Issue 1 – Saturday, February 18, 2012 • An Official Publication of the Canadian Curling Association. Red Deer Rocks 12 skips start the quest for a Scotties crown today. Next Sunday one will hoist the trophy. Sponsor of the Day February 16-24 • K-Rock Centre See Sponsor Profile on page 9 Page 2 HeartChart It’s about keeping Opening Rocks up with the Jones LARRY WOOD Ever since Jones appeared on the Scot- She was 8-4 in her Scotties debut at As for last year’s loss in the final? Heart Chart Editor ties scene in 2002 at Brandon, the word Brandon in 2002. Then 11-2 and the “I’ve never really thought about it, we has been abroad in the land. champ with a last-rock winning pistol at St. just want to get back into that position This team never counts itself out. Adver- John’s. Then 10-4 at London, 10-3 at Le- again,” Jones said. “We want to make the Somebody asked the question of Joelle sity doesn’t equate with its modus ope- thbridge, 11-4 at Regina, 11-4 at Victoria, playoffs and go from there.” Sabourin of Gatineau, P.Q. randi. As Yogi Berra used to say, it’s never 10-3 at Salt Ste. Marie, 9-4 at Charlotte- Numerous would-be giant-killers, What was it like playing the fill-in role over until it’s gobsmacked. Which is to town. In every case, a back-to-the wall meanwhile, await their respective cracks on the cashspiel circuit for Jill Officer of say, over, beyond a unreasonable doubt. rally of some description was required. at the Manitoba powerhouse this week the Jennifer Jones team this past autumn? This is what 11 other Scotties contend- Jones has won 80 games in eight nation- with New Brunswick’s Rebecca Atkinson And, more importantly, what did you ers have to contend with at the Enmax al curling assignments while losing just 28. first out of the hack tonight (6 p.m.) at the learn? Centrium starting this afternoon when the She has won four Canadian champion- Centrium. “One thing, more than anything,” said latest Canadian women’s curling champi- ships. She missed making it five last year The week’s draw calls for a rematch of the sweet-voiced Sabourin, a long-time onship departs the starting gate. There is by an inch but that may soon be rectified. last year’s final game (Jones-Holland) at accomplished curler with eight Scotties one heavy favourite, If they want to alter Nobody, least of all Joelle Sabourin, is round robin’s conclusion Thursday at 7:30 appearances in her satchel. that estimation, a bevy of spectacular betting against it. p.m. “I learned that you don’t quit. Under shotmaking will be necessary. Among “Every time we go there (Scotties), we Joining Holland and her Kronau, Sask., any circumstances, no matter what the other things. want to win,” Jones, who’s batting order is defenders (Kim Schneider, Tammy Sch- situation, you never quit. That’s the way it We’re talking here about a skip, from back intact with Kaitlyn Lawes, Jill Officer neider, Heather Kalenchuk) among others is in with that team.” Winnipeg, who has impeccable Scotties and Dawn Askin out front, told Sunmedia with the highest hopes of reaching the And the proof of that is in the results credentials to back up her standing. this week. throne room are last year’s bronze-medal with the Jennifer Jones curling team from Sure, she lost the final to Amber Holland “We’re excited just to play in it. It’s the winner Heather Smith-Dacey of Halifax, Winnipeg that never has been a more a year ago at Charlottetown on her last best event to play in and we just want to two-time champion Kelly Scott of Kelowna, prohibitive favourite heading into any shot by a couple of inches. Maybe less. enjoy it.” veterans Heather Nedohin of Edmonton rendition of the Scotties Tournament Of But the odds of that happening one in 10 Sabourin substituted for Officer last fall and Michelle Englot of Regina. Hearts than it is this time around. times may be just about that – one in 10. while she awaited the birth of a child. Continued on 3 Our Country Rocks! Proud to support the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Today's Best Country Best Rock of All Time Saturday, February 18, 2012 Page 3 “The plan is to improve on that (bronze Vey and Sarah Slywka sandwiching longtime medal),” said the 39-year-old Smith-Dacey second Roberta Materi, breeze through the on Friday. “We had a very new team at last Saskatchewan championship without as much year’s Scotties and it was a great week. But as a slight blemish. we’ve worked really hard since then. We’re a Other returning skips include Kerry Galusha more developed team now with bigger beliefs. of Yellowknife and Marie-France Larouche of We’ve been pretty consistent this year. Quebec who finished runner-up at the last Red “Absolutely, Jennifer Jones has to be a big Deer Scotties in 2004. favourite. But, when it comes to a one game Larouche experienced her worst record in thing, anybody can beat anybody on a given five previous Scotties skipping assignments last day. I think we just have to worry about our year and has revamped her entire team, add- own shotmaking, Curling is a game like that ing veteran Brenda Nicholls and untried front- — you see it all the time. What looks good enders Amelie Blais and Anne-Marie Filtreau. on paper doesn’t always come through. But Also repeating is New Brunswick’s Andrea consistency will get the top four teams to next Kelly, but the former national junior champ weekend and then it’s anybody’s game.” is throwing skip rocks and yielding the skip- The Nova Scotia team, too, is back intact — ping duties for the first time to Scotties rookie Danielle Parsons, Blisse Comstock, Teri Lake. Rebecca Atkinson. Scott’s regular vice-skip Jeanna Schrader Hardened far-east Scotties veterans like has taken a year off, second Sasha Carter is 53-year-old Kim Dolan of Charlottetown and throwing third stones and junior grad Dailene 35-year-old Heather Strong of St. John’s will Sivertson is holding the broom for skip’s rocks bear watching in this lineup as almost certain and playing the second position with Jacquie giant-killers. Armstrong remaining at lead. Scott, 34, fin- The all-rookie crew — and there always ished fifth a year ago. is one at the Scotties — is skipped by Tracy Nedohin, 36, is back for her second skip- Horgan of Sudbury who upset the proceedings ping assignment and her first since 2000. Her in Ontario by knocking off all the provincial credentials, however, were honed as a national favourites at Kenora. junior champ out of Grande Prairie and as In this afternoon’s 1 p.m. opening round, Cathy King’s vice-skip in a 1998 Scotties win Horgan will get her first acid test against the and a 1999 near-win. Spud Islanders, Quebec faces B.C., Alberta The 48-year-old Englot is back for her goes against the Polars and the defending seventh Scotties, having skipped her first one champs tackle the Newfoundlanders. in 1988. Her new team, that includes Lana • Jennifer Jones and coach Janet Arnott Page 4 HeartChart Manitoba third hot shooter in Ford Hot Shots Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes set the pace on Friday at Always Shot Rock. the Centrium during the opening round of the pre-Scot- ties Ford Hot Shots skills competition. Lawes, who lost last year’s Hot Shots final to her skip, Jennifer Jones, scored a near-perfect 28 of 30 points to easily qualify for today’s eight-team finale. The shotmaking competition requires the participat- ing curlers to execute six shots: Hit and stay, draw the button, draw the port, raise, hit and roll, and double The creamy consistency of takeout. Each shot is awarded points on a scale from Amarula delights with lingering 0-to-5, rating the success of each. subtle flavours of vanilla, caramel Today’s action, starting at 11 a.m. prior to the first round of Scotties play at 1 p.m., will feature quarter- and chocolate. finals, semi-finals and finals. Ford of Canada will provide the winner with a two- Affirming its unrivaled taste, year lease on a 2012 Ford Focus Titanium, an approxi- Amarula Cream was recently voted mate retail value of $13,000. The second-place finisher “Best Liqueur in the World” at the will be presented with a cheque for $2,000, while the third-place finisher receives $1,000. International Wine and Spirit Kerry Galusha, skip of the North West Territories en- Kaitlyn Lawes Competition. try from Yellowknife, scored 26 to finish the preliminar- ies in second place. Nova Scotia skip Heather Smith- Dacey logged 25 points while Ontario lead Amanda Gates of Sudbury and Manitoba second Jill Officer, a former winner, scored 23. At 21 points were Saskatchewan’s rookie lead Sarah Slywka and Team Canada lead Heather Kalenchuk. Newfoundland skip Heather Strong completed Friday’s qualifiers with a 20-point effort. Since 1995, the Ford Hot Shots event has provided not only an exciting beginning to each championship but has proven to be an extremely popular competition for curlers and fans. B.C. skip Kelley Law of New Westminster is a former two-time winner of the competi- tion. Other previous Hot Shots winners at the Hearts: Yukon/NWT’s Kelli Turpin, British Co- lumbia’s Sherry Fraser and Kristy Lewis, Alberta’s Marcy Balderston and Cheryl Bernard, Saskatchewan’s Kay Montgomery and Amber Holland, Manitoba’s Gerri Cooke, Officer THE OFFICIAL SPIRIT and Jones, Ontario’s Andrea Lawes and Jenn Hanna, New Brunswick’s Allison Farrell (Franey), Prince Edward Island’s Suzanne Birt (Gaudet) and Nova Scotia’s six-time Scot- OF CHAMPIONSHIP CURLING ties champion Colleen Jones of Halifax.