus surgeon says "you won't believe how big these things are" just before extracting the plastic splints from deep inside of your head with alien-abduction-esque forceps two weeks after surgery, you would be wise to grip the exam table tightly with both hands. I thought I felt my cerebellum moving...

Finally... what do you use to get a jammed chunk of dental floss out from between two molars?

Ding dong the queen is dead

Tremendous news from the Curling Coverage front, as TSN claims major curling rights through 2013!

With TSN HD on the Star Choice package, I will be salivating with all of the coverage to be had starting in two years... the return of the morning draws!!! Huzzah!!

Curling sweeps away CBC Public broadcaster frozen out in new TV deal

By BILL GRAVELAND

CALGARY (CP) - After 40 years of curling coverage CBC is being left out in the cold after a new six-year television deal announced Thursday between the Canadian Curling Association and TSN.

The deal beginning in 2008, when the current contract with CBC expires, will run through 2013-'14 and give TSN exclusive broadcast and multimedia rights to all CCA events, including the Tim Hortons Brier, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the Ford World curling championships. In a revamped deal last season, CBC handed off the round-robin games to TSN but retained the semifinals and finals. That isn't the case now since CBC wasn't even invited into the negotiations.

"We received a perfunctory call this morning which was definitely after the fact-after the agreement had been done," said CBC spokeswoman Ruth-Ellen Soles in an interview with the Canadian Press.
"We've always been in constant contact with the CCA and for the first time ever there was no tender process which means there was no opportunity for us to counter-bid."

The CBC had signed an exclusive four-year deal with the CCA in July, 2004 but carried just one draw a day on the national network and a second draw on its little known Country Canada digital channel. After outrage from curling fans the CCA attempted to walk away from the deal last summer citing problems with the network's coverage.

But a revamped deal last fall allowed CBC to retain the curling television rights, but sub-licensed a portion of those to TSN. That saw the two networks share coverage of Canada's top curling events.

That will not be the case beginning in 2008. TSN will do all the games and on a bright note for curling fans all three draws will be shown on the network.

"Unprecedented coverage and the return of morning draws will be embraced by our fans and viewers across the country and around the world," Dave Parkes, the CEO of the Canadian Curling Association, said in a release. "This agreement and a strengthened relationship with TSN ensures a positive, exciting and long-term future for our sport."

TSN president Phil King said the timing of the new deal is a good one for his network, especially with the next Winter Olympics being held in Canada.

"This deal further establishes curling as a cornerstone of the network's programming leading up to the 2010 Olympic Games and beyond," said King.

The agreement does provide some comfort for sponsors of the major events, who were inundated with angry phone calls, letters and e-mails after curling coverage changed in 2005.

"Scott Paper is excited by the return of morning broadcasts and the stability this new television agreement will provide," said John McClelland, corporate vice-president of Scott Paper Ltd., which sponsors the Canadian women's curling championship.

The announcement caught six-time Canadian champion Colleen Jones by surprise. Jones, who also has two world curling titles, hadn't heard the news in Raleigh, N.C., where she is covering the Stanley Cup final for CBC TV.

"TSN has done a phenomenal job with curling however the reality is you always want your product on a main network. It was just golden the way it had been with TSN and CBC on the weekends," said Jones.

"The Brier draws well over a million people and the question will those people all watch it on TSN?"

The TSN news release says "the opportunity also exists to carry select matches on CTV."

"I do like the longevity of the deal but it was a perfect marriage where CBC and TSN shared coverage. That was about as perfect as you can have," Jones added.

TSN has confirmed that its curling broadcast team of Vic Rauter, Linda Moore and Ray Turnbull will continue to call the action for all of the network's curling coverage.

The new deal includes a comprehensive suite of multimedia rights, including broadband, mobile, video-on-demand, interactive television, podcasts and even rights for radio broadcasts.

The Thistle is history

Sad to hear about all of the history going up in flames at the venerable Thistle Curling Club over the weekend. It sickens me that some troubled person thinks torching a public building will bring them power and glory.

It was a unique place to play, and, although I'd always struggled with the ice conditions there, I enjoyed the vibe that the building had.

I feel sorriest for the neighbourhood kids who have lost a place to grow with the game... and the life members who valued the club as more than a place to throw rocks.

Anytime we lose a club - to fire, indifference or lack of funding - it's a knee to the groin of our game.

My first AGM

After breezing through the 148 page Annual Report before the Manitoba Curling Association Annual General Meeting yesterday morning, I quickly gained a sense of what would be the hot-button topics, at least to me.

1. Comments and suggestions from the MCA Bonspiel, including a plea from the Winnipeg Curling Clubs Association to reinstate the Minor Event Berth into the Selects
2. The elimination of the "Buy a Badge" entry fiasco into a provincial playdown
3. The official announcement of the shift of the Manitoba Curling Tour Championships to Dec. 15 to 17
4. Enhancements to the MCA website

Let's start with item No. 1... suggestions for the MCA Bonspiel. It's clear something needs to be done to bring the magic back to the big event. I'm not sure if the minor event berth is the key to that, but it deserves to be explored. I think we are on the right track with the changes that were incorporated into last year's spiel.

One of the big improvements would be to have real-time, online updates for results on the website... this will be one of the projects I will delve into as a new director on the board.

Item No. 2: The Buy-a-Badge fiasco in certain provincial zone playdowns. While I think this is a great first step, more in-depth retooling needs to be carried out. Of course, that will take some time to hash out and get everyone on board with the final decisions.

Item No. 3: I think most MCT teams will be happy with the decision to move the championships to mid-December.

Item No. 4: Enhancements to the MCA website... I think they have already come a long way in this regard, and I will be working hard behind the scenes to keep those enhancements coming. Watch for updates on the MCA website... on the MCA website.

Cheers for now!

Team Fenson loses lead

According to the Associated Press, "lead John Shuster wants to skip his own team, so he's leaving the squad that Pete Fenson, of Bemidji, Minn., captained to third place in the 2006 Games. Shuster had been with Fenson since the start of the 2003-04 season."

The Duluth-Supererior article (linked through the above headline) states the team is "splitting up" but it doesn't say what the rest of the team members are doing next season.

Not that I'm downplaying the importance of a lead, as I'm fully versed in the total team dynamic, but losing their lead and splitting up are very different.

It will be interesting to see the remaining team shake-ups as the first year of the Olympic four-year plan begins in the quest to "represent" in Vancouver in 2010.

Dauphin to host Select in 2007

Just a quick hit to comment on the Safeway Select making its way up to Dauphin next season...

I'm not sure what other guys think, but I think it's cool that they move it around to different locations around the province.

It would be nice to see it back in Winnipeg occasionally and take advantage of everything the MTS Centre has to offer.

Hope to see you in Dauphin next year!

Guess the Blog needs a new name

Well, Scott is heading east to find fame and fortune on Parliament Hill.

The rest of us wish him the best as he moves up in the political world to where it is all happening at the federal level.

While we didn't play many games together this season, we did do well in most and had a great time in all of them. It's too bad we weren't able to stick it out, but careers always come first.

If all goes well, Scott will collect several sharp-shooting Hullians, err, Hullites, uhm, Hullipudlians, Gatineauzers across the river and take Quebec back to the Brier in 2007.

As for Team ?, we are now looking for a new skip or maybe third, depending on who comes forward. I think we still have a strong nucleus, ready to make a serious run next season.

If interested, send your curling resume in and we'll chat.

Jones forms new team

The Canadian Press says the great masticator has picked up a new team and is looking forward to competing next season.

I predict that she will play her old team early in the season and there will be a line brawl.

Colleen Jones forms new curling team

Colleen Jones
Canadian Press
4/27/2006 12:19:52 PM
HALIFAX (CP) - Colleen Jones is
ready for a new challenge after winning six Canadian curling championships and two world titles.
Jones said Thursday she has formed a new team that
includes a former teammate, Kay Zinck, who will play third, Mary Mattatall at second and lead Monica Moriarty, who is Jones' sister.
Jones and her former team of Kim Kelly, Mary-Anne Arsenault and Nancy Delahunt, who won five Canadian titles together in a six-year span, ended their relationship last month.
Kelly, Arsenault and Delahunt have joined skip Laine Peters.
Jones, 46, said she needs a change and is excited about competing next year.

Morris joins Martin

Wow! This has the makings for one heck of an exciting team! It's going to be interesting to see how they come together. Even with Bartlett and Walchuk ailing, Martin was a power. Now, with younger, healthier talents on the ice with him, he could be scary.

I think the Olympics have had a huge effect on when teams decide to pull the plug or reform in order to fulfill the four-year plan and try for the Great Big Berth.

Here's the original story that appeared in the Calgary Herald this morning:

Super skips join forces
Martin, Morris going for
granite gold in 2010

Allen Cameron, Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Two of the great money players of the past few years are joining forces for the next curling season, but their eyes are firmly focused on a trip to Vancouver in just less than four years.

Edmonton's Kevin Martin is breaking up one of the most successful lineups in the country to hook up with Calgary's John Morris, who's been no slouch on the cash circuit himself since moving to Alberta in 2003.

The new foursome, which will play out of Edmonton, will be rounded out by second Marc Kennedy -- who played the same position for Morris -- and lead Ben Hebert. Hebert is moving to Calgary this summer after a solid run with Pat Simmons, including back-to-back Saskatchewan men's titles.

Martin and Morris, who'll be stepping down to play third for a man he considers the "best pure rock-thrower in the game," broke the news to their respective teams Monday night. Martin is leaving behind longtimeteammates Don Walchuk, Carter Rycroft and Don Bartlett, while Morris is cutting ties with Kevin Koe and Paul Moffatt.

"There's no negative there, but it's about 2010," said Martin, a two-time Brier champ and 2002 Olympic silver medallist, of the breakup with a team that had been together since 1999; he'd curled with Bartlett since 1989 and Walchuk since 1995.

"I'm 39, I'm not young either, but I think it's just something that had to be done. We're going to walk away having no problem at all."
"We came close in a lot of 'spiels; it's just that big 'W' seemed elusive for us," added Morris, whose Calgary team was one of the country's top money-winners since forming in 2003, but never managed to finish better than third at the provincial championship. "It wasn't a decision you could make overnight because it's a big decision in your life and curling career. But, after looking at all the factors, and trying to be a part of the best team out there, this was a good decision for me."

Morris said the split with Koe was amicable, while Moffatt had already indicated he was leaving Calgary to move back to Ontario.

It's expected Koe will put together a new team with Edmonton's Blake MacDonald, with Rycroft suddenly a leading candidate to join the same squad.

But they will have to make big strides in a hurry to keep pace with the two-headed monster of Alberta curling -- an improved Martin team and Randy Ferbey's long-time wrecking crew from Edmonton.

And, while Ferbey has enjoyed the lion's share of headlines in recent seasons, Martin believes his new team -- particularly with the additionof two-world junior champ Morris -- has the potential to be the king of the granite hill.

"Oh, there's an unlimited amount of talent," said Martin. "As far as John goes, it's just straight talent. He's probably the most talented guy to come out of juniors in the last 15 years. To be able to do what he's done at his age, to be in the top five in the world the last three seasons with a not-very-experienced team, that's pretty amazing.

"These guys are going to be in their upper 20s when it comes to the 2010 Olympics, so they'll be right in their prime."
"My goal is the same as the other guys'," added Morris.
"We want to be the best team in the world, and I feel that, since I've come out of junior, I've been in the top five, but never exactly No. 1. I think this lineup gives us a really good shot at being the best out there. It's pretty exciting. I'm still pretty young at 27, and I feel pretty comfortable stepping down to the third position."

acameron@theherald.canwest.com

© The Calgary Herald 2006

Miracle on Ice II

There we were, curling when it was 24 C outside on a splendid Saturday afternoon... playing towards what could have been a nice way to finish off an otherwise forgettable season.

First, a little background. I joined Team Sigurdson midway through the year when Al Bernier retired. I played during the city zones and watched as they came to within a game of returning to the Safeway Selects for a third consecutive year. This after my regular team went on hiatus as careers interrupted curling, as they often do.

So, after several "exciting" league games and club championship playoffs, we found ourselves in the City Club Champions Championships at the Charleswood Curling Club last week.

The boys - Bob Sigurdson, Darren Oryniak and Chris Girling - were not as "into it" as I was, considering their breadth of experience at the Selects. Well, Darren was still into it. He's always "on" like I am when it comes to curling, regardless of the event. Having said that, Bob and Chris were not dogging it during this competition, as we all worked hard to try to bring the title back to the Granite.

We started off by beating my old nemesis from West St. Paul: Brian Cox. What were the odds of drawing that team? After takin' care o' bidness 7-1, we won a couple of more games and found ourselves up against Dean Zammit from West Kildonan in the A-side qualifier. He utilized the "less-than-a-single-revolution" technique to perfection and made several WTF shots to beat us with his last rock.

Luckily, we somehow drew him again after winning the B-qualifier game and beat him with a solid, consistent effort over 10 ends in the semi-final. I'm still a little quesy over the chest hair... but that's a story for another day.

In the final, we ran up against Andrew Atkinson of St. Vital, who was on fire. Literally, I believe there were flames eminating from orificies as he slid.

He made two draws against potential fours to save the game, and then won it in dramatic fashion with a long angle-raise takeout in the tenth end to take three.

The ice was straighter than Yvan Cournoyer's stick, but the draw times were very consistent. Kudos to the icemaker for pulling that feat off in summer conditions.

After all was said and done, I was sitting with my family upstairs at the 'Wood, sipping on a Fort Garry Draft, holding my newly acquired "Finalist" badge (see inset photo) and wondering where it went wrong. As the Atkinson team accepted the giant trophy and the applause from the gathered throng, I gazed up at the Safeway Select Championship banners covering the walls, testament to the greatness of Team Stoughton over the years, and I vowed to be playing for one of THOSE next season.

Calling all curlers!

Now that I am officially a Winnipeg regional director with the MCA, I am very interested to hear what Manitoba curlers have to say.

Send me your top three issues facing Winnipeg curlers so I can take your feedback to the rest of the directors at our next meeting.

It could be competitive curling issues, or problems facing curling clubs or recreational leagues.

My goal is to take a robust collection of your best ideas to the MCA and begin working on solutions leading into next season.

Drop me an email to get the process rolling.

Cheers!