Playing in a bubble

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This article was published 01/12/2020 (1917 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kerri Einarson has waited a long time to slip on her Team Canada jacket but will finally get the chance later this winter at the national Scotties, one element of a conglomeration of championships unparalleled in Canadian curling history.

Rockfest ’21 would be a most fitting label.

Curling Canada is following the lead of the NHL and NBA by hosting its premier 2021 events in a bubble format, all under one roof, in the hub city of Calgary. The Brier national men’s championship, Scotties Tournament of Hearts women’s championship, world men’s championship and the Canadian mixed doubles championship will be jointly held at the Markin MacPhail Centre at Canada Olympic Park.

The 2021 women’s world championship is slated for March 20-28 in Schaffhuasen, Switzerland.

There will be no fans allowed inside for the events at the Markin MacPhail Centre but there will be extensive television coverage on TSN.

Einarson’s crew will defend its Scotties crown, although dates for the string of events haven’t been finalized. But expectations are the bubble will begin in late February and remain for at least a month.

Her Gimli team, with third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard and Briane Meilleur at lead, defeated Rachel Homan of Ottawa in a thrilling, extra-end final in Moose Jaw, Sask., on Feb. 23. But their golden opportunity to represent Canada at the world championship was swept away when the event, set for Prince George, B.C., in mid-March, was scrapped owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Einarson, a health-care worker in the Interlake community, is crossing her fingers the health crisis improves before the 2021 Scotties. Einarson’s team will be there as the defending champion.

“We are very excited to hear this news and we really look forward to putting on those Canada jackets and finally being able to wear that Maple Leaf on our backs,” Einarson, who skips the World Curling Federation’s second-ranked team, said Tuesday evening. “I’m really confident with what Curling Canada has in store (in Calgary) for everything.”

All curling clubs in Manitoba have been closed for weeks as part of code-red restrictions in the province’s COVID-19 pandemic response system.

“I’m really excited to be able to hit the ice again and start practising,” she said. “It’s been about three weeks, so I’m hoping when we get better news from the government we can get back out there and practise. That will be big plus.”

Curl Manitoba announced Monday the provincial Scotties field has been trimmed to eight teams, which will almost assuredly include Tracy Fleury’s Winnipeg team, ranked third in the world, and former Olympic champion Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, ranked fifth. Altona’s Mackenzie Zacharias, coming off a world junior title in February, will also be there.

Einarson’s glad she doesn’t have to go through that grind in Selkirk. “It’s a sigh of relief for us that we don’t have to play in those playdowns and we get to watch from the sidelines, and it will be super exciting to watch,” she said.

Thunder Bay, Ont., was originally scheduled to host the Scotties (Feb. 20 to 28) followed by the Brier in Kelowna, B.C. (March 6-14).

“It’s exciting news, and as a team we’re very pleased to see that such a high priority is being placed on the safety of the athletes and those involved in putting on the championships,” said Brad Gushue, skip of the reigning Canadian men’s champs from St. John’s, who will defend in Calgary.

“We’re looking forward to playing events — if there’s a safe way to play them, let’s get them played. Other sports are playing, and the NHL and NBA have shown that it can be done safely, so I believe we can do the same in curling.”

— with files from The Canadian Press

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell