Jennifer Jones to Shoot for Third Consecutive TYLENOL® Players’ Championship in St. John’s

ST. JOHN’S, March 6, 2008 – Tournament of Hearts winner and 2007-08 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event champion Jennifer Jones (Winnipeg, Man.) will shoot for a third consecutive TYLENOL® Players’ Championship next month when she faces-off against 15 of the top teams from across Canada at the Mile One Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador from April 16 to 20.

Among the 16 women’s teams that qualified to compete at the season-ending TYLENOL® Players’ Championship are 2007-08 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event winners Shannon Kleibrink (Calgary, Alta.), Kelly Scott (Kelowna, B.C.) and Sherry Middaugh (Coldwater, Ont.). In addition, Heather Strong’s (St. John’s, Nfld.) Newfoundland and Labrador-based squad also qualified for the event.

The eighth and final leg of the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series, the TYLENOL® Players’ Championship features both a men’s and a women’s draw. The team list for the men’s TYLENOL® Players’ Championship tournament is scheduled to be announced on March 18, 2008.

The TYLENOL® 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 TYLENOL® Players’ Championship.

The top 16 Canadian women’s teams on the Canadian Team Ranking System as of March 6, 2008 automatically qualify to compete at the event.

Marie-France Larouche (Lévis, Que.) and Suzanne Gaudet (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) both qualified for the TYLENOL® Players’ Championship as the 12th and 16th ranked squads respectively on the CTRS standings, but both teams were forced to withdraw from the event due to work commitments involving their team members.

With Team Larouche’s and Team Gaudet’s withdrawal, Amber Holland’s (Regina, Sask.) and Eve Bélisle’s (Montreal, Que.) squads have been added to the 16-team field. Holland’s and Bélisle’s teams were the first two eligible alternate squads to be added to the field by virtue of being ranked 17th and 18th respectively in the CTRS standings.

Held annually since 2001-02, 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 season-ending TYLENOL® Players’ Championship.

During the 2007-08 season, Jones captured the Trail Appliances Autumn Gold Curling Classic in Calgary, Alta., while Kleibrink finished first at the Casinos of Winnipeg tournament. Scott bested the field at the Wayden Transportation in Abbotsford, B.C., while Middaugh earned a victory at the inaugural Sobeys Slam in New Glasgow, N.S.

The men’s Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series includes the BDO Classic Canadian Open, The National, the Masters of Curling and the TYLENOL® Players’ Championship.

The eight 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.

Tickets for the 2008 TYLENOL® Players’ Championship are currently on sale and can be purchased online at www.admission.com or in person at the Mile One Centre box office.

-Courtesy of Insight Sports