Morning Issue 1 – Wednesday, December 1, 2010 • An Offi cial Publication of the Canadian Curling Association. Cheryl Bernard, whose Calgary-based rink claimed Olympic silver in Vancouver, is back in the hack for the Canada Cup this week at Medicine Hat. Hat’s off to heroes Olympic medallists Bernard, Martin headline 2010 Canada Cup rockfest in the Gas City ■ Calgarian skip reflects ■ Vancouver’s five-ring ride ■ A ferocious field Page 2 on her sudden stardom still hasn’t slowed down ■ Bold predictions Page 5 Page 3 Page 4 ■ Meet the teams Pgs 10, 13, 16 Marc Try the Make Your Day! Kennedy Single Day Passes are Also Available! If weekdays work better for your schedule, sample Half Cup! our day passes on Thursday and Friday. This is the package that puts you in the heat of the action all day Saturday and all day Sunday… $ when all the big points are on the line! 69 Includes GST & service charges. For tickets call or order online $ 780.451.8000 165Includes GST & service charges. +BOVBSZo t4FSWVT$SFEJU6OJPO1MBDF Page 2 Wednesday, December 1, 2010 The gang’s all here! Even in a post-Olympic year, this Canada Cup has attracted the sport’s top dogs and fierce rivals this one, either. The action starts at 8:30 a.m. with fi ve women’s Larry Wood tussles. They include: Morning Cup Editor Kleibrink facing off with provincial rival Heather Nedohin of Edmonton, he total prize purse is Bernard tackling 2007 $150,000. Each win- world champion Kelly Tner picks up $25,000. Scott of Kelowna, Jones There are no Olympic facing fellow-Manitoban trials points on the line for Chelsea Carey of Morden, this particular edition of former champion Stefanie curling’s Canada Cup — Lawton of Saskatoon going it’s a post-Olympic year, against Shelley Nichols of you understand — but St. John’s, NL, and Krista Canadian Team Ranking McCarville of Thunder Bay System points abound and locking horns with Amber the top four fi nishers on Holland of Kronau, Sask. the 2010-11 CTRS lineup The men’s lineup, all of qualify automatically for which takes to the ice at the 2013 Olympic pre- 12:30 p.m., includes six- trials. time Brier champion Randy All of which is reason Ferbey who is aligned this enough, wouldn’t you say, season with 2006 Olympic to cast eyeballs on the gold medallist Brad Gushue action that will hold forth of St. John’s. at the Medicine Hat Arena Ferbey, along with Martin, starting today? is also a three-time Canada The Canada Cup, you Cup winner (2003, 2004, should know, ranks as the 2007). He’ll deliver third penultimate major curling stones and skip the team event of the Canadian rock- while Gushue tosses the last chucking season. Winners bricks. His former third, automatically return and Mark Nichols, drops down also qualify for Canadian to second, and Ryan Fry is berths at next year’s Conti- the lead. nental Cup in Langley, B.C. Glenn Howard of Cold- What’s that? You are water, Ont., the 2007 Brier looking for highly-rated champ and three-time runner- While the rest of his old rink is taking the year off, Edmonton’s Randy Ferbey teams that might be missing up is back with 1998 Brier- has teamed up with 2006 Olympic champion Brad Gushue’s crew. The three- in action? Forget it. There winning skip Wayne Mid- time Canada Cup champ will throw third stones for Gushue’s outfit. really isn’t a missing link. daugh throwing third stones. All the top dogs — many Winnipeg’s Jeff Stoughton, a Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen plays Bawel and Howard with an additional crossover of them fi erce rivals — are two-time Brier champ (1996, who takes to the ice with tangles with Stoughton. match versus a team in the on hand, including Kevin 1999) also returns with three straight World Tour The men’s seeds: other group. Martin of Edmonton who former third Jonathan Mead winner’s cheques in his back Pool A — Martin (1), The top two teams in each won gold at the Vancouver back in the saddle. pocket. Ferbey (4), McEwen (5), group will advance to a Page Olympics, a couple of Bri- The obvious darkhorse pick Brandon’s Rob Fowler, Reid (8), Camm (10). Pool playoff crossover with No. 1 ers in a row prior to that, on the men’s side would be formerly a second player B — Howard (2), Koe (3), teams playing for a berth in not to mention the last stag- with Stoughton, also quali- Stoughton (6), Fowler (7), fi nals with the loser dropping ing of the Canada Cup. fi es because of early-season Bawel (9). to semi-fi nals to play the Then, too, there’s Cal- cashspiel successes. The women’s seeds: winner of the sudden-death gary’s Cheryl Bernard, Rounding out the men’s Pool C — Jones (1), playoff match involving the the Olympic silver medal- fi eld are defending Quebec Kleibrink (4), Lawton (5), No. 2 teams. list, defending Canadian champion Serge Reid of Carey (8), Nichols (10). Pool Round-robin action will champion Jennifer Jones of Jonquiere, winner of the D — Bernard (2), Holland continue through Friday — Winnipeg and the defend- recent Lac Leamy cash- (3), Scott (6), Nedohin (7), other draws today are set for ing Canada Cup women’s spiel, and young up-and- McCarville (9). 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., on champion Shannon coming teams skipped by Six of the previous Canada Thursday at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m. Kleibrink of Calgary. Brent Bawel of Calgary and Cup events were staged in and 6 p.m., Friday at 9, 1:30 And, lest we forget, the still-junior Mat Camm of Kamloops, B.C. The last and 6. current world and Canadian Ottawa, whose vice-skip is renewal at Yorkton proved a Playoff matches will go men’s champion is Kevin another Howard — Glenn’s resounding success. Saturday at 8:30 a.m., 1:30 Koe of Edmonton. offspring Scott. The draw calls for teams of and 6:30 p.m. with the tele- Koe never has missed In today’s fi rst round of each gender to be seeded into vised (TSN) women’s fi nal a previous Canada Cup Sherry Anderson has men’s play, Ferbey faces two groups. set for Sunday at 11 a.m. and renewal and his champion- joined Stefanie Lawton’s Fowler, Martin tackles Reid, Each fi ve-team segment the televised (TSN) men’s ship team won’t pass on Saskatoon-based rink. McEwen plays Camm, Koe will play a round robin draw fi nal slated for a 1 p.m. start. 2010 Canada Cup Page 3 Fairy tales, cougars, and one GET A incredible Olympic odyssey BITE AT medal was huge, too. We could RIVERDENTAL.COM Vancouver’s silver lining? More have been playing for a bronze. So, three big events. I think we confidence for Bernard & Co. just fi nally won the game we needed to win.” to anoint her Cougar Of The Truth is, most North Ameri- That was the fi xture against Year. Sarah Palin on ice. A sex can media rediscover curling Calgary archrival Shannon symbol. A ready-made co-star once every four years — at the Kleibrink in the Trials. for Courteney Cox in Cougar fi ve-ring circus. “It was a team thing,” insists Town. “I don’t know what they Bernard. “Everybody needed “I guess,” she chortles. “that’s think we curlers are,” muses that assurance. Everybody funny. Curlers as sex symbols? Bernard. “I think they’re needed that boost. And what a Hilarious. But I don’t know shocked that we’re in some- fun year it turned out to be! 378 1ST ST. SE | 403.526.5991 LARRY WOOD about that word (cougar). I really what decent shape and aren’t “Now, we know it’s not go- Morning Cup Editor don’t. I guess, and I’ve said this dressed in mukluks.” ing to be a walk in the park this before, if the attention comes Still, the whole world recog- year but we’re fi nding different ow has Cheryl Ber- because you’re playing well, nizes this amiable lassie now. ways to win now. We’ve been nard’s life changed that’s fi ne. It’ll be what it’ll be. “You go out in public now, through all those scenarios. Hsince the 2010 Winter You can’t do anything about it. If it’s not as easy to get around We’ve been down, we’ve been Olympics? it comes for other reasons, that’s any more,” she says. up, we’re fi nding ways to win “Ohhh . like, in about not that enjoyable. “You have to be careful what and we’re confi dent about it. a million ways,” cooes the “I try not to read a lot of that you’re doing because every- “We realize, though, we have 44-year-old silver-medal-win- stuff and just take it like it is body seems to know you. But to work as hard or even harder ning Calgary skip. and do what I have to do to people have been amazing. I now for a couple of reasons “But, you know, we walk out make myself play a good game have had very few people come — teams are up to play you, on a sheet of ice now with a lot out there. It’s hard to comment up and say, ‘Too bad about the always, and there are so many more confi dence than we used on that stuff, I don’t really have gold medal.’ Most people have teams working hard behind you to.