Playing top teams best preparation for Scheidegger
Perhaps it wasn’t quite the ending Casey Scheidegger would have preferred in Sault Ste. Marie on the weekend but as curling preparation goes, it couldn’t be beat.
“I think we’re really, really proud of how we played in the Sault,” said the 29-year-old skip out of Lethbridge. “We couldn’t ask for a better week heading into the Roar of the Rings in Ottawa. We’re really excited that we’ve been able to put everything that we’ve been learning in the last couple of years together and really make it work. We’re hoping to build on it as we head to Ottawa.”
Scheidegger and her team of third Cary-Anne McTaggart, Jessie Scheidegger and lead Kristie Moore were edged 8-7 Sunday by veteran Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg at the Boost National Grand Slam event. For Jones, it was her ninth career Grand Slam title and second in a row.
For Scheidegger — who ironically also lost her one round-robin match to Jones — it was yet another opportunity to play an elite rink, one of several she’ll see in early December at the Roar of the Rings, which doubles as the Olympic trials in the nation’s capital.
“It’s actually always good to play the best teams because it’s the best practice for us. It’s great preparation for our biggest event of the year,” said Scheidegger, who defeated defending world champion Rachel Homan of Ottawa and Sudbury’s Tracy Fleury in the playoff round leading up to the final against Jones.
With so many talented rinks vying for just the one critical invite to PyeongChang, South Korea, it often comes down to a small detail here and there that will separate the victor from the oh-so-close.
Scheidegger is currently at No. 11 on the world curling rankings.
MOUAT MAKES HISTORY
History was also made in Sault Ste. Marie on the weekend, when Edinburgh’s Bruce Mouat became the youngest men’s skip — at 23 — to capture a Grand Slam title. Mouat defeated first-time Grand Slam finalist Chang-Min Kim, from South Korea, by a score of 9-4. Team Kim will represent the home side at the 2018 Olympic Games. “It’s so tough,” the Scot said afterward.
“It’s unbelievable, really, just the competition we’ve had. We’ve played so well and hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.”
The 2017-18 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling tour will continue in the new year, with the Meridian Canadian Open slated for Jan. 16 in Camrose. The tour returns to Calgary in April with Humpty’s Champions Cup at WinSport Arenas.
TRAVELERS TIME
The 2017 Travelers curling championship began on Monday in Kingston, Ont. Twenty-eight teams are taking part in a round-robin format, leading up to the playoffs on the weekend.
The unique thing about this tournament is that each team can have only one player who has played in a provincial junior, Scotties, Brier, seniors’ or Grand Slam event in the past four seasons.
Alberta’s Nanette Dupont of Lethbridge will be vying for her second Travelers’ title. She won her first in 2010 with a different lineup.