24 Teams Fight For Trials
November 10, 2009
- Article by Brad Norman
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For 24 of Canada's best curling teams, this is one of the biggest weeks of their lives. The Olympic pre-trials kick off today in Prince George. Twelve mens teams and twelve womens teams will be fighting this week for the remaining spots at the Roar of the Rings Olympic trials in December.
The men's competition will be a tough one. Only four teams can move on, and there are five in the pre-trials who are serious contenders. Among the favorites are Jeff Stoughton, Wayne Middaugh, Kerry Burtnyk, Pat Simmons and, of course, the 2006 Olympic champ Brad Gushue.
Those four of these five teams are the most likely to advance, the rest of the field is quite strong and could surprise a lot of people this week. Some other mens teams to keep an eye on include Jean-Michel Menard, a former Brier champion, and Mike McEwen, who frequently has strong showings at World Curling Tour events.
On the womens side of the event, it's a wide-open contest. Any of the twelve teams has a realistic shot at advancing to the trials. Old favorites like Kelly Scott, Sherry Middaugh, and Cathy King are among the most likely to qualify for the trials, but both teams have had rocky seasons lately and will have to pull it together this week if they want to keep their Olympic dreams alive.
Up-and-comers like Eve Belisle, Amber Holland and Krista McCarville are all dangerous teams who tend to peak at the most important times. They showed just how dangerous they could be during the 2007 Players Championship, when they wiped out tournament favorites like Jennifer Jones, Shannon Kleibrink and Kelly Scott.
One of the most exciting teams to keep an eye on this week will be the young ladies from Ontario, skipped by Rachel Homan. The Homan rink is one of the youngest, yet most successful, womens team this season. After a strong junior career, the team has blasted on to the World Curling Tour. So far this season they've won the AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic, which featured some of the best teams in the world. They also came in second place at the Mac Ice Classic.
The Road To the Roar pre-trials event will continue until Saturday, November 14th where the final qualifiers for the Olympic Trials are selected. Stay up to date on the whole event right here at CurlingScoops.com!
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