KOE LANDS SPOT IN THE BRIER WHILE ROCQUE RINK IS OUT OF THE SCOTTIES
A Curling Canada press release issued on Friday held great hope for some Canadian curling teams and tremendous disappointment for others.
The governing body of curling announced it will use the 2019-20 Canadian Team Ranking System standings to determine all three wild card teams for the expanded fields at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier and Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
It also said any teams in those rankings must have at least three of four returning members in order to be eligible.
That's very bad news for the likes of Edmonton's Kelsey Rocque and Saskatchewan's Robyn Silvernagle — who both added two new players after the 2019-20 season — but great news for 2020 world junior women's champion Mackenzie Zacharias of Altona, Man.
“We just haven't been told officially or invited officially or anything like that, but from the announcement this morning and from everything we've heard it seems pretty promising and we're pretty excited, to say the least,” Zacharias, 21, said Friday.
“It's starting to feel a little bit real. It's too bad, too, because I think Rocque's team is pretty solid this year, but it's great news for us.”
Rocque, who was ranked sixth in the CTRS rankings, was discouraged by the development, which effectively ends her team's curling season before it could even begin.
“It goes without saying that we are incredibly disappointed,” Rocque said.
“Not only will we not be at the Scotties this year, competing, but I am frustrated with the lack of transparency from Curling Canada around the exceptions that have been made for teams in the past.
“I understand that there is more than curling, especially taking into account the current pandemic. However, I want to ensure that future teams do not get penalized for being forced to change players or for seeking an opportunity.”
Zacharias and her teammates currently sit 11th in the CTRS rankings. All but two of the teams ahead of them are already in the 18-team field for the Scotties or are ineligible.
Manitoba's Tracy Fleury will get the first wild card spot and the second will go to Zacharias, unless No. 9 Suzanne Birt loses the Prince Edward Island provincial championship. Even if Birt does lose, which would be unexpected, Zacharias would be in the Scotties as the third wild card team.
If Birt loses P.E.I., she would still get in as the second wild card team, but if she wins, that spot will go to Beth Peterson of Winnipeg, who is 12th in the CTRS rankings.
On the men's side, the Curling Canada decision means fourtime world champion Glenn Howard of Ontario, who is ninth in the CTRS rankings, will get the third wild card spot. The other two will go to Mike Mcewen of Winnipeg (No. 5) and Kevin Koe of Calgary (No. 6).
Curling Canada had previously announced intentions to fill out the 18-team fields for the Brier and Scotties with 14 teams representing member associations, Team Canada (Einarson and Brad Gushue this year), plus three wild cards.
It originally announced that only the first two wild card teams would be picked based entirely on CTRS points, which left the door open for teams that had changed personnel to have a crack at the third spot.
However, Friday's announcement slammed that door shut.
The Curling Canada ruling is a real blow for Rocque, in particular. Her team last year was ranked sixth in CTRS, while her two new team members — Dana Ferguson and Rachelle Brown — came over from the Chelsea Carey team, which was ranked fifth.
There's no question the team has what it takes to be highly competitive in the Scotties, but Curling Canada is sticking to its guns with the three-of-four rule.