2010 Tankard schedule released, tickets available
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Napanee Guide
September 24, 2009
It won't be long until the guttural strains of "hurry, hard" will reverberate in the rafters of the Strathcona, as preparations have now begun in earnest for the 2010 Ontario Curling Association's Ontario Men's Curling Championship, aka The Tankard, which will take over the Napanee sports complex Feb. 1 to 7.
Eleven of the best curling teams from across the province will converge on Napanee, in hopes of winning the prestigious Tankard, and going on to represent the province at the 2010 Brier in Halifax.
For the first time at an Ontario championship, the defending champion has been awarded an automatic berth into the 2010 event, so that means Glenn Howard, multiple-time world champion, and his foursome from the Coldwater and District Curling Club will be coming to Napanee ... if he doesn't earn a berth in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics first.
If that happens later this curling season, Howard's rink will be replaced by that of Peter Corner, who finished second at the 2009 Tankard.
Officials with the 2010 event released the schedule late last week.
It will have the preliminary round running from Monday, Feb. 1 to Friday, Feb. 5. Tie breakers and Page playoff games will take place on Saturday, Feb. 6, while both the semi-final and final games will take place on Sunday, Feb. 7.
On Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 1 and 2, draws will take place at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Three draws will be held on Wednesday, at 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., while draws will be held Thursday and Friday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. A tie breaker would be held at midnight on Friday if necessary, while two other tie breakers will be held Saturday morning at 9 a.m., if three tie breakers are necessary. If only one or two tie breakers are needed, then they will both happen Saturday morning.
The Page game or another tiebreaker would be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the Special Olympics, Ontario Curling Association (OCA) final at 5 p.m., and the second Page playoff game at 7 p.m.
The semifinals will take place on Sunday at 9:30 a.m., followed by the finals at 2 p.m.
For more information on the schedule, visit www.2010Tankard.com/EventSchedule.
Full tournament and weekend passes are now available by calling 613-354-4423, or by visiting www.2010Tankard.com/Tickets.
Past winners of the Tankard include Howard, Wayne Middaugh, and Mike Harris.
The event is being hosted by the Napanee and District Curling Club, and the Napanee Sports Association, in partnership with the Town of Greater Napanee.
It is sponsored by Century 21 Lanthorn Real Estate, BMO Bank of Montreal, Lafarge Canada, Waste Management, My Fm, CKWS Television, the Napanee Guide, and PELA CFDC.
Eight rinks come out of the regionals, which will be held Jan. 9-10. Two more rinks will come out of the challenge rounds, Jan. 15-18.
The only downside to giving an automatic berth to the Ontario champion is that Howard, who has won the past four Ontario titles, might not get to use it.
The former Brier and world champion is contending for the Canadian men's Olympic curling berth in Vancouver.
His rink will play for that honour Dec. 6-13 in Edmonton. If Howard is successful in that quest, the berth to Napanee's Ontario championship will fall to Peter Corner of Burlington, the runner-up to Howard last year.
Corner is also a past world champion, playing on the front end for Russ Howard. He also skipped an Ontario rink to the Brier in 2000.
The Page playoffs begin on the Saturday afternoon (Feb. 6). The semifinal and final are the following day.
For more information on the provincial championship, go to www.2010tankard.com/eventschedule or call 613-354-4423.