Jockeying to represent Canada in team curling at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing escalates Wednesday in Ottawa with a pair of events designed to complete the trials and pre-trials fields this winter.
Five men鈥檚 teams are chasing two berths and five women鈥檚 foursomes will compete for three spots in November鈥檚 Tim Hortons Curling Trials in Saskatoon.
Regina鈥檚 Matt Dunstone, Saskatoon鈥檚 Colton Flasch, Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., Winnipeg鈥檚 Jason Gunnlaugson and Mike McEwen will vie to join Edmonton鈥檚 Brendan Bottcher, Toronto鈥檚 John Epping, Brad Gushue of St. John鈥檚 N.L., and Calgary鈥檚 Kevin Koe already qualified for the men鈥檚 trials Nov. 20-28 in Saskatoon鈥檚 SaskTel Centre.
Charlottetown鈥檚 Suzanne Birt, Corryn Brown of Kamloops, B.C., Edmonton鈥檚 Kelsey Rocque and Laura Walker and Casey Scheidegger of Lethbridge, Alta., seek to join Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., Tracy Fleury of East St. Paul, Man., Ottawa鈥檚 Rachel Homan and Winnipeg鈥檚 Jennifer Jones in Saskatoon.
The men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 champions in Saskatoon will wear the Maple Leaf in team curling in Beijing.
Another longer road to trials is entry via a pre-trials tournament Oct. 26-31 in Liverpool, N.S., which will produce the final two men鈥檚 and last two women鈥檚 entries for Saskatoon.
A parallel tournament running Wednesday to Sunday at Ottawa鈥檚 RA Centre will complete that pre-trials field.
Eight teams of each gender compete in a triple knockout draw for two men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 berths in pre-trials.
Winnipeg鈥檚 Abby Ackland, Jill Brothers of Halifax, Yellowknife鈥檚 Kerry Galusha, Saskatoon鈥檚 Ashley Howard, Ottawa鈥檚 Lauren Mann, Jessie Hunkin of North Battleford, Sask., Laurie St-Georges of Laval, Que., and Sarah Wark of Abbotsford, B.C., comprise the women鈥檚 field.
Winnipeg dominates the men鈥檚 side with Corey Chambers, Jacques Gauthier, Sean Grassie, William Lyburn, Ryan Wiebe, and JT Ryan skipping squads. Saskatoon鈥檚 Shaun Meachem and Vincent Roberge of Etchemin, Que., round out the men鈥檚 tournament.
Fans aren鈥檛 allowed into the RA Centre because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Curling Canada will stream games lives on its YouTube channel.
Curling Canada revised its qualifying criteria for both team and mixed doubles Olympic trials because the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the majority of 2020-21 events that would have determined those fields.
Seven duos have already qualified for the mixed doubles trials Dec. 28 to Jan. 2 in Portage la Prairie, Man.
Nine more will earn spots via bonspiels from September to December or by a high ranking in Curling Canada鈥檚 Canadian Mixed Doubles Rankings as of Dec. 14.
Canadian champions Einarson and Gushue, runners-up Kadriana Sahaidak and Colton Lott, Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, Jones and Brent Laing, Nancy Martin and Tyrel Griffith and Homan and John Morris, Epping and Lisa Weagle have already gained entry into the mixed doubles trials.
Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes won gold in the Olympic debut of mixed doubles in 2018.
The Canadian Press
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