Manitoba women’s biggest enemy close at hand

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/02/2009 (6393 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEEPAWA — THE toughest competition Manitoba women’s curling champion Barb Spencer will face at the Canadian women’s curling championship in Victoria later this month will likely come from her own backyard.

Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones — the defending world champion and Team Canada — looks to be the class of the 12-team field that will assemble in Victoria, Feb. 21-March 1.

Jones is the only skip in the field with a previous Canadian women’s title on her resumé — and she has two of them, plus the world title.

Alberta’s Cheryl Bernard, Saskatchewan’s Stefanie Lawton and Quebec’s Marie-France Larouche are all seasoned Scotties veterans — as is Spencer, who will be making her third nationals appearance.

After that, Ontario’s Krista McCarville will be a dark horse — a young team with lots of cashspiel experience but making their first women’s appearance in the nationals.

Put it together and Spencer should be a stronger challenger for a playoff spot than she was in two previous appearances at the Scotties in 2003 and 1986.

Should Jenion try third?

KRISTY Jenion is an excellent curler and has proven with her five straight playoff appearances at the Manitoba women’s provincials that she can perform at a high level.

But it has also become clear that the 29-year-old struggles at playoff time. Witness her latest playoff collapse this weekend, where Jenion parlayed an undefeated 7-0 record in the round-robin into two straight losses in the playoffs — to Barb Spencer Saturday night in the 1 vs. 1 game and to Karen Porritt Sunday morning in the semifinal.

Put it together and it was yet another disappointing ending to a promising week for Jenion, marking the fifth straight year she’d made the playoffs only to go home empty-handed.

Which makes a curling observer wonder: Wouldn’t it be best for Jenion’s sanity — and women’s curling in this province — for her to take the pressure off herself and play third for another skip?

The last time a major women’s skip in this province did just that was when Cathy Overton-Clapham dropped down to play third for Jennifer Jones in 2004. They’ve since won two Canadian titles and a world title.

Killarney eyes are smilin’

THE 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts will be held in the southwestern Manitoba town of Killarney.

The event will be held at the newly constructed Shamrock Centre and will mark the first time Killarney has hosted a provincial men’s or women’s curling championship.

Manitoba Curling Association officials had hoped to hold the 2010 Manitoba women’s curling championship in the MTS Centre as a companion event to a men’s Grand Slam cashspiel, but the MCA failed to reach an agreement with the many parties involved and scrapped the idea.

Howard owns Ontario

GLENN Howard will represent Ontario at the Brier in Calgary next month for a record-setting 11th time.

Howard won his 11th Ontario men’s title — and fourth in a row as skip — by defeating former teammate Peter Corner in the provincial final Sunday.

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan will send Brier rookies to Calgary. Moose Jaw’s Joel Jordison — a cashspiel veteran but a newcomer to the national stage — won the Saskatchewan men’s final 6-4 over Pat Simmons Sunday afternoon.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca