January 29, 2008…The M&M Meat Shops Canadian junior men’s and women’s curling championships, the first event in the 2008 Season of Champions, get underway Sunday in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Thirteen men’s and 13 women’s teams (10 provinces plus Northern Ontario, Northwest Territories and Yukon) will play round robin games at two venues, Soo Curlers Association and Tarentorus Sports Club. At the conclusion of the round robin, the first place teams advance to their respective finals, while the second and third place finishers meet in semi-finals on Saturday evening.
Both the women’s and men’s finals will take place on Sunday, February 10 at Soo Curlers Association, starting at 12:00 noon ET, live across Canada on CBC-TV in a special five-hour presentation. The women’s game will begin first, with the men’s final starting roughly an hour and a half later. CurlTV (www.curltv.com <http://www.curltv.com> ) will also be offering extensive event internet coverage to its subscribers.
The winners will then represent Canada at the world junior curling championships, March 1-9 in Östersund, Sweden. Canada has won a leading 16 world junior men’s titles since 1975 and eight women’s crowns since 1988.
This is the third year of title sponsorship by M&M Meat Shops, Canada's largest retail chain of specialty frozen foods, which signed a new agreement with the Canadian Curling Association to sponsor the Canadian junior men’s and women’s curling championships through 2009.
Heading this year’s men’s line-up is Prince Edward Island’s Brett Gallant, who finished the runner-up to Alberta’s Charley Thomas last year in St. Catharines, losing the final in an extra end. Also returning is the youngest skip in Canadian Juniors history, Thomas Scoffin of Whitehorse, Yukon, who was 12 years old last year when skipping at the 2007 M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors. Carrying the colours of host Northern Ontario will be Kory Carr and his Fort William Curling Club team from Thunder Bay.
The women’s roster is headed by last year’s winner, Julie Devereaux of St. John’s, who is skipping a team this year after playing lead for Newfoundland and Labrador’s Stacie Devereaux last year. Also returning is Yukon’s Sarah Koltun, who also became the youngest skip in Canadian junior women’s history last year at age 13. Northern Ontario will be represented by Thunder Bay’s Ashley Miharija.
Alberta leads all provinces with 15 junior men’s titles, while Saskatchewan is next with 13. Northern Ontario has won four times, the last by Jeff Currie in 1996 in Edmonton.
Northern Ontario has yet to win a Canadian junior women’s crown since the event began in 1971 in Vancouver. Saskatchewan leads with 10 victories.
The men’s and women’s championships were conducted separately until being combined in 1987 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
The CCA website (www.curling.ca <http://www.curling.ca> ) will post up-to-the-minute draw results and other event information throughout the championships.
The Opening Ceremonies begin at 1:30 pm on Sunday at Soo Curlers Association, prior to the afternoon’s second draw at 3:00 pm.
Sault Ste. Marie has previously staged several Canadian curling championships, highlighted by the 1990 Labatt Brier, won by Ontario’s Ed Werenich. It also hosted the 1978 Canadian women’s, 1980 Canadian junior men’s and 1998 Canadian Seniors curling championships.
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2008 M&M Meat Shops Canadian Junior Men’s Curling Championship
February 3-10, Soo Curlers Association and Tarentorus Sports Club
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
TEAMS (listed in order of skip, third, second, lead and coach)
Alberta – Drayton Valley Curling Club, Drayton Valley
Aaron Sluchinski, Justin Sluchinski, Colin Hodgson, Tylor Bennett, David Sluchinski
British Columbia – Royal City Curling Club, New Westminster
Jay Wakefield (third rocks), Chase Martyn (fourth rocks), Paul Cseke, Jamie Danbrook, Karen Watson
Manitoba – Pembina Curling Club, Winnipeg
Kyle Peters, Ian Fordyce, Nigel Milnes, Stuart Shiells, Lance Wadelius
New Brunswick – Riverside Country Club, Rothesay
Jon Rennie, Christopher (Chris) Sleep, Jason Pye, Alex Kyle, Kevin Kyle
Newfoundland and Labrador – Re/Max Centre (St. John’s Curling Club), St. John’s
Colin Thomas, Stephen Ryan, Spencer Wicks, Andrew Lehr, Jeff Thomas
Northern Ontario – Fort William Curling Club, Thunder Bay
Kory Carr, Justin Whitehurst, Adam Lamers, Mark Adams, Walter Risi
Northwest Territories – Yellowknife Curling Club, Yellowknife
Colin Miller, Rob Heimbach, John Murray, David Aho, Maureen Miller
Nova Scotia – Mayflower Curling Club, Halifax
Kelsey Amero, Adrian Anctil, Cameron MacKenzie, Justin Burns, Donalda Mattie
Ontario – St. Thomas Curling Club, St. Thomas
Travis Fanset, Craig Van Ymeren, Geoff Chambers, Chris Jay, Brian Sheardown
Prince Edward Island – Charlottetown Curling Club, Charlottetown & Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club, Summerside
Brett Gallant, Adam Casey, Anson Carmody, Alex MacFadyen, Kathie Gallant
Quebec – Celanese Curling Club, Drummondville
William Dion, Jean-Michel Arsenault, Miguel Bernard, Erik Lachance, Benoît Arsenault
Saskatchewan – Tartan Curling Club, Regina
Brennen Jones, Mitch Criton, DJ Kidby, Dallan Muyres, Kay Montgomery
Yukon – Whitehorse Curling Club, Whitehorse
Thomas Scoffin, Will Mahoney, Nicholas (Nick) Koltun, Mitchell (Mitch) Young, Wade Scoffin
2008 M&M Meat Shops Canadian Junior Women’s Curling Championship
February 3-10, Soo Curlers Association and Tarentorus Sports Club
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
TEAMS (listed in order of skip, third, second, lead and coach)
Alberta – Calgary Curling Club, Calgary
Maria Bushell, Jenn Liner, Jody Keim, Heather Rogers, Carolyn Maher
British Columbia – Richmond Curling Club, Richmond
Kelly Thompson, Kelly Shimizu, Cynthia Lu, Jennifer Allen,Yadranka Thompson
Manitoba – Pembina Curling Club, Winnipeg
Kaitlyn Lawes, Jenna Loder, Liz Peters, Sarah Wazney, Alex Mowat
New Brunswick – Capital Winter Club, Fredericton
Mary Jane McGuire, Megan McGuire, Ashlyn Dickinson, Kaitlin Stubbs, Gerald (Jerry) McGuire
Newfoundland and Labrador – Re/Max Centre (St. John’s Curling Club), St. John’s
Julie Devereaux, Stephanie (Steph) Davis, Jessica Mouland, Erica Trickett, Steph Jackson
Northern Ontario – Fort William Curling Club, Thunder Bay
Ashley Miharija, Sarah Lang, Jenna Enge, Jessica Williams, Rick Lang
Northwest Territories – Yellowknife Curling Club, Yellowknife
Valisa Aho, Kourtney Williams, Ashley Williams, Paige Scott, Bill Aho
Nova Scotia – Mayflower Curling Club, Halifax
Danielle Parsons, Katie Lines, Courtney Huestis, Jane Snyder, Karen Ouellette
Ontario – Burlington Curling Club, Burlington
Danielle Inglis, Chantal Lalonde, Tracy O’Leary, Pam Feldkamp, Diana Simpson
Prince Edward Island – Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club, Summerside
Erin Carmody, Geri-Lynn Ramsay, Lisa Moerike, Jessica (Jess) van Ouwerkerk, Pat Aylward
Quebec – Lachine Curling Club, Lachine
Kristen Richard, Alanna Routledge, Brittany O’Rourke, Sasha Beauchamp, Glenn Tester
Saskatchewan – Nutana Curling Club, Saskatoon
Stephanie (Steph) McVicar, Kari Kennedy, Ashley Gregoire, Cori Debert, James Malainey
Yukon – Whitehorse Curling Club, Whitehorse
Sarah Koltun (third rocks), Chelsea Duncan (fourth rocks), Linea Eby, Tessa Vibe, Lindsay Moldowan
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