Hello all,
Welcome to a brand new enterprise, primarily focusing on the wonderful game of curling. The first entry will focus on the upcoming Scotties tournament of Hearts, being hosted by my home province and the illustrious facility of Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw,Saskatchewan. My entry will forecast each team's chances by enlisting a brief snip-it of each province/territory being represented, and then at the end I will post my standings as I see the Scotties playing out. I sincerely hope you enjoy this entry and the many more entries to come.
Alberta- Val Sweeting is coming back home. One of the perennial favourites in this event, she will be expected to make the playoffs and then some. This team has clicked the entire year, showing off some eloquent play in the TSN skins game, and nabbing unarguably one of the biggest titles of the year, that being the Canada Cup. In recent years, when I watch Val's game, she has the tendency to rely on the draw which is good when you're playing teams that don't have the strategical maturity to match her, but when you're playing the Rachel Homan's of the world, they're going to run you out of Moose Jaw all the way to Belle Plaine by feasting on double's and triples that surely will be available by playing such a precise, feel game. Lucky for her, their's only one Rachel Homan in the field so making the final(at least semi) is looking just peachey for her.
British Columbia-Watching that provincial final wanted to me to pull a Bruce Jenner and relocate to B.C. That was some awful, awful curling. Sarah Wark had backing to a stone back eight to seal the deal in the tenth and couldn't deliver the goods. To be fair of course, Patti Knezevic is a seasoned veteran team, as is her entire Prince George team. You would think living in Prince George with their being not much to do would present you the opportunity to hone your skills but in Patti K's case, the jury is still out. Filling in for the Van Oach rink last year provides her with some experience in how to compete at this level, but the skeptic in me has concerns that she may be in danger of facing relegation.
Canada-Looks, skill,championship experience. This blogger and any other sane blogger would concede that Rachel Homan is the heavy odds on favourite to capture her third consecutive championship. Adding(stea ling?) Joanne Courtney from Val Sweeting's squad and inserting her at the second position had elevated the sweeping of this powerhouse while at the same time adding a dimension of up-weight ability that Kreviazuk didn't quite have. Nothing to be taken away from Kreviazuk, but the likes of Vic Rauter and Russ Howard repeatedly stated that Courtney was one of the best third's in the country, but now with her playing second, is she THE best second in the business?
Manitoba-First of all, kudos to Jennifer Jones on her outstanding work providing colour commentary at this year's Manitoba Mens provincial championships . Anybody sitting beside Ray Turnbull could be put to sleep but somehow Jennifer was able to understand and theorize what Turnbull was trying to formulate. Note to Ray, the game has changed since 1860. Ok, back to curling. Jones eased her way through the playdowns by being aggressive. That patended aggressiveness was the exact trademark which led her to an Olympic gold medal. In the women's game, the tendency is to be uber conversative, in which Jones completely bucks the trend. This style makes her a wildcard in the event and any event because for the same praise that I just gave her, that very same style can absolutely cause her to lose to inferior oppoments. If Lawes, Officer and McEwen are on, this team is guaranteed and are one of three teams who could viably win this event.
New Brunswick-Surprise, surprise.....Andrea Crawford is back again at the Scotties. Wait....No? That's right, after not entering provincials this year, she left the door wide open for an eager first timer. That first timer is Sylvie Robichaud to has brought along one of Crawford's long time teammate Rebecca Atkinson in at the third position. With Crawford, I felt like New Brunswick was on the cusp of squeaking into the playoffs. With Robichaud, the unknown factor for the a lot of the skips out west may create some doubt to what Sylvie can actually accomplish. The key for her will be to rely on Atkinson's expertise to allow her to calm her nerves and maybe be a surprise team in this championship.
Newfoundland & Labrador-Heather Strong is sister-less at this years Scotties. With sister Laura moving out to the Prairies, she was forced to re configure her team a little bit. Stephanie Korab at third brings the voistorous leadership that a Newfoundland ladies squad hasn't had in years. Strong is an outstanding hitter, that has never been questioned. In order to make the playoffs and be the next Cathy Cunningham, she will have to steadily improve the feel game and capitalize when the small windows open up. This team in my opinion has an outside shot at the playoffs, One of my darkhorses.
Stay tuned over the next couple of days for the rest of the forecast.
