Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 18:23:58 -0500
From: Jeff Timson
Subject: 2001 World Junior Curling Championships start Thursday
WORLD JUNIOR CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS SET TO BEGIN
March 14, 2001.
The 2001 World Junior Curling Championships, the sixth event in
curling's Season of Champions, begin Thursday in Ogden, Utah as 10
men's and 10 women's teams vie for world titles.
There are three draws daily during the round robin, from March 15-22.
The first women's draw is Thursday morning, followed by the men in
the afternoon in the alternating schedule. Following the round
robin, the semi-finals match 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3, with the winners
advancing to their respective finals. The women's semi-finals are
Friday, March 23 at 7:30 pm ET. The men's semi-finals are Saturday,
March 24 at 3:00 pm ET.
TSN will carry the women's final live at 7:00 pm ET Saturday, March
24 but will tape-delay the men's final Sunday, March 25 (scheduled
for a 3:00 pm ET start) until 7:00 pm ET. RDS will show both finals
on a tape-delay basis.
The World Juniors is also serving as a trial run for next year's
Olympic Winter Games, when curling will once again be showcased as a
medal sport at the Ice Sheet in Ogden.
Canada is seeking a record 11th men's title since the competition
began in 1975 and will be represented by skip Brad Gushue and his St.
John's, Newfoundland team of Mark Nichols, Brent Hamilton and Mike
Adam. They won the Karcher Canadian Juniors in St. Catharines,
February 10th, defeating Manitoba, 8-3. Canada has won three men's
titles in succession, two by John Morris and last year by Brad Kuhn
in Geising, Germany.
Challenging Gushue are Denmark (Casper Bossen), France (Richard
Ducroz), Germany (Christopher Bartsch), Japan (Hiroaki Kashiwagi),
Russia (Alexander Kirikov), Scotland (David Edwards), Sweden (Eric
Carlsén), Switzerland (Mark Hauser) and United States (Andy Roza).
The women's event is topped by Sweden's Matilda Mattsson, the
defending champion, who defeated first place finisher Stefanie Miller
of Saskatchewan in last year's women's final.
Canada has won a leading six women's titles since the competition
began in 1988. However, New Brunswick's Melissa McClure is the last
Canadian skip to win, in 1998 in Thunder Bay. Representing Canada
this year is the Suzanne Gaudet team from Summerside, Prince Edward
Island, which won the Karcher Juniors final, 5-3 over Stefanie Miller
in St. Catharines, February 11. Joining Gaudet are Stefanie
Richard, Robyn MacPhee and Kelly Higgins.
The other teams are Denmark (Madeleine Dupont), Germany (Daniela
Jentsch), Japan (Moe Meguro), Norway (Linn Githmark), Russia (Nina
Golovchenko), Scotland (Kelly Wood), Switzerland (Carmen Schäfer) and
United States (Nicole Joraanstad).
Jeff Timson
Media Director, St. Clair Group
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