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NEWS RELEASE
Defending Champion Amber Holland and Krista McCarville Secure Final Two Grey Power Players’ Championship Berths
Season-ending Capital One Grand Slam of Curling
event the final opportunity for teams to secure a
berth into the Canadian Olympic Trials and
Pre-Trials events
GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALTA., March 25, 2009 – The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling announced today that defending Players’ Champion Amber Holland (Regina, Sask.) and last year’s finalist Krista McCarville (Thunder Bay, Ont.) have secured the final two women’s berths for next month’s Grey Power Players’ Championship. Featuring the top 16 men’s and the top 16 women’s teams from the 2008-09 season, the Grey Power Players’ Championship will take place from April 14-19, 2009 at the Crystal Centre in Grande Prairie, Alta.
In 2008, Holland defeated McCarville 6-4 in the finals of the Players’ Championship to claim her first Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event title.
In order to qualify for the Grey Power Players’ Championship, teams must be ranked amongst the top 16 squads in the season’s Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) standings as of March 23, 2009.
On March 10, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling released a list of 14 women’s teams which had mathematically qualified to compete in the 2009 Grey Power Players’ Championship based on their current CTRS point total.
Among the previously announced squads which will compete in the women’s draw at the Grey Power Players’ Championship include reigning World Champion Jennifer Jones (Winnipeg, Man.), Olympic bronze medallist Shannon Kleibrink (Calgary, Alta.), World Champion Kelly Scott (Kelowna, B.C.) as well as 2008-09 World Curling Tour event winners Marie-France Larouche (Quebec City, Que.), Cheryl Bernard (Calgary, Alta.), Stefanie Lawton (Saskatoon, Sask.), Michelle Englot (Regina, Sask.), Marla Mallett (Vancouver, B.C.) and Rachel Homan (Ottawa, Ont.).
The complete 16-team field for the men’s Grey Power Players’ Championship tournament will be announced on Thursday, March 26.
The final event of the 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series, the Grey Power Players’ Championship is the final opportunity for teams to earn qualifying points towards securing a berth at the 2009 Canadian Olympic Trials or the 2009 Canadian Olympic Pre-Trials event.
To date, Jones and Kleibrink have secured two of the four automatic berths into the 2009 Canadian Olympic Trials while Scott, Sherry Anderson (Saskatoon, Sask.), Bernard, Lawton, Holland and Sherry Middaugh (Coldwater, Ont.) have secured at least a spot in the 12-team Pre-Trials event.
An overview of the standings which will determine which teams qualify for the 2009 Canadian Trials and Pre-Trials event can be found by clicking here.
Tickets for the Grey Power Players’ Championship are available online through www.crystalcentre.com or by phoning the Crystal Centre box office at (780) 538-0387.
The Grey Power Players’ Championship has been held annually as a joint men’s and women’s event since 2006. Jones’ team has won the inaugural two editions of the women’s Players’ Championship, before Holland captured the title last season in St. John’s, Nfld.
The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is a series of eight high-profile men’s and women’s events that feature Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields.
The women’s Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series features a total of five events including the Trail Appliances Autumn Gold Curling Classic, the Casinos of Winnipeg, the Wayden Transportation Ladies Classic, the Sobeys Slam and the Grey Power Players’ Championship.
During the 2008-09 season, Kleibrink captured the Trail Appliances Autumn Gold Curling Classic in Calgary, Alta., while Englot finished first at the Casinos of Winnipeg event. Jones bested the field at the Wayden Transportation in Abbotsford, B.C., while Larouche won the championship at the Sobeys Slam in New Glasgow, N.S.
The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events are closely tied to the Canadian Curling Association's qualifying process for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Through their performance in the Capital One Grand Slam events, rinks can earn a significant amount of points towards securing a berth at the 2009 Canadian Trials.
The following is a list of the 16 women’s teams which have qualified to compete at the 2009 Grey Power Players’ Championship. Note: Team rosters and positions are subject to change prior to the start of the event.
Grey Power Players’ Championship – Women’s Teams
Team Kleibrink (Calgary, Alta.) Shannon Kleibrink, Skip Amy Nixon, Third Bronwen Saunders, Second Chelsey Bell, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 1st (217.950 points) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Did not advance to quarterfinals (1-3)
Team Larouche (Quebec City, Que.) Marie-France Larouche, Skip
Nancy Bélanger, Third
2008 Players’ Championship Finish:
Qualified, but elected not to compete due to work
commitments Team Bernard (Calgary, Alta.) Cheryl Bernard, Skip Susan O'Connor, Third Carolyn Darbyshire, Second Cori Bartel, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 3rd (168.000) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Lost in semi-finals (4-2)
Team Lawton (Saskatoon, Sask.) Stefanie Lawton, Skip Marliese Kasner, Third Sherri Singler, Second Lana Vey, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 4th (150.000) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Did not advance to quarterfinals (2-3)
Team Jones (Winnipeg, Man.) Jennifer Jones, Skip Cathy Overton-Clapham, Third Jill Officer, Second Dawn Askin, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 5th (149.400) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Did not advance to quarterfinals (2-3)
Team Englot (Regina, Sask.) Michelle Englot, Skip Deanna Doig, Third Roberta Materi, Second Cindy Simmons, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 6th (94.250) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Lost in quarterfinals (3-1)
Team Middaugh (Coldwater, Ont.) Sherry Middaugh, Skip Kirsten Wall, Third Kim Moore, Second Andra Harmark, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 7th (92.250) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Lost in quarterfinals (3-3)
Team Scott (Kelowna, B.C.) Kelly Scott, Skip Jeanna Schraeder, Third Sasha Carter, Second Renee Simons, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 8th (89.450) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Did not advance to quarterfinals (1-3)
Team King (Edmonton, Alta.) Cathy King, Skip Lori Olson, Third Raylene Rocque, Second Tracy Bush, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 9th (81.350) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Lost in quarterfinals (3-2)
Team Mallett (Vancouver, B.C.)
Marla Mallett, Skip Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 10th (78.600) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Did not qualify to compete
Team Webster (Calgary, Alta.) Crystal Webster, Lead Desirée Owen, Third Samantha Preston, Second Stephanie Malekoff, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 11th (77.450) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Did not qualify to compete
Team Rankin (Calgary, Alta.) Heather Rankin, Skip Lisa Eyamie, Third Heather Moulding, Second Kyla MacLachlan, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 12th (72.800) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Did not advance to quarterfinals (2-3)
Team Homan (Ottawa, Ont.) Rachel Homan, Skip Emma Miskew, Third Alison Kreviazuk, Second Lynn Kreviazuk, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 13th (69.900) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Did not qualify to compete
Team Spencer (Winnipeg, Man.) Barb Spencer, Skip Darcy Robertson, Third Brette Richards, Second Barb Enright, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 14th (69.150) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Did not qualify to compete
Team Holland (Regina, Sask.) Amber Holland, Skip Kim Schneider, Third Tammy Schneider, Second Heather Seeley, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 15th (64.950) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Champion (6-2)
Team McCarville (Thunder Bay, Ont.) Krista McCarville, Skip Tara George, Third Kari MacLean-Kraft, Second Lorraine Lang, Lead Canadian Team Ranking System Standing: 16th (61.100) 2008 Players’ Championship Finish: Lost in finals (5-3)
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