8 teams contest 2009 Rolli Trophy in Bern, Switzerland

Manfred Bollinger skips Bern I
at this weekend's Rolli Trophy in Bern

The 2009 Rolli Trophy begins Friday, November 13 and features teams from Great Britain, Germany, Sweden and Norway as well as four domestic Swiss teams. Manfred Bollinger, who is expected to skip Switzerland's Paralympic team, will skip the Bern I side.

Results should be available HERE. Norway won last year's tournament, beating Bern II, with Scotland finishing third.

Canada's next game is an exhibition against Japan in Vancouver November 23rd, prior to flying to Prague for the 4th Annual Czech Open at the end of the month.

Canada take $1,000 for Richmond win

3rd Darryl Neigbour celebrates the last rock of the final - 

a tap back of Korea's red shot rock to score 3 for Canada

All photos - John Sims, Team Canada

The three most experienced teams, the only teams that had previously played together, shared the $2,000 purse on the final day of the Richmond International.

The morning semi-final between Korea (4-1) and Alberta (2-3) did not see a repeat of Korea's narrow four ends apiece 7-5 round robin win. Korea posted steals of 3 in the second and seventh ends to ease to an 11-2 victory and a place in the afternoon final.

KOR   1  3  0  0  3  1  3    11
AB     0  0  1  1  0  0  0     2

The final began with Canada taking 2, but then, sitting 2, skip Armstrong's last rock was light, giving Korean skip Haksung Kim the opportunity to throw a six second double takeout that scored 3.

Jim Armstrong hit back with a double takeout of his own to score 5 in the third. Canada then stole 2 when Korea, after a timeout, crashed a guard with their last rock. Korea fought back with one in the fifth and a steal of 2 in the sixth. In the seventh, Korea were lying 1 guarded when Armstrong tapped a Canadian stone back to displace shot stone and score 3, and the teams shook hands.

CAN   2  0  5  2  0  0  3    12
KOR   0  3  0  0  1  2  0     6

The winners received $1,000, with $600 going to Korea and $400 to Alberta.

Team Canada - 1st
Richmond International

Team Korea - 2nd

Team Alberta - 3rd

You can see more photos from the Richmond International HERE. John Sims is the media attache and photographer for Team Canada at the Paralympic Games

Team USA in on the fun at 100 day countdown in midtown Manhattan

Jaqui Kapinowski, Jimmy Joseph and Goose Perez
photo by Abbey Suslavich

Three members of Team USA were at the Rockefeller Center in New York November 4th to celebrate the 100 day countdown to the 2010 Olympics. (thanks Curling News)

Canada cruise to final of Richmond International

Team Canada gave up a steal in the first end of the morning draw against Chris Daw's team, but then posted a series of big ends to come away 16-4 winners and finish the round robin 5-0. Darryl Neighbour sat out the game, still unwell after his flu shot. Bruno Yizek played 3rd.

Korea finished with an 8-4 win over the Richmond hosts to claim second place at 4-1. Alberta beat BC 8-5.

In the afternoon Page playoff, Canada held Korea to a single point, running out 10-1 wins and claiming the place in tomorrow afternoon's final. Third place Alberta beat Richmond 9-4 and face Korea in the morning semi-final.

Teams have pocketed $50 for each win, and $2,000 is at stake tomorrow

Vernon BC, Sonja Gaudet's home town, gets Games spirit

sign at Davidson Orchard, Vernon BC

Vernon's Davidson Orchard has a photo-board up celebrating the spirit of thr Winter Games. Vernon is the home of Team Canada lead Sonja Gaudet, and Team Canada 2nd Ina Forrest lives just up the road in Armstrong. (Thanks, Dan)

Columbus (Ohio) CC inviting wheelchair users to curl

ThisWeek reporter Kevin Parks describes how the Columbus CC is hoping to attract wheelchair users and volunteers in football obsessed Ohio to come and try wheelchair curling at their two year old facility in the Clintonville area.

Club committee member Steve Shaffer wonders if someone attending the clinic might wind up representing Columbus as a member of the 2014 USA Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team.

"I'd love to see, as a start, just some participants," said Shaffer, who also is chairman of the club's building facilities and maintenance committee. "To have a team, that would be great."

Experience in Canada tells us that it takes that one person detremined to make it happen, for a program to succeed.

The give-it-a-go session will be held between 11 - 3pm on Saturday Novemver 14 and they hope to have members of the 2010 USA team present. Contact the club for more information.

Team Canada Joe Rea receives award

Joe Rea - Prince George, BC

Prince George's Joe Rea was one of a dozen BC coaches to receive a 2009 Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Award, a prestigious award that recognizes coaches whose athletes achieved international success during the past year at open World Championships and the Special Olympics World Winter Games. Rea, who coached Canada to an inaugural  gold medal at the Torino Paralympics, won his first World Championship in 2009 in Vancouver. (islandsportsnews.net)

Canada unbeaten after 4 draws, but Korea hang tough

Canada swept to another blowout score in a 16-3 win over hosts Richmond in the morning draw. Darryl Neighbour, unwell with a bad reaction to a flu shot, sat out the game and Bruno Yizek played 3rd.

Alberta posted their first win, 10-0 over a Chris Daw-less CGVC Avengers team. Korea beat BC 8-7, their third win and the third time they have split the ends with their opponents.

The marquee matchup came in Draw 4 with Canada edging Korea 6-5, taking a sngle with hammer in the 8th to win.

CAN   1 0 1 1 0 2 0 1  -  6
KOR   0 1 0 0 2 0 2 0  -  5

Richmond beat Alberta 5-3 and BC beat the Avengers 10-4 in seven ends to round out the second day's play.

Friday's games
Draw 5  -  9.30  -  AB -  BC,  AV - CAN,  RCD - KOR
Page Playoff  1.30    1v2, 3v4

Some photos from Day 1 Richmond International

Photos courtesy of Tom Tang

Richmond Centre for Disability

Acting Mayor Linda Barnes gets things underway by pushing the firs rock
following advice from MC Joe Krapiec

Korea has brought the team that disappointed at the 2009 Worlds.
With a 2-0 start they had much to be happy about.

Alberta 3rd Anne Hibberd, using that "Eales off-side brace" I notice

Alberta lead Bridget Wilson with Martin Purvis holding

Team Canada 3rd Darryl Neighbour with Bruno Yizek holding

Canada overwhelm opposition - Day 1 Richmond International

The Richmond Centre For Disability sponsored event began with piper Jamie Thompson leading out the teams and acting Mayor Linda Barnes throwing the ceremonial first rock. Then things got serious as Canada faced Alberta in the opening draw and crushed last year's winners 11-1 in just 6 of the scheduled 8 ends.

Canada played alternate Bruno Yizek at lead in place of Sonja Gaudet who did not play in the morning draw. Alberta, without Bruno at 3rd, fielded the same team of Jack Smart, Anne Hibberd, Martin Purvis and Bridget Wilson that won silver at the 2009 Nationals.

Korea began against the CGVC Avengers, skipped by Chris Daw, with Gary Cormack, Vince Miele and Corrine Jensen. It was a tight game with each team winning 4 ends. Korea fell behind early but ran out 8-6 winners with a steal of one in the 8th.

The third morning game saw the Richmond host team of Rich Green, Jackie Roy, Tom Parker and Samantha Siu beat the BC Team 9-7 in an extra end. The BC team is skipped by Bob Macdonald, with Jim Miller and the alternates from Team Canada and Team Korea.

In the afternoon, Canada beat BC 12 - 1, Korea again shared the ends but came out 7-5 victors over Alberta, and the Avengers doubled up Richmond 12 - 6.

The format is a 5 draw round robin and page playoff, with draws at 9.30 and 1.30. The semi-final and final are this Saturday, November 7th.

Thursday matchups
Draw 3 - 9.30 - AB - AV,  RCD - CAN,  KOR - BC
Draw 4 - 1.30 - AB - RCD,  CAN - KOR,  AV - BC

Friday
Draw 5  -  9.30  -  AB -  BC,  AV - CAN,  RCD - KOR
Page Playoff  1.30  -  1v2, 3v4

Six team field at Richmond spiel

There will be a six team field at the Richmond International, with Team Canada, Korea, Alberta, Richmond hosts, Team Daw and a team of alternates.

Reduced funding this year reduced the number of teams competing but there will be some fascinating match-ups. "Korea are technically awesome," Jim Armstrong tells me, "and Alberta look very confident." Chris Daw returns to the ice with Torino teammate Gary Cormack, and Vince Miele and the Island's Corrine Jensen. The Richmond Disability Centre's team has Rich Green, Jackie Roy, Tom Parker and Samantha Siu.

Bruno will probably play lead for Team Canada in the first game against Alberta.

7th Annual Pat 'O' Reid Memorial Mixed Bonspiel Nov 8

The Toronto Cricket & Curling Club is hosting this Open format event at whiich wheelchair users can either play together or with regular curlers. The first games start at 10.30 with a dinner set for 5pm.

Anyone going to Richmond?

I know there are blog readers who attend the Richmond BC Curling Club.

If anyone would care to send me information on the International Bonspiel starting Wednesday, I'd be happy to make it available to everyone.

Email me with a phone number and I will call you for updates.

Eric - eric@wheelchaircurling.com

Richmond International begins Nov 4 - plus other BC news

Richmond CC hosts Team Canada, Team Korea and Team Alberta as well as local teams in their 3rd Wheelchair International November 4-7th. Korea shocked everyone with their power-hitting style of play at the 2008 World Championships, where they finished 2nd to Norway. They failed to reproduce that form at the 2009 Worlds; a fact that their coach put down to general indiscipline in what was essentially a club side. It will be interesting to see whether they have regained their focus, and the ability to throw accurate 8 second takeouts.

Chris Daw is blogging about life as a new BC resident, and managing the Vancouver CC, a post that will become even more challenging post-2010 when the club moves into the adjacent Olympic curling facility. You can read his blog HERE.

The Vancouver CC are hosting a Canada versus Japan exhibition game November 23 at 1 pm. That may be west coast supporters' last chance to see Team Canada play before the Paralympics.

Maple Ridge's Golden Ears CC featured Ken and Keris, two wheelchair users on their home page. reminding their membership that wheelchair curlers integrate well into the regular game. The club had scheduled a 2 on 2 event November 14-15 with Korea and also Canada's Armstrong and Neighbour expected to take part. It's not on their calendar, so contact the club for details.

Kelowna CC's planning for the 2010 Nationals is getting underway, headed by Gerry Austgarden and Donna Stuike. They'll be looking for plenty of volunteers. Contact the club if you'd like to help. The re-modeled and newly accessible club lounge and bar is spacious with lots of excellent viewing areas, so plan ahead for a March visit.

Vanoc's 2010 website showing wheelchair curling video

Vanoc are streaming a video titled "Wheelchair Curling with the Experts" as part of their campaign to familiarise the general public with the sports that will be part of the Vancouver Olympics and Paralympics. Members of the Team Canada squad that won he 2009 Worlds, talk about their sport. View the video HERE

Killin and Brown take GB National Pairs title at Braehead

Tom Killin and James Brown - 2009 National Pairs Champions

Photograph by Bob Cowan

Nineteen teams turned out for the 2009 Star Refrigeration Nationl Pairs Championship at Braehead, Scotland, this weekend. GB Paralympian Tom Killin partnered with James Brown to defeat Paralympic teammate Michael McCreadie and Russel Shanks 6-3 in the final. Full results are HERE and you can see lots of photos from the event at Bob Cowan's Skip Cottage Curling Blog.

In Pairs play you rely on your opposition to brace your chair during delivery. It's worth noting that although all the members of the GB Paralympic squad played, they each paired with a less experienced curler.