US Open Day 1

The US Open in Utica, NY, features three US based teams and four visiting Canadian club teams.

Team USA are searching for a replacement for Patrick McDonald, and expect to experiemnt with line-ups over the weekend. For the two Friday draws Goose Perez skipped USA 1 and his regular vice-skip Jim Pierce skipped USA 2.

They faced each other in the opening draw, and USA 2 got off to a promising start when they stole a point in the opening end, but lost 10-4.

Toronto beat Cape Cod 9 - 2. It was Cape Cod's first competitive game away from home ice. Ken Gregory's Bradford saw off the challenge of their province's champions, Bruce Cameron's Ottawa.

USA 1  *  0 1 1 0 4 0 1 3   10
USA 2      1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0    4

Quebec had a bye. Here are the line scores from the other morning games.

Toronto  *  1 4 0 0 2 1 1 X   9
Cape Cod   0 0 1 1 0 0 0 X   2

Bradford *  1 2 1 0 1 0 1 0   6
Ottawa       0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1   3


In the afternoon  USA 1 only managed a 5-5 tie with Bradford, while Ottawa with a steal of 2 in the second, closed out a 7-4 win over USA 2 with another pair in the final end.

Quebec opened their account by hammering Toronto with a 4 in the 1st end. They added 8 points in the final two ends for a 15-6 win.

Bradford  *  1 0 2 0 0 1 0 1    5
USA 1         0 1 0 1 2 0 1 0    5

Ottawa   *   1 2 0 1 0 1 0 2   7
USA 2          0 0 1 0 2 0 1 0   4

Quebec    *   4 0 3 0 0 3 5 X   15
Toronto         0 3 0 2 1 0 0 X    6

Ice conditions are reportedly good, with 4 feet of curl on a t-line draw.

Technical problems interfered with the live webcast Friday, but organisers hope that future games featuring USA 1 will be available HERE.

Esquimalt CC welcomes wheelchair curlers

Dave Graves and Ned Nedzelski

Esquimalt CC, on Bc's Vancouver Island, is making big efforts to open its doors to wheelchair users. They have a large ramp to get up to ice level and just this week have installed a large electrically operated sliding door to enter out onto the ice.

Last weekend they held their inaugural 2on2 stick bonspiel and wheelchair user Dave Graves, who curls out of Juan de Fuca but practices at Esquimalt regularly, paired up with Ned Nedzelski, finishing with a 2 and 2 record.

USA's Goose Perez takes a fair play message to school

[photo - Peter Crabtree]

Team USA's skip Augusto 'Goose' Perez to a very personal message of hard work and fair play to the Mount Anthony Union Middle School last Wednesday. He was invited to speak to students by teacher Brian Keller.


You can read what he told the students, what's happening in the photo and what is on the piece of paper he carries when he trains, by reading Daawson Raspuzzi's report in the Bennington Banner.

China and Russia qualify for 2011 Worlds

China and Russia qualified for the 2011 World Championships to be held next February in Prague, by emerging from two rounds of Page playoff games today.

Team China 3rd - Wei Liu
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

China had topped the table after round robin play, and faced Italy, who also had a 7-1 record, in the 1v2 game. It was quickly decided. Italy stole 1 in the first and then gave up a 7 in the 2nd, and could never recover, losing 10-4.

CHN - China	*	0	7	0	1	1	0	1	x	10
ITA - Italy		1	0	1	0	0	2	0	x	4

China therefore qualified, while Japan waited to play the winner of the 2v3 game for the second qualifying place.

Russia, who had lost their chance to play in the 1v2 game yesterday when they were beaten by Japan, faced japan again in the 3v4. This time they asserted themselves early, stealing a single in the 3rd and a big 4 in the fourth to lead 6-1 at the break. Though Japan came back with a 4 of their own, they were always struggling to catch up though Russia needed their skip's last rock draw for a single point with hammer, to seal the 9-6 win.

RUS - Russia	*	0	1	1	4	0	2	0	1	-	9
JPN - Japan		1	0	0	0	1	0	4	0	-	6

That set up a Russia. Italy match for the second qualifying place. They had met in the first round robin draw, a game that produced the highest points total of the tournament when Italy took two in the final end to win 11-10.

Italy's Edigio Marchese - who stepped up to replace absent skip Andrea Tabanelli
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

Today's game was much tighter. Russia started with hammer, took a single, then stole a point and added to their lead by scoring 2 for a 4-1 lead at the break. Italy scored the next three points, including steals of one in the 7th and 8th to force an extra, and were in with a chance with their last stone. Unfortunately for Italy, substitute skip Edigio Marchese's final rock was heavy, and Russia took two for a 6-4 win.

RUS - Russia	*	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	-	6
ITA - Italy		0	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	-	4

Team Russia

 [Photo: Linda Kirton]

Team Italy
Emanuale Spelorzi, Egidio Marchese, Gabriele Dallapiccola, Angela Menardi

 [Photo: Linda Kirton]

China and Russia join hosts Czech Republic, Canada, Sweden, Germany, USA, Scotland, Norway, and Korea at the 2011 World Wheelchair Curling Championships in Prague, February 21-March 3.

The 2011 Worlds will be the first opportunity for countries to register points towards qualification for the 2014 Paralympics in Russia. The top nine point scorers over the next three World Championships, will join hosts Russia in Sochi, 2014. This makes it additionally heartbreaking for Italy today, losing such a tight game to a country that does not need to qualify in 2014. Of course Russia, relative newcomers to the sport, will need all the top level competition it can gain if they hope to do well on home ice.

France, who attended the Qualifying tournament but were not allowed to compete because of a dispute between the French Curling Association and their governing body the French Federation of Ice Sports, nevertheless were able to play their games as friendlies.

Any country affiliated to the World Curling Federation was eligible to play in this Qualifying Tournament, so France did not take a place that would otherwise have gone to another country.

Worlds Qualifying - Day 5 - China top the table

Team China skip Haito Wang
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

China faced unbeaten Italy in the morning draw of the last day of round robin play at the 2010 Worlds Qualifying in Kohja, Finland, with the winner assured of a place in the Page-playoff top two.

China had their perfect record broken by great double take-out that earned Russia a 5-4 win yesterday. Today Italy had no answer to a relentless series of single point steals, China winning 7-1.

Japan's 3rd Yoji Nakajima and 2nd Aki Ogawa
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

In the other morning match with top spot implications, Russia began promisingly against Japan, stealing one in the first end and leading 8-6 after 6 ends. Japan outlasted them, however, taking 3 to go ahead, and sealing the 10-8 win with a final end steal. That meant Russia, who had a final round bye, would need help to claim a top spot.

Switzerland, who had to win both games to have a realistic hope of a tie-break entry to the playoffs, began the day with an 11-3 win over Latvia.

Denmark played Finland, stole 3 in the 1st and 2 in the 5th to go out to a 6-3 lead. The host side tied the game with a steal in the 7th, but Denmark steadied themselves to post their second win, taking 3 in the final end to win 9-6.

In the afternoon draw, China beat winless Latvia 12-1 to ensure they would finish top of the table. Russia, and Italy with just one loss, were assured playoff places, which left Japan and Switzerland fighting for the remaining playoff spot.

If Japan beat Finland they would claim it. if they lost and Switzerland beat Italy, Japan and Switzerland would play each other in a tie-break.

Japan started their match by giving up 4 in the 1st. They levelled the score at the break, but Finland, who'd had a disappointing tournament as far as results went, salvaged some pride by taking the last 6 points in a 10-4 win.

 Swiss 3rd Claudia Hüttenmoser
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

Switzerland, with everything to play for, faced Italy and though tied 2-2 at the break, faded to a 7-3 loss. “We feel a little bit sad because the game against Italy was our last chance,” said Swiss vice-skip Claudia Hüttenmoser. “They played better than us and that’s life."

This means the top two teams, China and Italy, will play for the first of two qualifying places. The loser of that match will then play the winner of Japan/Russia, for the second qualifying spot.

"But who wins the tournament? They play all week, and there isn't a final final?" someone asked. No, and that's why it's called a qualifying tournament and not a bonspiel.

Final table after 9 draws

China          7 - 1
Italy           7 - 1
Japan          5 - 3
Russia         6 - 2
Switzerland  4 - 4
Slovakia      3 - 5
Denmark     2 - 6
Finland       2 - 6
Latvia         0 - 8

Tommorrow noon local time

Game 1 - 1 vs 2 - China vs  Italy -  winner qualifies for 2011 Worlds
Game 2 - 3 vs 4 - Russia vs Japan

Tomorrow 4.30 local time

Loser Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2  -  winner qualifies for 2011 Worlds

Line scores from the games are available HERE. Click on date.

Hopefully at least one of the first round of playoff games will be on Sheet B so we can watch a webcast.

Worlds Qualifying - Day 4 - Italy still perfect after beating China

Team Italy
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

The top of the table teams continued to win in the morning draw at the Worlds Qualifying tournament in Lohja, Finland, but at the end of the day, only Italy (6-0) remained unbeaten. They have adjusted to the loss of their skip, Andreas Marchese, who had to return home before play began, and as the week has progressed, they have looked more and more comfortable.

Italy's Emanuale Spelorzi, braced by Gabriel Dallapiccola, watched by lead Angela Menardi
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

Team Russia
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

Russia arrived 10 days early and their pre-tournament training seems to have paid off. They saw off winless Latvia 8-3 in the morning. Denmark fought to the end of their 7-10 loss against Japan, but a steal of two in the 8th was not nearly enough to overcome Japan's steal of 5 in the 2nd.

 Japan's  Ayako Saito and Aki Ogawa. Japan is 1 of 4 teams with 2 females
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

China posted a 4 and a 5 on their way to a 12-5 win against probably the most experienced skip on the ice, Switzerland's Manfred Bollinger.

Swiss skip Manfred Bollinger bracing his lead during warm-ups
[Photo: Linda Kirton]

Slovakia is appearing for just the second time at a world level event.  In 2008 they lost all their games, but this morning they posted their second win, 8-7 after stealing a point in the last end against hosts Finland.

The marquee match-up in the afternoon draw was Russia with one loss against previously unbeaten China. China had the hammer and took one in the first and added a stolen single in the second. Russia pulled level with 2 in the 3rd  fell behind by one in the 4th and pulled ahead with 2 in the fifth.

The 6th end saw a rare blank, but China could only claim a single point to level the scores after 7. Russia won the match, and second place in the standings, with a double takeout to win 5-4 to the cheers of a large group of Russian spectators.

Italy, who had a bye in the morning, buried Finland 11-1 in 7. Japan kept their playoff hopes alive by beating Slovakia 7-5, though the Slovaks gave them a scare by stealing the first two ends.

Denmark finally posted a win, 9-6, outlasting Latvia by stealing 3 in an extra end.

Italy and Russia are guaranteed a playoff spot and China could still take first place. Japan and Switzerland are also still in contention for the playoffs.

On current form, Japan and China both look to win at least one game tomorrow, which will force Switzerland to win both and beat Italy in the final draw to have a chance of playing on Friday.

Standings after Draw 7

Italy           6 - 0
Russia        6 - 1

China         5 - 1
Japan         4 - 2

Switzerland 3 - 3
Slovakia      2 - 5
Denmark     1 - 5

Finland       1 - 5
Latvia         0 - 6
.

Some random notes: teams are drawing to the button for hammer, and all but Denmark have missed the rings, thus reverting to a toss. Today Latvia came within 3.2 cm, and Finland threw within 2 cm of the pin.

It has been snowing and outside temperatures are around freezing. Apparently it's not a pleasant walk from the arena to the dining hall.

Finnish lead Sari Karjalainen dressed for the cold
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

No one is complaining about the ice, which has maintained decent speed and curl.

 

Chief time-keeper Daryl Kirton (Canada) with a volunteer.
[photo Linda Kirton]

There haven't been any time clock penalties, though Russia has had time expire before their final rock has stopped, and Switzerland has run the clock down to less than 10 seconds. The clock operators and on-ice player assistants are from the facility's teaching program. They are training to be Sports Leaders, are young, enthusiastic, very cooperative and quick learners.

Thursday's games begin 9am local time. A live webcast from Sheet B can be seen HERE

Line scores from the games are available HERE. Click on date.

2 on 2 stick tournament at Maple Ridge November 13-14

A 2 on 2 stick curling tournament will be held at the Golden Ears CC in Maple Ridge BC this weekend November 13-14.

Wheelchair and able-bodied teams will compete together. Darryl Neighbour is scheduled to compete again with his Team Canada skip Jim Armstrong in what would be Jim's first appearance since his legal problems became public.

2010 Rolli Trophy takes place in Bern Nov. 13-14

Jens Jäger, no longer skip of the German national team, will nevertheless be competing with his Mainhattan Ice Rollers for the 2010 Rolli Trophy in Bern, Switzerland, this weekend.

He will face teams from Wetzikon, Basel, Lausanne, and Bern.

Six teams competing in the Prague Open November 12-14

Four international teams are traveling to the Czech Republic this weekend for the 2010 Prague Open, November 12-14.

Norway's coach Thoralf Hognestad is introducing a new front end to international competition. Tone Edvartsen will play lead and Terje Rafdal will play 2nd. Long time skip Rune Lorentsen and Jostein Stordahl round out the team.

Team Germany, having displaced Paralympic skip Jens Jäger, will be skipped by Marcus Sieger, who will continue to play 3rd stones, while Jens Gabel throws last. Stefan Deuschl plays lead and Christiane Steger plays 2nd.

Paolo Ioriatti skips an Italian squad with a female, Gabriele Dallapiccola, at 3rd. Poland last appeared in a World event in the 2008  Qualifiers, but none of that team are playing in Prague. Of the four playing now, Eugeniusz Błaszczak played for Poland in 2006 joined by Maciej Karaś in 2007.

The Czechs field two teams in preparation for deciding their squad as hosts of the 2011 Worlds next February.

Teams line-ups can be seen HERE

Seven team field for 5th Annual US Open in Utica Nov. 12-14

Seven teams have signed on for this year's US Open, held for the 5th time in Utica NY from November 12-14. The format is a full 6 game round robin.

Team USA is fielding two teams and will be searching for a replacement for Patrick McDonald, out for the season after shoulder surgery. Cape Cod CC is sending a team, and four Canadian teams round out the field: Team Lessard (Quebec), Team Bradford skipped by Ken Gregory, Team Toronto and Team Cameron (Ottawa).

There will be a live webcast of all Team USA 1's games, who open against Team USA 2 at 9.30 Friday morning. The final draw is 12.45pm Sunday.

The draw schedule is HERE

Wheelchair bonspiel in Calgary this weekend Nov. 12-14

Calgary's Team Alberta is hosting a bonspiel on their home ice at the Ogden Legion CC. Team Smart will face Team Keith, also from Calgary, and Team Alberg from Manitoba and Team Bender from Saskatchewan.

It will be a double round robin, beginning noon on Friday November 12, with the final beginning 10am on Sunday.

Fredericton CC "coming on fast."

Fredericton CC President/Manager Ed Haggerty writes to say that his club is "coming on  fast" in its plans to develop wheelchair curling in New Brunswick. It is the only wheelchair accessible curling facility in the province and is holding a wheelchair bonspiel the last weekend in January (28-30).

The club, founded in 1854, was somewhat unceremoniously ejected from its location at the Fredericton Golf (and previously Curling) Club in 2007, but has relocated in the Coliseum on the historic Fredericton Exhibition Grounds.

The move has allowed wheelchair access, and this year the club ran a clinic for wheelchair users and prospective coaches, attracting 26 potential recruits and 18 possible coaches. There are currently a core of five regular wheelchair users who come to the club once a week.

The club is actively looking for curlers, and with the Nationals looking for a tenth provincial team, prospects are excellent if you live in New Brunswick.

Worlds Qualifying - Day 3 - Italy and China unbeaten

China skip Haitao Wang
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

Experience is beginning to tell at the midway point of Worlds Qualifying in Lohja, Finland. Italy (5-0) "seem invincible" according to one experienced observer, and stand in skip Edigio Marchese is doing an excellent job guiding the team. This morning's 6-4 win over Japan featured a steal of 2 in the final end of what had been a very tight contest.

Several teams have been running their time clocks dangerously close to zero. Japan had only 6 minutes left for their final end against Italy, and even though skip Katsuo had 3 minuets to deliver his final stones, he did not look comfortable. He had to make full 8 foot with his last rock to beat Italy, but his stone overcurled, or perhaps he was tight to the broom.

Italy faced an easier challenge against winless Latvia (0-4) in the afternoon, winning 9-3 after leading 7-0 at the break.

Japan (2-2) recovered from their morning loss to take an important win over Switzerland (3-2), a team that will challenge them for a playoff place. Again steals in ends 3 and 4 were the difference in a 6-3 win.

Switzerland, with hammer, had earlier spotted Slovakia (1-4) to a 3-0 start, but ended comfortable winners 9-3.

Unbeaten China (4-0) had a comfortable 9-2 win over hosts Finland in the morning draw, but were almost shocked by Slovakia in the afternoon, giving up a 5 in the 4th and falling behind 8-2. They then regrouped, taking 2 with hammer in the 6th, and stealing 3 in the 7th to pull within one. Another steal of 3 in the eighth gave them a 10-8 win.

Slovakian skip Radoslav Duriš had a chance with his first stone of the final end, to throw a guard which would have made it very difficult for China to remove it to score. Unluckily for Slovakia, the attempted guard was hogged. Slovakia still had a chance with their final stone - an open hit, or draw to China's shot stone would have kept their lead intact, but Radoslav was a little inside on his release, his stone over-curled, and China completed a dramatic come back.

Slovakia is one of three teams on 4 losses, which I'm sure Vic Rauter would agree in an eight game tournament will be too many to contend.

Finland (1-3) had beaten Russia three times in three attempts in pre-tournament friendly matches, so were especially disappointed to lose 10-7 to their neighbours. Finland took 4 in the 7th to go ahead 7-6, but then gave up 4 for the loss.

The morning's excellent quality webcast (with commentary) saw Russia play Denmark. The Danes ("we're red. we're white. we're dynamite") have an experienced coach (Per Christensen, who coached Norway at the Vancouver Paralympics) yet they are the only team using what must surely by now be the discredited near t-line delivery zone Great Britain/Scotland adopted.

The additional distance meant their lead found it hard to reach the rings, the front even with hammer became cluttered, and Denmark looked every bit an 0-4 team. In what became an all too typical situation, in the 2nd end Danish skip Kenneth Ørbaek had few good options, facing 4 with his last rock. He could have tried a runback of his own stone near the house and centre line, which had he hit it would have at least cut down on the damage. He chose a wide come-around that went through the house.

Webcast times don't work very well for those of us in the Pacific time zone, but anyone watching who cares to send in a report is very welcome.

It had snowed and froze before Day 2 and despite conscientious wheel cleaning efforts, the occasional rock would hit a piece of the gravel from the paths outside; just one of the worries for ice-makers Jorgen Larsen and local assistant Mika Ollikainen.

Standings after Draw 5

Italy           5 - 0
China         4 - 0
Russia        4 - 1
Switzerland 3 - 2
Japan         2 - 2
Finland       1 - 3
Slovakia      1 - 4
Denmark     0 - 4
Latvia         0 - 4

Line scores from the games are available HERE. Click on date.

A live webcast from Sheet B can be seen HERE

Jaqui Kapinowski, Team USA lead, is 3rd in NY marathon

 [photo - TOM SPADER - APP.com]

Team USA lead Jaqui Kapinowski finished 3rd fastest of the women competing in the hand-cycle division of the NY City Marathon yesterday, finishing the 26+ mile course in 2.14.04.

You can read a feature article about Jaqui HERE

Jaqui also has her own website.

Worlds Qualifying - Day 2

Team Italy's Edigio Marchese has led his team to a 3-0 start
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

Hosts Finland, who had a bye in the opening draw when France were unable to compete, faced Switzerland in Draw 2 of Worlds Qualifying. They gave up a steal of 2 in the 1st then exchanged 2's for Swiss 3's, losing 9-6.

Russia opened with 4 stolen points against Slovakia, then saw their lead disappear into a two point deficit as Slovakia stole singles in four consecutive ends. Russia took 2 in the 8th and stole a 7-6 win with a single in an extra end.

Denmark posted their second loss despite steals in the first 3 ends against Italy, who recovered from 5-3 down after 6, by stealing a 6-5 win.

Japan had a comfortable 10-3 win over Latvia and China had a bye.

In the afternoon session hosts Finland, despite spotting Latvia to a 5 point lead, all on steals, stole the last four ends to win 7-5. Latvia looked as though they would pull out a win down one in the 8th, with a spectacular double raise. But Finnish skip Tuomo Aarnikka managed a freeze with his final stone and Aleksandrs Dimbovkis' last rock draw went two centimeters too far to force an extra end.

Italy continued their perfect start with a win over Slovakia, 8-5. Behind by three after two ends, they drew level on two impressive last stones by stand-in skip Edigio Marchese in the 3rd, and earned their win without the hammer.

Team Russia - Andrey Smirnov
[Photo: Finnish Curling Association/Katja Kiiskinen]

Russia found themselves down one without hammer after 7 ends against favoured Switzerland, but with a steal of one in the 8th and another in the extra, posted a 9-8 win.

China had a comfortable 10-2 win over Denmark. Japan, scheduled to play France, had a bye. The French team, though disappointed not to be playing, have remained in Lohja and are enjoying the experience of watching international level wheelchair curling.

Denmark's Jorgen Larsen is the ice-maker, and ice on the second day, with the arena slightly less cold, was a little quicker and still with plenty of curl. Teams appear happy with the ice conditions.

Table after 3 draws

Italy           3 - 0
China         2 - 0
Russia        2 - 1
Switzerland 2 - 1
Finland       1 - 1
Japan         1 - 1
Slovakia      1 - 2
Denmark     0 - 3
Latvia         0 - 3

Full results can be found HERE. Click on the date to see line scores.

Worlds Qualifying underway in Finland - France withdraws

Ten teams hoped to compete in the Worlds Qualifying tournament in Lohja, Finland, for the final two places at the 2011 Worlds in Prague next February. However, a surprise ruling by the French Federation for Ice Sports (FFSG) meant that France has withdrawn, and their game against hosts Finland was declared void.

France were apparently caught  in a legal dispute between the French Curling Association and the FFSG and were unable to produce the required "permission to compete" form prior to the tournament starting, and therefore had to withdraw.

Those allowed to play include three teams (Japan, Italy and Switzerland) who competed at Vancouver Paralympics, plus China who were at the last Worlds, Vancouver 2009.

Italy lost their experienced skip, Andrea Tabanelli, who had to return to Italy today. Edigio Marchese moved up to skip and alternate Emanuale Spelorzi played 2nd. Despite the rearrangement, Italy took 2 in the final end to overcome Russia in a slugfest that saw 3's scored in 6 of the 8 ends. Marat Romanov is skipping and throwing 3rd stones for Russia in a change from the website listing.

Japan had won a warm-up tournament at Wetzikon (SUI) but started cold against China who raced out to a 5-1 lead after 3, with steals of two in the 2nd and the 3rd ends. Japan came back wth three in the 4th, but never quite caught up; their two in the final end leaving them on the short end of a 7-6 result. Japan's skip at the Paralympics, Yoji Nakajima, had been registered as alternate, but played 3rd.

Denmark attempted to steal their way back into the match against Switzerland but failed to overcome the  5 points stolen by the Swiss, losing 9-6. The Danes were the only team throwing from the rings rather than the hogline, as Scotland throw under Coach Pendreigh. Denmark's coach is Per Christensen who was in charge of Team Norway last season.

Slovakia registered their first World level win, breaking Latvia's promising start by taking 5 in the fifth and then stealing their way home to an 11-3 victory.

Ice conditions for the only draw of the day were consistent and swingy, but heavy. Hog to hog draw times were 12.5 seconds, and the ice makers hope to quicken the ice for subsequent draws. Heavy ice meant that most of the front end play across the sheets was in front of the house.

The better teams at the Paralympics were calling for front stones into the rings, so we'll see whether quicker ice or changed tactics make a difference as the week continues.

Line scores from the games are available HERE.

A live webcast from Sheet B can be seen HERE

Who's going to qualify in Lohja, Finland?

Several people have added their honed judgements/wild guesses to the comments at the bottom of the World Wheelchair Qualifying Tournament post.

Add yours, and if you include your name you can bask in glory when you're proven right. 

Here's links to the last Qualifying tournament, Prague 2008, the 2009 Worlds, and the 2010 Paralympics.

2008 was the year Germany qualified and went on to win a bronze medal at the 2009 Worlds after leading the round robin all week.

It was also the year China emerged on the world stage. They performed creditably at the 2009 Worlds, tying for 5th in the round robin, and 8th post-tie break. That's normally good enough to return at the following championship, but with 2011 host Czech Republic taking a slot, the bottom three teams rather than the bottom two at the 2009 Worlds had to re-qualify.

Tom Killin and James Brown repeat win at GB National Pairs

Tom Killin and James Brown
(photo of 2009 victory courtesy of Bob Cowan)

The Star Refrigeration National Pairs Championship took place in Braehead, Sctland, last weekend. Twenty-three teams entered and played in four groups.

Games were five ends, each player throwing just three stones per end. Top finishers in their groups played a "high road" semi-final and final, while those finishing second played a "low road" semi-final and final.

2009 champions Tom Killin and James Brown faced Aileen Neilsen and Alison Cloudesley for the trophy, and despite giving up 4 in the 3rd, won with a steal in the 5th and another in the extra end 6th for a 5-4 victory.

In the consolation bracket Mike Mckenzie and Steve Sutherland beat Ian Donaldson and Brian Douglas 7-2, stealing the last three ends.

There is lots of information on the RCCC website with draws and scores, but not who played with the skips - needlessly thrifty, I'd say.

Saskatchewan's Marie Wright named CCA female athlete of the week

Marie Wright has been named the CCA Female Athlete of the Week. She curls out of the Hillcrest Curling Club in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and has represented her province at the last two national championships.

You can read about her life on and off the ice HERE

Worlds Qualifying begins Nov. 7 - top two to Prague in 2011

Hosts Team Finland
photo - Kisakallio

The World Wheelchair Curling Qualifying Tournament begins Sunday November 7th at the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja, Finland. Ten teams will compete: China, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia and Switzerland.

They will play a full round robin, the top four teams entering a Page playoff on Friday November 12. The top two finishers join the top eight from the 2009 World Championships, and will compete in at the Worlds in Prague, February 21-March 3, 2011 for Sochi Paralympics qualifying points.

Italy and Japan both played at the Vancouver Paralympics, on the basis of prior World Championship performances. Andrea Tabanelli's Italy (5-5) placed 5th in Vancouver but though they also tied for 5th at the 2009 Worlds, they lost out after a series of multiple tie-break games, falling to 9th and thus forced to requalify. They bring their Vancouver team to Finland.

Japan were the hard luck team of the 2008 Worlds, when they were relegated by a couple of centimetres on a pre-event draw to the button tie-breaker. The unfairness of their fate led to a tie-break rule change. This year's Qualifying will be Japan's second attempt to regain their status as a World Championship team.

Japan's skip in Vancouver, Yogi Nakajima is listed as alternate for Finland, with his 3rd Katsuo Ichikawa, moving up to skip. Takashi Hidai, at 75 the oldest Paralympian, did not make the trip. Japan is the only team slated to start two women, copying Canada's all-female front end.

Switzerland's very experienced skip, Manfred Bollinger, will have a new 2nd, Hieronymus Liechtenham. Daniel Meyer replaces Anton Kehrli at lead. Four teams list two female members (SLO, RUS, JAP, FIN). Denmark and France travel with just four person teams.

China bring in a new female at 2nd, Guanqin Xu, the only change from the team that befuddled Canada during round robin play at the 2009 Worlds.

Denmark welcome back Per Christensen as coach. Per was in charge of Norway at the Vancouver Paralympics, but moved back to his home team when coach Thoralf Hognestad returned to his old job.

Russia arrived in Lohja at the end of October and have been practicing with their neighbour and host Finland. They are hoping to regain World Championship status after being relegated with Japan at the 2008 Worlds, though coach Vladimir Shevchenko told the WCF media he "believes that the level in this year's tournament will be extremely high and making it to the top two will be very challenging."

Finland began wheelchair curling in 2007 and have never made it to a Worlds, though they did have an upset win over Team Canada in Prague last November.

France, Latvia and Slovakia round out the field.

Tournament organizers plan live webcast coverage of games on Sheet B. The first game on Sheet B is China vs. Japan, starting 4pm local time on Sunday November 7.

The draw and game schedule can be found HERE and other event information can be found HERE.

Team Finland's photo was taken on the railway square in the center of Helsinki, where there is outdoor ice every winter for skating, with one sheet of curling ice at the side.

You can see results from all major championships from 2006 by using the links on the events page at wheelchaircurling.com

It's a family affair at the Lennoxville CC

Coach Dan Janidlo, who worked with Al Whittier to establish Quebec's first wheelchair curling program at the Lennoxville CC, has now moved to Montreal.  That has not stopped his involvement at Lennoxville, however as he and two wheelchair users and their wives will be taking the two hour drive to attend Sunday practices.

He says: "In addition to an open invitation to all in wheelchairs who would like to try curling we are also inviting families who would like to try curling to come to the curling club."

A schedule of this season's practices is HERE and he asks that anyone interested call any of the people at the bottom of the sheet to ensure sufficient resources are available.

Team Canada news

Team Canada members will get together the weekend of November 19-21 in Richmond BC for the first time as a group since their triumph at the Vancouver Paralympics. Chris Sobkowicz and Gerry Austgarden have also been invited to attend the training camp.

While there is inevitable speculation about the eventual status of Jim Armstrong  given his legal predicament, the CCA's chief executive officer Greg Stremlaw confirmed with me today that Jim remains a member of Team Canada and eligible for selection to the national side.


"I can relay that the process related to Jim Armstrong and our review with multiple stakeholders is on-going," Stremlaw told me via email.

"If and when there is information which is to be shared with the public about this review, we will advise in a timely fashion.

"That said, I do not expect any developments in the next few days (so) therefore there is no change until such time as these procedures, as a minimum, have been taken."

Stakeholders in this context include Sport Canada, who fund the carding system, and Own The Podium who contribute money to the national program.

Jim has been taking the occasional practice at the Richmond CC, and is expected to partner with teammate Darryl Neighbour at the 3rd Annual Stick (2on2) Bonspiel at the Golden Ears CC in Maple Ridge BC November 13-14.

Speaking of Darryl, he joined coach Wendy Morgan in Winnipeg this past weekend for the second of Team Canada's nationwide tour of talent identification and development camps. Team Sobkowicz and Team Thiessen were joined by Northern Ontario champs Team Ficek for the weekend tryouts.

Katsuo Ichikawa's Team Japan wins Wetzikon (SUI) International

Finalists Japan and Mainhattan Ice Wheelers
Mainhattan (red) Heike Melchior, Frank Tampe, Martin Schlitt, Jens Jäger (Skip)
Japan (white) Ayako Saito, Yogi Nakajima, Kazuyuki Mochiki, Awi Ogawa, Katsuo Ichikawa

Twelve teams competed at the 3rd Annual Wetzikon International this weekend in what for Japan, Switzerland, France and Italy was a warm-up for the World Qualifying Tournament in Lohja, Finland from November 7-12, 2010.

Deposed Team Germany skip Jens Jäger, who brought two 'Mainhattan Ice Wheelers' teams to Switzerland, was top of Group A, and faced Group B winners Team Japan skipped by Katsuo Ichikawa, in the final, losing 8 - 1.

The Zurich Caledonian Pipe Band led by Ruedi Attinger played at the closing ceremonies, rounding off a very successful tournament that will be repeated October 29-30, 2011.

The full scoreboard and teams members can be found HERE

Final Ranking - Team and skip

1.     JWCA Japan / Katsuo Ichikawa
2.     M. Ice Wheelers 1 / Jens Jäger
3.     Team Italia / Andrea Tabanelli
4.     Team Wetzikon 1 / Ivo Hasler
5.     Limmattal / Max Brunner
6.     Team Swiss / Manfred Bolliger
7.     RC Beider Basel 1 / Fredy Borner
8.     roll'in stones Strasbourg (Team France) / Andre Jouvent
9.     GS Periscopio / Paolo Ioriatti
10.     M. Ice Wheelers 2 / Caren Totzauer
11.     SPORT DI PIU / Nicola Gaeta
12.     CC Lausanne Olymp /Didier Recordon

Full house for 6th Annual Cathy Kerr Memorial Bonspiel

A full slate of 10 competitive and at least 5 recreational teams will be appearing for the 6th Annual Cathy Kerr Memorial Bonspiel at the RA Curling Club in Ottawa, November 19-21, making it the largest wheelchair curling competition in the world.


They are competing for $1,400 prize money. The competitive teams, playing in two divisions of five and guaranteed six games are: USA 1 and 2, plus teams from Newfoundland, Quebec and Manitoba, and the five Ontario teams that competed for their provincial championship last season - Cameron, Fraser, Rees, Bradford and Ilderton.

Dennis Thiessen, long-time 3rd to Chris Sobkowicz, is skipping his own Manitoba team. Jim Primavera joins Team Bradford, replacing Katie Paialunga who is taking a sabbatical from full time competitive curling.  Jim was one of the group of Ontarians chosen to form the original Canadian national team, and has returned from a three year retirement to play with Ken Gregory.

For Team Bradford, Debra Karbashewski replaces coach Dennis Moulding, and will share duties with Carl Rennick.

Team Fraser has lost the services of Deb Shestalo this year due to medical issues. She has been replaced by Stephan Tom as the alternate.

At least 5 teams are expected to play in the recreational division. Former Team Quebec coach Al Whittier is bringing a team from his Lennoxville club, with other teams made up from members of the Capital Wheelchair Curling Club.

Double gold medalist Sonja Gaudet to host demo in PEI

Sonja Gaudet, Canada's double gold medalist, will be traveling across the country to host a demonstration and instruction session at the Silver Fox CC in Summerside PEI.

The session will be held on Sunday November 21, from 1.30 to 4.30. Wheelchair users, potential coaches and helpers, family and friends are all welcome. Contact Gayle Johnston at 902-368-1071 for more information. You can download the event poster HERE.

Rainey and Douglas win S. Lanarkshire Pairs

Gordon Rainey and Brian Douglas with sponsor John Bell
[photo courtesy of Paul Webster]

Gordon Rainey and Brian Douglas won the inaugural South Lanarkshire Wheelchair Curling Pairs competition, sponsored by Bell's Meat Pies. John Bell was on hand to present to present the trophy in what is hoped will become an annual fixture.

The event was reported by Bob Cowan who reminds me that the Star Refrigeration National Pairs Championship takes place this weekend, October 29-31, at Braehead. Twenty-one teams are taking part, playing in four sections. The teams and the draw are here. Play begins on Friday at 5.30 pm.

The top team from each section qualifies for the high road semifinals at 12.45 pm on Sunday, with the final of the national championship scheduled for 2.30 pm. Second placed teams in each section play in a low road.

WCF drops "wheelchair users only" eligibility criterion

At the World Curling Association's meeting in Cortina at the end of last season, a detailed document was presented covering classification rules for wheelchair curling. One of the deficiences it addressed was the absence of any procedure to appeal a decision by an authorised classifier to grant or refuse eligibility.

The document was referred back for further study and became official WCF policy in June.

A major change was to redefine wheelchair curling from a sport just for participants requiring a wheelchair for their daily mobility, to one that includes people with significant demonstrable impairments in leg/gait function - whether or not they use a wheelchair in their day to day lives.

This is a big step towards making the sport available to anyone unable to curl without a wheelchair.

Curlers currently classified as eligible under the old rules will not have to reclassify and there can be no appeal of a classification 24 hours after an athlete has appeared in a WCF sanctioned event. There are detailed procedures for appeals by athletes declared ineligible to play.

You can read the Classification Rules For Wheelchair Curling here.

Should wheelchair curling remain a sport reserved for full-time wheelchair users? Or should it be a sport for those unable to curl without a wheelchair? Add your opinion to the comments.

Team Cameron get their banner

2010 Ontario Provincial Champions Team Cameron
Bruce Cameron, Doug Morris, Wilfred Oliver (back), Jamie Eddy, Christine Lavallee, Andre Beaudin

Ian McGillis from the Ontario Curling Association presented Team Cameron with their provincial banner earlier this month. 

Armstrong plea agreements

Last Thursday Jim Armstrong and his son Gregory signed agreements with the United States Attorney stating that they would plead guilty to distribution of fake Viagra and Cialis with intent to mislead or defraud.

Their separate Plea Agreements can be viewed HERE. They are publicly filed and are a matter of public record.

Each agreement is part of a "package plea agreement." This means that if either person withdraws their guilty plea, the "United States will withdraw from both Plea Agreements and will seek an indictment against both parties for all such crimes for which the United States has sufficient evidence."

The agreements detail what Jim and Gregory have admitted doing, the range of penalties, and the possible immigration implications, among other things.

They also state that Jim and Gregory each "entered into this Plea Agreement freely and voluntarily and that no threats or promises. other than the promises contained in the Plea Agreement, were made to induce (them) to enter this plea of guilty."

News report suggests reason behind Armstrong's guilty plea

A report in today's Richmond News suggests that Jim Armstrong pled guilty to charges of distributing fake erectile dysfunction pills with intent to mislead or defraud, because it was a condition of his son Gregory receiving a plea agreement.

Reporter Alan Campbell writes: When contacted this week by the News, Armstrong declined to comment on the guilty plea until after the sentence is passed down in January.

Armstrong did indicate, however, that the U.S. prosecutor’s offer to reduce the charges against his son, Gregory, was conditional on Jim also pleading guilty.

This fits with an opinion expressed to me by Gerry Peckham that Jim "was put in an impossible situation and virtually had no choice."

The Canadian Curling Association’s chief executive officer, Greg Stremlaw, is quoted by the News as saying he was aware that Armstrong’s plea was struck in terms of his son’s charges.

“All of our athletes have a code of conduct and we’ll have to determine if (the guilty plea) impacts the codes of conduct in terms of the national team program."  

You can read the story HERE

The two separate plea agreements dropped references to trafficking and recommended punishments at the low end of sentencing guidelines in return for guilty pleas and giving up the right to a trial. They are not binding on Judge Martinez, who will issue sentences on January 28th, 2011.

See earlier post and comments from October 21st.

Shotmaking skill is the focus in Scotland and Canada

Michael McCreadie, though taking a break from international competition, remains very much involved in the sport. His latest project is a recently announced Shotmaker Competition, organized through the Scottish Wheelchair Curling Association.

The competition asks curlers to complete a series of drills at different locations, the highest scores to be submitted to the SWCA and a prize awarded for the player with the best cumulative score when adding their best result from each of three venues.

"The idea is to have a fun competition that raises awareness of shot-making that I think will carry over into regular play. If people practice specific shots their skills will improve, and so will their performance in games," Michael assured me.

"At the end of the season, not only will there be a winner, but the twelve best performances will earn an invitation to a Shotmaker event in Kinross."

The competition begins in November. You can read full details of the drills and the thinking behind the competition by downloading the aims, objectives and tests. You can register an interest in entering by filling out this form. 

Though ambitious curlers will already throw a range of specific shots during practice, charted drills allow coaches to gauge progress and compare athlete performances. That is a large part of the thinking behind the Team Canada booklet just released by coach Wendy Morgan to assist in the talent identification and player development program that will be taking place in venues across Canada this season.

Athletes who think of themselves as national program candidates, will have the opportunity to display their skills by performing a series of drills described in the booklet.

I can see the utility of scored drills in bringing someone who might otherwise be overlooked, to the attention of coaches. And I concede to Michael that anything that encourages structured practice has to be a good thing, if you practice as you play, as I have warned previously. (3rd paragraph)

But I remain sceptical about how useful drill totals are in judging potential game performance. For one thing, players on a four person team have lengthy waits between pairs of throws.

Every coach I have spoken to say their players have an inflated opinion of how accurate they can be in competition. High practice percentages are rarely seen in game situations.

Yes, practice will improve performance and drills can offer a framework that can make practice more disciplined and more efficient. In the context of Michael's shotmaker competiton it can also be more fun.

But I would not weight the on-ice performance element of my team selection on drill scores. I'd want to know how curlers can throw under pressure; perhaps by choosing, unannounced, single shots from a game where the curler is told just before they throw that this shot will become part of their record.

If all shots are charted, no shot is special and if all shots matter, then none matter. Matches are not like that.

Perhaps you'd like to share in the 'comments' how you practice, and what records you keep, and how you can tell whether you are improving as a player.

Team Canada honoured at CPC Gala

Sonja Gaudet, with CPC Board member Josh Vander Vies and Greg Sremlaw

Canadian Paralympic Committee yesterday honoured the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Team with the Best Team Award for winning Canada's second consecutive gold medal in the sport.

"These athletes made the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games a significant moment in Canadian sport history and reaffirmed to the world that Team Canada is a strong competitor," said Henry Storgaard, Chief Executive Officer for the CPC. "I am so pleased we could honour them here today and give them the recognition they deserve for their incredible accomplishments. By their excellence, they have raised the profile of the Paralympic Movement and have inspired a whole nation."

This is the first time CPC has developed its own awards to recognize the athletes at the national level. Sonja Gaudet attended the ceremony and accepted the award on behalf of the team from the CCA's  Chief Executive Officer, Greg Stremlaw.

2011 Women of Curling - glamour with a purpose

2011 Cover girl Jill Officer

The 2011 Women Of Curling calendar is now on sale with proceeds going to support spinal cord research. The campaign also hopes to raise public awareness of wheelchair curling.

Here, courtesy of The Curling News, are the  2011 Women of Curling:

December 2010: Colleen Jones  NS
January 2011: Ashley Miharija  ON
February: Cheryl Bernard  AB
March: Chelsea Carey  MB
April: Jill Officer  MB
May: Kari MacLean  ON
June: Sarah Wark  BC
July: Andrea Leganchuk  ON
August: Trica Affleck  PEI
September: Sabrina Shibley  ON
October: Kristy Jenion  MB
November: Teri Lake  NS
December: Darah Provencal  BC

News from Japan

Team Japan - Photo - Mika Yamaguchi

Wheelchair curling reporter and supporter Yayoi Mashimo tells me that wheelchair curling associations in Asia are organizing a regional competition at the end of this month. The spiel will be in Harbin, China, one of only two Chinese cities with curling ice. Teams from China, Korea, and Japan will participate.

Next month the Japanese national team, from the Shinshu Chair Curling Club, will compete in the World Wheelchair Curling Qualification competition in Lohja, Finland from November 7-12.

Reports and photos from last year's Japanese National Championships can be seen HERE.

Photos of Team Japan taken at the Vancouver Paralympics by Yayoi's friend Mika Yamaguchi, who sadly lost her battle against cancer this August, can be seen HERE.

Saskatchewan selection and national development camp

Deadline for applications to attend Provincial Team Selection Camp is November 12th, 2010. Saskatchewan Curling Association 306-780-9202 or 1-877-722-2875.

Five curlers will be chosen to represent Saskatchewan at the National Wheelchair Curling Championship March 20 to 27, 2011 in Edmonton, AB.

A CCA Talent ID/Development Camp will take place at the same time.

Date:             November 27, 2010
Location:        Regina – Callie Curling Club
Times:           10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Registration Fee:    $30.00 (lunch & supper provided)

Athletes coming to the camp will be provided development sessions and evaluated on the following:

-    Delivery Technical Skills and Shot Making Ability
-    Game Strategy & Tactics
-    Ability to work in a team environment

Full information is available HERE

Nine attend inaugural national talent identification camp

The first in what is planned as a nationwide series of talent identification and development camps is taking place in Calgary, Alberta, this weekend. Team Smart, the 2010 provincial champions, and 4 curlers from Edmonton are taking part.

The camps are an attempt by the CCA to reach out across Canada to ensure that every talented curler has the opportunity to make themselves known to those in charge of the national team.

As part of that effort, national coach Wendy Morgan has put together a booklet outlining "National Wheelchair Program Expectations" that includes an extensive variety of drills.

The drills come with a proviso that there are a 'work in progress' that will be revised and improved as field testing occurs.

"We need to ensure they are valid and reflect the current standard of play," says Gerry Peckham, the person in overall charge of Canada's high performance coaching.

You can view the booklet HERE

Norway sweeps to win at Kinross International

Maria Duncan, playing lead for Team Norway

Local club curler Maria Duncan played lead for Norway as they completed their sweep of the competition at the Kinross International, earning big wins over Wales and Scotland 4 (who gave up a 6 in the 2nd) before finishing with a 7-4 win over Rosemary Lenton's Scotland 1.

Norway   -   0  2  3  0  1  1   -  7
Sotland1  -  2  0  0  2  0   0  -  4

Norway's full results and some photos can be viewed HERE.

Switzerland earned second place on a countback of ends won to break a tie with Scotland 1.

Winners - Norway
Per Fagerhoi, Runar Bjornstad, Maria Duncan, Rune Lorensten, Jostein Stardahl

 Runners-up - SwitzerlandManfred Bollinger, Sybille Steiner, Claudia Huttenmoser, Rony Liechtenhan, Daniel Meyer

Standing - Councilor Willie Robertson and Brian Martin - Ailsa Craig Jewellery - sponsor.

Jim Armstrong pleads guilty to "intent to mislead or defraud"

Jim Armstrong, skip of Canada's gold medal winning Paralympic wheelchair curling team, today changed his plea to guilty of distributing pills with an intent to deceive. The trafficking charges outlined in the original indictment are presumably dropped and the trial scheduled for Monday October 25th will not take place.

He faces up to three years prison, though the plea agreement, which does not bind the sentencing judge, recommends that he be fined $50,000, perform community service hours and be sentenced to the time he already served in U.S. Custody. Sentencing is scheduled for January 28th before Judge Martinez of the US District Court.

Here's part of the United States Attorney’s Office press release.

US ARETIRED B.C. DENTIST AND SON PLEAD GUILTY TO SELLING COUNTERFEIT VIAGRA AND CIALIS

Counterfeit Drugs Shipped from China and India to Blaine Post Office, Distributed in Canada

            JAMES PETER ARMSTRONG, 59, of Richmond B.C. Canada, and his son, GREGORY JAMES ARMSTRONG, 28, also of Richmond, B.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to selling and dispensing counterfeit drugs with the intent to mislead or defraud.  JAMES ARMSTRONG is a retired dentist and was a member of the Canadian Paralympic curling team.  The men face up to three years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez on January 28, 2011.

Read the full release HERE

Two teams unbeaten midway through Kinross International

Per Fagerhøi, Runar Bjørnstad, Jostein Stordahl, Rune Lorentsen
& Team Norway Coach Thoralf Hognestad

Team Norway, with some new faces and refound enthusiasm after the disappointments of the past couple of years, are tied at 3-0 with Scotland 1 at the midpoint of the Kinross International.

Coach Thoralf Hognestad, back in charge after a year away, says the team's spirits are high and skip Rune Lorentsen is enjoying the game again. Certainly the results have been decisive: a 7-2 win over what on paper looked a formidable Scotland 2 side (Aileen Nielsen, Tom Killin, Angie Malone and George Ewan), and overwhelming defeats of Scotland 3 and Switzerland.

For Norwegian speakers there is a web page with today's action HERE.

Norway introduced two new players, Runar Bjørnstad and Paralympic skiier Per Fagerhøi, though they had to borrow local club player Maria Duncan as they were unable to travel with a female player.

Runar and Per are alternating games in Kinross, but next month at the Prague Open, Rune and Jostein will play with two more newcomers; Tone Edvartsen and Terje Rafdal.

Rosemary Lenton, a late cut from the 2010 British Paralympic squad, has skipped Scotland 1 to a 3-0 start and will play Norway in the final draw Thursday at 3pm local time.

The teams and schedule can be found HERE.

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