Moose Jaw curling fans are a little over a week away from being able to watch some of the best curlers on the planet in action live and in person during the Curling Canada Wheelchair Championship at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
And by ‘some of the best on the planet’, we’re not kidding.
Six of the seven members of Team Canada’s regular and mixed doubles teams will be in action at the tournament, which is set to begin with the first set of practices on Sunday, Mar. 19.
“There are going to be some great players here, that’s for sure,” said event chair Moose Gibson in the lead-up to the event. “We’re really lucky to have so many great curlers here playing in our own rink and we’re expecting it’ll be a great week of competition.”
Leading the way, of course, are Team Canada second Gil Dash and fifth-player Marie Wright, herself a former Paralympic bronze medalist from 2018. The duo will join Gibson and fellow provincial veteran Darwin Bender on Saskatchewan 1.
Team Ontario will be one of the rinks to watch thanks to a trio of Team Canada players -- Canada lead Jon Thurston will skip his province’s entry, while mixed doubles competitors Collinda Joseph and Karl Allen will play third and second respectively.
Then you have B.C.’s Ina Forrest, who played third for Team Canada at Worlds and will reprise that position at nationals.
Fans can expect plenty of slick shot-making throughout the tournament, in part due to the simple nature of the game.
“It’s a totally different game, there’s so much precision involved,” Gibson said. “There’s no sweeping, so it really is down to the curler’s skill and it’s going to be a great showcase. We’re expecting some phenomenal competition.”
Fans will also be able to cheer on Saskatchewan 2 at the event, which includes Moose Jaw’s Rod and Sheryl Pederson at skip and second respectively alongside lead Russell Whitsitt and third Stewart McKeown. McKeown is no stranger to elite competition, having competed at both the 1988 and 1996 Paralympic Games.
One thing that’s for certain is there will be plenty of close games given the ongoing parity in the sport -- and that should make for plenty of fun viewing.
“I don’t think anybody is thinking they’re going to go undefeated, it’s looking like it’s pretty wide open and we’ll just have to see what happens,” Gibson said. “Hopefully people want to come out and see some of the best curling they’re going to see all year.”
Tickets for the week are available on Sasktix.ca at $75 for a championship pass and $20 per draw.
Visit www.curling.ca for scores and keep an eye on www.moosejawtoday.com for comprehensive coverage throughout the week.
