UPEI to compete in CIS/CCA Canadian University Curling Championship for first time
For the first time, the University of Prince Edward Island will send two teams to this year's Canadian Interuniversity Sport/Canadian Curling Association Curling Championship in Montreal from March 25 to 29.
The mens's team includes three members of this year's Canadian Junior championship and World Junior silver medallist rink. The women's team, skipped by Sarah Clow, curls regularly out of the Cornwall Curling Club and finished in the top three in this year's provincial juniors.
"UPEI Athletics is proud to send two teams to compete at the 2009 CIS/CCA Curling Championship,' says Ron Annear, director of athletics at UPEI. 'Both teams will represent the university and province very well. The emergence of university curling across Canada provides curling student athletes an exciting level of competition between the junior and open divisions."
Canadian junior champ Adam Casey will skip the men's team, with his regular teammates Anson Carmody at third, and Jamie Danbrook throwing lead stones. Business student Brett Gallant, who normally skips the rink, is sitting out this event. Nick van Ouwerkerk joins the team at second, with Jeff Wilson coaching. The Clow foursome includes Brielle Quilty at third, Christina Hennessey at second stone, and lead Courtney Moore. Angela Hodgson is head coach, assisted by Nancy Yeo.
For fans who want to see the weekend action rinkside on March 28 and 29, UPEI is offering a great travel package, including transportation on the eye-catching Trius Panther fan bus leaving on March 27 and returning on March 29. The cost is $100 per person for the bus, based on a minimum of 40 people; accommodation is available for $90 per room per night (double occupancy). To sign up, please contact Carol Heartz, UPEI Athletics Department, at 566-0432.
Now in its second year, the championship, sponsored by The Dominion General Insurance Company (The Dominion), will be held at the Royal Montreal and the Montreal West curling clubs.
Round robin play gets underway at 8 am Wednesday morning, March 25, and wraps up with a noon draw on Saturday. Twelve teams, from the ten provinces, plus two additional Ontario teams, are taking part in both the men's and women's divisions. The top teams from each of two men's and women's round robin pools will then play the second-place team of the opposite pool in the semi-finals, which go Saturday at 4 p.m. (men's) and Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. (women's). The semi-final winners will then square off in the gold medal games on Sunday at 2 p.m. All times are Eastern.
The winning teams will advance to the 2010 Karuizawa International Curling Championships, which take place late February in Japan. The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, skipped by Mike Anderson and Holly Nicol, are the defending champions, winning both the men's and women's titles respectively last year.
Live results will be available at universitysport.ca and PEICurling.com.
Photo: UPEI men's CIS Championship team (left to right): Jeff Wilson (Coach), Jamie Danbrook, Nick van Ouwerkerk, Anson
Carmody, Adam Casey. Submitted photo.
