CurlBC has announced that the entry deadline for teams wishing to participate in the Provincial Championships has been extended to Monday December 13.
The event is scheduled to take place in Kimberley February 3-6, which unfortunately is about as far away from the main body of wheelchair curlers as is possible without holding the event in Alberta.
An entry fee of $240 and the availability of six Paralympians, may have made a long distance journey over mountainous winter roads less than appealing to curlers who may have attended an event more centrally located.
CurlBC were slow to move away from a selection system, but it has worked well for them, with both National finalists last year coming from BC. Championships are spread around the province for the very best of reasons, and the organisers in Kimberley were very proud to be chosen to host the event.
But at this stage of the sport's development, does it make sense to schedule an event so far from potential participants that there may not be enough teams to make hosting worthwhile? CurlBC have already been forced to abandon its region based participation criteria for wheelchair curling.
On a different note, it will be interesting to see whether the Vancouver medalists choose to participate, and if so, whether they follow the example of the Scots, who tend to spread their experience over different teams in the interests of encouraging participation.
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35 comments:
Too difficuklt and expensive to get there.......too bad
This decision shows why we should have a player rep. A tremendous host committee will be offended by a lack of interest. It is simply too costly to travel to Kimberley.
What are the line-ups for provincials? How many teams?
Is Chris Daw playing in Provincials?
I hear he is at the B.C. Camp this weekend.
Who would/will play with him?
Could Chris even get a team together in BC??????
Answer to the question and allot of other questions is:
Jim Armstrong and Darryl
I guess this puts a allot of questions to rest.
Maybe Chris is not so bad after all if they believe in him!
Who wants to play with Chris Daw , well only 2 of the best players in Canada!
Or is it who will Chris Daw play for?
Who is going to beat these guys?
Darryl and Jim give Chris his likely one and only shot at getting back into competitive play, and coincidentally turn the team into a potential powerhouse (if Chris can keep his head on straight). I hope Darryl will not be intimidated by Chris. I asume Chris will be playing third?
Who is the girl on the team?
Do rules allow for two existing and one former Team Canada member to play together?
Should the Nationals be left as developmental, rather than a re-establishment of how far above the rest of us exists Team Canada?
I truly believe that Team Canada should accept a best of five or seven games challenge of the National winner, and Team Canada should not play in Nationals.
Further to my last post, we have to make a decision about allowing Team Canada to even participate in Nationals.
Flip side, I guess, is that Chris D, as a newbie to BC may not have even had a chance to play, if Darryl and Jim had not picked him up, and that would have been a shame, for Chris and the Program.
What is your opinion on Team Canada in Nationals, Eric\?
And why do we not have a say in Team Canada's participation, Eric?
This HAS to be a real issue for the development of WC curling.
Chris will NOT be playing third.
Chris is playing second. Every needs to remember 1 thing. Th Chris you thought you knew is not the same guy. Talk to him and find out your selves. Not sure when it happen but a HUGE change has taken over him.
I think people need to drop what you think or thought you knew of Chris and look at him at face value now.
I would be happy to see Team Canada at the Nationals if a team that beat them for the title were allowed to compete as the next Team Canada.
This has been discussed exhaustively ever since the blog began. Those responsible for distributing the money that would allow Team Canada to compete at the Worlds, for example, will not allow a non-selected team to become Team Canada.
You don't have a say in that decision because changing policy would require political organisation and a lot of effort, beginning with each province establishing a player association, affiliating with their provincial association, and then banding together to form a national association.
That national association, if everyone were to agree on a policy, could change the system.
Though some wheelchair curlers have organised, the better and more plausible players are bought off by offers of participation in the present system. It will take a big slice of altruism, or a commendable lack of self-interest, for a player demonstrating the skills attractive to funders, to forsake the present system for an opportunity to change the structure of wheelchair curling.
Even without the objections of Own The Podium, the CCA as the Canadian body affiliated to the World Curling Federation, would have to agree to a non-selected wheelchair side representing Canada as they are presently and reluctantly forced to do with every other group. They say funding drives the decision, but also it's control.
Would wheelchair curlers be able to take it upon themselves to organise a "win to play" system? If posts here are any indication, there's a lot more interest in personalities than politics.
As Team Canada, and the finalists at last year's Nationals, all came from BC, it would be very possible for BC to field a team strong enough to win a national title, and qualify as Team Canada the way that able-bodied curlers do. But that only works if Alberta, say, or Manitoba or Ontario were allowed to become Team Canada were they to win.
I don't see that happening, though I am convinced for the overall health and development of the sport, it should. Shame on us Canadians if we allow the sport, with it's huge infrastructure, to shrivel to the 10 or 12 that are all that is needed if medals are all that matters.
So, in your opinion, Eric, the system is corrupt, and too integrated to international success, rather than developmental?
If so, what is wrong with a challenge? Would that not satisfy the naysayers of a select team?
I wouldn't call it corrupt; more ill-conceived. Hard to blame people for acting in their self-interest, though I believe the CCA thinks it is doing what is best for the sport; a not uncommon alignment of goals and self-interest.
The challenge idea fails for the same reasons as any non-selection idea: what if the 'wrong' team wins? How do you explain to your sponsors that their money was spent on a losing cause?
I think that the concept should be formally placed in front of the CCA. In a best of five, Team Canada has to be defeated three times, and that wouod be no one shot fluke. In a best of five, the BETTER team will prevail.
So, Eric:
Are you now agreeing that having the right team representing Team Canada is appropriate to retain funding?
Entries are now closed.....how many entries, and who? I fear that even last year's finalists may opt out due to cost of getting to Kimberley.
How many B.C. entries?
Question; DO you really think that anyone is going to be able to put up a good enough Challenge, really?
BC has most of the top players in Canada right now, Sonja, Ina, Darryl, Jim and most of the back up to that Austgarden, Cormack and now even DAW is back out there.
How can you bet that talent pool? Selction is the only way to break in. BC could form 2 very competetive teams to represent Canada all on there own. Teams with international experience and 8 out of the last 10 Paralympic Godl medal players.
Come on get real here folks, selection is the only way to break what is now a pwer house province.
Maybe the Men's Team Canada should be selected because Alberta is too strong? Ot Team Ontario should be selected because Glen Howard is too good?
The difference in the able-bodied game is that ANY of the top 20 teams would be favourites to win gold internationally, while this simply is not so in wheelchair curling
Will Chris Daw actually get a real look from Team Canada staff? B.C. will win Nationals, and it wouyld appear Chris will be a part of that team
I hope Chris's interest is simply to participate. He is doomed with Team Canada, in my opinion.
For sure, this will Chris's final shot, and good on Jim and Darryl for providing it.
I get we should be making as competitive teams as possible, to hopefully raise the bar for everyone, BUT Jim Darryl and Chris on one team????
No news on how many teams and who they are?
I've asked but haven't heard back yet.
Probably four or less...not an indicator of aything other than inconvenient location
Why bother with Armstrong there?
Just because Armstrong is there, is that any reason not to go? Why give it to him on a silver platter. Make him earn it. Should he win, are you going to say the same thing at the Nationals?
Reeality is that5 he WILL win provincials, and in all likelihood, WILL win Nationals.....pick someone more likely.
Hi All, Cor here
teams are (I beleive)
Jim,Darryl,Chris and Jac
Gary,Frank,Vince and Alison
Sonya,Bill,Sam and ?
I am not able to attend due to the cost for me to get there - over $700 to get there (I don't drive)from the Island. With no funding announced by Curl BC I could not committ.
I wish everyone the best and would love to have be there.
Cor
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