Scotties coming to East St. Paul

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/10/2020 (2127 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba curling’s worst-kept secret was made official late this week, without fanfare (or even a simple tweet).

The 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts provincial women’s championship will be staged at East St. Paul Curling Club from Jan. 19-24, according to the championship section of the Curl Manitoba website. It features a picture of Kerri Einarson’s foursome from Gimli, which captured the 2020 title and then won its first Canadian crown. 

One can only assume the sport’s governing body didn’t feel it was appropriate to make a splash, big or small, considering Manitoba is currently faring worse than it has at any moment since COVID-19 arrived here in March. On Friday, health officials announced all sports facilities, including curling clubs, in the Winnipeg region will close Monday for a minimum of two weeks.

Earlier in the day, Curl Manitoba executive director Craig Baker said a dispatch on the Scotties host site wasn’t necessary.

“There was no need. It’s not business exactly as usual. This isn’t a provincial championship as it has always been. There are significant changes that will be at East St. Paul,” Baker said.

Initially, sheets were to be installed in the arena but now the 12-team Scotties will be played next door in the curling club. Expect a major reduction in the number of spectators and no opening or closing ceremonies.

Basically, no party atmosphere — as it should be during a pandemic when physical distancing is key.

“We’ve worked with the club and the (rural municipality) in trying to do the best we can from a, for lack of a better word, a risk-mitigation perspective. No one knows where this is going, so you’re trying to plan the best you can and also remove any variables at the same time,” said Baker.

The Viterra men’s provincial championship is slated for the Selkirk Recreation Complex from Feb. 2-7, and will be hosted by Selkirk Curling Club.

Ensuring physical distancing at the historic, 32-team event will pose some logistical challenges. 

“One of the reasons these clubs host is to do well financially, and they all know that’s not the reality this year. So you’re looking at, ‘Where don’t you need people?’ and ‘Can we get rid of that?’” Baker said. “(The pandemic) is a massive obstacle, a big question mark for us. Fortunately, our curling clubs are great supporters when they want to host these events. They understand the concept this year and they’re willing to put the normalcy behind them and recognize this won’t be business as usual, it’s not an event like we’re used to.

“This year is about the product on the ice, and we know we have safe return-to-play guidelines for the product on the ice. It doesn’t take away (the competitive) aspect of it. Traditionally, the winner heads off to the national Scotties, so that’s a very big component.”

Einarson’s crew of third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard and lead Briane Meilleur, the top-ranked team in Canada and second in the world behind Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg, gets to bypass the provincials. As reigning national champions, they will return to the 2021 Scotties as Team Canada. They also earned a berth in the Olympic Trials next fall.

Darcy Robertson of Assiniboine Memorial and Mackenzie Zacharias of Altona have already punched their tickets to East St. Paul after winning provincial berth bonspiels this month.

• • •

 

Pete Nicholls has no skin in the game when it comes to Manitoba’s 25 most notable teams of the Roaring Game.

The president of the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame & Museum has been a mighty fine player in his own right, winning a Tankard (Manitoba men’s championship) in 1994 while tossing third stones for Dave Smith. The squad from St. Vital wound up losing the Brier semifinal to Russ Howard from Ontario, who then lost the Canadian final to Rick Folk of B.C.

Heady playoff company, indeed, for Smith, Nichols and a stellar front end of Scott Grant and Charlie Salina, who knocked off Westman legend Doug Armour of Souris to capture the provincial title on a frigid weekend in Thompson.

Yet, the team didn’t even make the list of the Mantoba’s top 150 teams (a combination of men’s and women’s quartets), an HOF initiative in recognition of the province’s 150th anniversary.

The ultimate goal is to narrow the list to 25 — hardly a simple takeout, Nicholls says.

“It wasn’t easy to identify 150 from the long and storied history of Manitoba curling, never mind 25. Our team that went to the Brier in ‘94 didn’t get on there,” he said, without the slightest hint of resentment toward his own committee.  

Come on, folks. Throw the man a bone.

Oh wait, the retired school principal did make the expanded list as a member of Randy Neufeld’s team that seized the 2015 national senior men’s championship and finished runner-up at the worlds. But Neufeld’s crew didn’t survive the carving knife for the top 25.

“I get it,” Nicholls said, laughing. “It’s not just teams that won Manitoba championships. The list really shows the great tradition of Manitoba success in the sport. You just look at the list of the final 25 we got down to — Olympic champions, world champions, multi-Canadian champions — yeah, it was a fun endeavour to do the research. 

“(The committee) cross-referenced and did the math and discussed and argued and came down to the final 25. It’s just fun to create some interest in our sport.”

The committee includes Resby Coutts, the driving force behind the HOF.

Teams skipped by Jennifer Jones, Connie Laliberte, Joan Ingram and Kerri Einarson on the women’s side, and Jeff Stoughton, Don Duguid, Kerry Burntnyk, Vic Peters, Ken Watson and Mike McEwen in men’s play were slam dunks for the list of 25, yet so, too, was Lloyd Gunnlaugson’s brilliant senior team, splendid world junior champions such as Bob Ursel, Kelly Scott and Braden Calvert, and Ernie Boushy’s mixed foursome.

The HOF committee’s final ranking of the most notable 25 will be released in mid-December. But curling fans can participate in a People’s Choice ranking of the top 25. It will be determined by the total donations made in the name of a particular team. A minimum donation of $10 is suggested and all donations are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.

Donations support the efforts of the HOF for current and future operations. 

To make a pledge and cast your vote, go to www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/manitoba-curling-hall-of-fame-museum-inc/p2p/most-notable-teams/#participants until Dec. 6.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell