Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2001 15:01:40 -0500
From: Jeff Timson
Subject: 2001 Canadian Mixed starts Saturday in Weyburn
2001 CANADIAN MIXED STARTS SATURDAY IN WEYBURN
January 2, 2001 The 2001 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship begins
this Saturday at The Colosseum in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. It's the
first event in curling's Season of Champions, comprising five
Canadian and two world championships.
Twelve teams, representing the 10 provinces plus entries from
Northern Ontario and Yukon/Northwest Territories, will compete in
this 38th Mixed. At the conclusion of the round robin, the Page
Playoff system will be used (1 vs 2, winner to final, loser to
semi-final; 3 vs 4, winner to semi-final, loser eliminated). TSN
will televise both the semi-final (1:00 pm CT/2:00 pm ET) and final
(7:00 pm CT/8:00 pm ET) live on Sunday, January 14.
It's the fifth time that Saskatchewan has staged The Mixed since the
competition began in 1964. It was last held in the province in
1997 in Kindersley. Saskatchewan has also captured a leading eight
Mixed titles, the last by Randy Bryden in 1996 in Charlottetown.
While Alberta is the defending champion (skip Kevin Koe and his
Calgary Curling Club team won the 2000 event in Lethbridge), Nova
Scotia has claimed two of the last three renewals (Steve Ogden in
1998 in Owen Sound and Paul Flemming in Victoria in 1999).
Among the skips competing are the 1987 and 1993 men's world champion
Russ Howard, now of Moncton, New Brunswick and Alberta's Kurt
Balderston, who won the 1992 Canadian Mixed when it was staged in his
hometown of Grande Prairie. Howard returns to the Mixed with the
same team, including 1998 world junior champion Nancy Toner at third,
which finished fourth at last year's championship in Lethbridge.
Other competitors include Manitoba third Chris Scalena, a two-time
Canadian junior (1972, 1974) and Canadian women's (1978, 1984)
champion, who also won the 1984 world women's crown as third for
Connie Laliberte; Nova Scotia third Heather Smith-Dacey, who won the
1991 Canadian juniors and 1994 Canadian Mixed; Prince Edward Island
third Kathie Gallant, winner of the 1987 Canadian Mixed; Quebec
second Marco Berthelot, the 1992 Canadian junior champion and
Saskatchewan third Kim Hodson, winner of the 1985 Canadian juniors.
Jeff Timson
Media Director, St. Clair Group
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