CANADA CUP OF CURLING – MORNING CUP - March 2009 - Page 1
'ALLAGHER #ENTRE s -ARCH
The
Morning Cup
Presented by
THE NEWS REVIEW
Official Newspaper of the Canada Cup of Curling
Scott Pfeifer (left) and Dave Nedohin apply some friction with their brushes Friday at the Canada Cup. Their team, skipped by Randy Ferbey of Edmonton, was one of eight teams that qualified for the playoffs starting today at the Gallagher Centre. See story, Page 2.
Page 2 - CANADA CUP OF CURLING – MORNING CUP - March 2009
Old foes renew hostilities Martin, Ferbey back at each otherʼs throats By LARRY WOOD Morning Cup Editor
K
Kevin Martin saw his amazing winning streak finally come to an end Friday.
Building community. Building life skills. Building character.
SGI CANADA – proud to support community sports.
www.sgicanada.ca
evin Martin vs. Randy Ferbey? Or vice-versa? How original! Between the two of them, they’ve dominated all the previous Canada Cup finals and have won five of the six. Heading into this morning’s Canada Cup playoff action on the men’s side of the draw, the long-time Edmonton rivals emerged as winners of the two round-robin sections on Friday and were headed for a showdown at 8:30 a.m. “We’ve adjusted to the ice and figured it out and the last few games we’ve been getting better and SEE better so I think we’re in a good posiRESULTS, tion right now,” said Page 10 Dave Nedohin, lastrock chucker for the four-time Canadian champion Ferbey unit. The playoff sends the winner to the championship final on Sunday night and the loser to the semi-final today at 7:30 p.m. “We played him (Martin) three times in provincials and had some good games and probably should have won one or two of them,” said Nedohin. “But he’s playing really, really well. He’s on a roll. We were there a few years ago, we know what it’s like. “We came to the Canada Cup one time after winning the Brier and right before going to Victoria for the Worlds and kind of looked and said, ‘how fast can we get out of
here’? And we won the thing. It’s just when momentum is going well for you, it’s going well for you.” Wayne Middaugh’s Toronto outfit handed Martin his first loss in 23 games following 13 wins in the Brier, five provincial championship wins and four in this Canada Cup Middaugh erased a 4-3 deficit with three in the seventh end and hung on to put an end to the Martin streak. As result, Middaugh finished his group with a 3-and-2 record and will play Jeff Stoughton of Winnipeg this morning in a sudden-death Page playoff with the winner advancing to the semi-final at 7:30 p.m.
MEN In addition, the Middaugh win cancelled defending champion Kevin Koe’s hopes of continuing. Koe was 3-and-2 in a section in which Ferbey and Stoughton each turned in 4-and-1 records. “You know momentum ends at some point,” said Nedohin of the Martin skein. “We are not intimidated by them by any means. And they’ve struggled this week. They’ve pulled at least three games out of the fire. So, for us, we just go play like we are and don’t worry about the opposition so much but . . . to beat them would be nice. “It’s karma. Good things happen to you when you’re on a roll. And they (Martin) certainly are the best team in the world right now and good things are happening for them all the time.
PLEASE SEE MEN P11
CANADA CUP OF CURLING – MORNING CUP - March 2009 - Page 3
Kelowna skip Kelly Scott (second from right) got herself in a bit of a jam Friday, so she called in the help of everybody to discuss the situation.
Larouche, Kleibrink excel By LARRY WOOD Morning Cup Editor
Q
uebec’s Marie-France Larouche and Calgary’s Shannon Kleibrink hung tough during final-round scuffling in Canada Cup women’s preliminaries at the Gallagher Centre on Friday night and qualified for this morning’s Page One-One playoff tilt. Each team logged a 4-1 record in their respective round-robin section. Their playoff game rewards the winner with a
WOMEN bye to the championship final on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. while the loser plays the semi-final this afternoon at 3 p.m. Larouche left no doubt of her superiority in her section by routing Amber Holland of Regina 9-2 on Friday night. On an adjacent sheet, Kleibrink and her team survived a gut-clencher, stealing the 7-6 winner in an extra end over winless Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont. Kleibrink maintained control in this one until
Middaugh posted a go-ahead deuce in the ninth end and held her foe to a tying single coming home. In the extra, Middaugh needed a full in-turn comearound draw to the four-foot but was inches out. Earlier in the day, the immaculate Kleibrink team ousted former two-time Canadian champion Kelly Scott of Kelowna 11-6. Larouche, previously unbeaten, lost a 6-5 decision to Saskatchewan champion Stefanie Lawton of Saskatoon. At press time on Friday night, Mary-Anne Arsenault of Halifax and Michelle Englot of Regina were entangled in a sudden-death tiebreaker with the winner advancing to the 8:30
a.m. sudden-death playoff against Calgary’s Cheryl Bernard who won twice on Friday to stay alive. Arsenault whaled Scott 7-3 in the afternoon to amass a 3-and-2 round-robin record while Englot flunked out in an attempt to avoid a tiebreaker by losing 11-4 to Lawton on the nightshift. Bernard defeated Arsenault 11-6 Friday morning and then sidelined Cathy King of Edmonton 10-9 in a wild extra-end afternoon tiff. “We thought we’d be playing tiebreakers all night,” said Bernard.
PLEASE SEE WOMEN P11
A Message from Curt Vossen President, Richardson International Limited Richardson International is proud to be the Official Presenting Sponsor of the 2009 Canada Cup of Curling in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Throughout its 152-year existence, Richardson International has maintained a strong connection to communities throughout Western Canada, including the Yorkton area. Winter sports, and especially curling, are emblematic of life on the Canadian Prairies, as are the orange coloured Richardson Pioneer grain elevators. Our sponsorship of the 2009 Canada Cup of Curling provides a unique opportunity to highlight and celebrate the relationship between our business and one of our favourite pastimes. Our company has evolved and expanded significantly over the course of its existence. That growth is best exemplified in the Yorkton area. Our grain business has grown by 50% through the recent acquisition of numerous grain elevators and ag business centres throughout Western Canada, including Yorkton. In 2010, Richardson Oilseed will open its new canola processing plant in the Rural Municipality of Orkney. This new plant will triple Richardson Oilseed’s current canola oil production and will produce food quality canola oil destined throughout the World. While the nature of our business has changed over our long history, our commitment to supporting the communities in which we operate and our employees live continues to be one of our core principles. We are very pleased to be involved in the growth of your community and our sponsorship of the 2009 Canada Cup of Curling is one way to show our appreciation of your ongoing support. On behalf of Richardson International, I congratulate the organizing committee and the numerous volunteers involved in the hosting of the 2009 Canada Cup of Curling. Having grown up in Yorkton and knowing first-hand the capacities of its citizens, I have no doubt that this will be a world-class event. To all competitors, sponsors and fans, I wish you a great week of curling!
www.richardson.ca
Page 4 - CANADA CUP OF CURLING – MORNING CUP - March 2009
EDITOR Larry Wood ASSOCIATE EDITOR Dave Komosky PHOTOGRAPHER Mike Burns Jr. PUBLISHED BY The News Review
The Wood file
Russ Howard (above right) is starting to settle nicely into a career in the broadcast booth with TSNʼs Vic Rauter. That could leave Jamie Grattan (right) with a fourman team and back on the teehead.
Y
ou may have noticed something missing Friday at the Canada Cup.
Well, actually, someone! If you were barging into the Gallagher Centre with a hope of glimpsing long-time Brier legend Russ Howard, you were disappointed. In the wake of an 0-and-3 start, Howard skipped town Thursday night and flew to Summerside, P.E.I., where the Canadian senior championships open on Saturday. Funny thing happened in his absence Friday morning. Third James Grattan was elevated to skip and executed a couple of big last-end shots to defeat Wayne Middaugh and give Howard’s entry its first win in four Canada Cup games. “I think Russ was pretty tired,” said Grattan later. “Even for him — he’s always been busy with curling — but I think in his own words he has called his schedule ‘a gong show’. Ever since Christmas he hasn’t stopped — curling, TV, curling, TV, curling, TV, curling.” And there’s more on the horizon. Following Summerside, where he hopes to avenge a championship final loss to Saskatoon’s Eugene Hritzuk a year ago, Howard moves home to Moncton and the TSN booth for the Ford Worlds. But never mind the 53-year-old Howard. His vice-skip, 19 years his junior, is as enthusiastic about the game as Russ ever was. “I never get tired of this,” said Grattan, whose first competitive appearance was a New Brunswick skipping gem at the 1997 Brier in Calgary. “I love this. I love com-
Larry WOOD
peting against these guys and, out east, we don’t get to try out for these big events very often. “The end of the year, if you’re lucky you’ll make it to a Brier. We were lucky to qualify for this (Canada Cup) back in December. So this is one we’ve been looking forward to all year and when you’re looking forward to it you just love to be out there playing.” Matter of fact, Grattan now is canvassing teams bound for next weekend’s Bear Mountain Classic in Victoria. “I’m good to go,” he said. “I’m going to throw my name out there and see if anybody needs a spare. Hey, it’s a grind, but I’m not complaining.” Grattan is an Air Canada customer service agent at Fredericton airport and “can
always make arrangements with the job”. “Fortunately,” he says, “I work all summer so I usually have room to take a lot of time off in the winter. Everybody else at work wants the summers off and I’m the exact opposite so it works out pretty well for curling.” The moot question with this team now, of course, is Howard’s future plans. Does he retire to the TV booth or continue to scrap on the ice lanes with this five-man unit? “We haven’t had the official talk yet but when we talked over summer to officially set up this five-man team it was kind of a two-year plan,” said Grattan.
PLEASE SEE WOOD P6
Grattan ponders curling future that could be without old warhorse at his side
CANADA CUP OF CURLING – MORNING CUP - March 2009 - Page 5
WELCOME TO YORKTON Curlers and Fans We hope you enjoy your stay
A Field of Dreams March 18 - 22
115 -41 Broadway W. - Yorkton
786-6636
Yorkton Co-op Gas Bar
Official Fuel Supplier of the 2009 Canada Cup of Curling
Welcome Curlers and Fans! 305 Broadway St. W. Yorkton 783-5603 Shannon Kleibrink is a fan favourite in Yorkton this week.
Kleibrink Pellyʼs favourite comes curler back among her ‘home’ supporters By LARRY WOOD Morning Cup Editor
E
verywhere she goes at the Gallagher Centre this week, Shannon Kleibrink is surrounded by supporters. Arguably, the smooth-shooting Calgary skip is the Canada Cup women’s curling favourite every time she steps on the ice. “I’m pretty close to home,” she said, moments after a session of photos and autographs at the back end of the Farrell Agencies icehouse where competitors file out on the way to their dressing rooms. “I was born in Norquay but I lived in Pelly until I was six years old,” Kleibrink confided. Everybody in these parts knows Norquay is north and a shade east of Yorkton and Pelly is the next stop east on Highway 43 to Benito and Swan River in Manitoba. Kleibrink, who lost last year’s Scotties final to Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, is the current season’s Canadian Team Ranking
System points leader and one of two women’s qualifiers, along with her lineup of third Amy Nixon, second Bronwen Webster and lead Chelsey Bell, for the Canadian Olympic curling trials at Edmonton in December. Jones is the other qualifier. “I just met about 10 people from Pelly,” said Kleibrink. “I don’t know them because I can’t remember that far back to when I was six. But they’re all from Pelly and they’re great. I still get lots of letters from people there. “And they put a sign up in the village – Home of Shannon Kleibrink — so we have lots of supporters.” Kleibrink, of course, won a bronze medal at the Torino Olympics as Canada’s representative but she’s not sure she’s in favour of the current revamped system to decide a team for 2010. “There’s no question the Olympic process has changed curling,” she said.
PLEASE SEE KLEIBRINK P8
SIGA and the Painted Hand Casino welcomes all the participants of the Canada Cup of Curling to the City of Yorkton. Don’t forget to visit the new Painted Hand Casino!
510 Broadway St. W, Yorkton, SK, S3N 0P3 Phone: (306) 786-6777
Page 6 - CANADA CUP OF CURLING – MORNING CUP - March 2009
Wood From Page 4 “Russ’s first goal was to get (his son) Stevie to the Brier. And maybe now that we’ve accomplished that first-year plan something will crop up for Year Two. We’ll figure it out. But the intent with this team, for me, was to get Stevie hooked up with us and try to ride with him for awhile. He’s been playing well, he’s a big-game player, he plays superbly in these bigger games and I’m looking forward to getting a long-term arrangement with him more than anything else. “After Russ, I like Jason’s (Vaughan’s) attitude, he was with us at the Brier, and Pete Case. I’ve been tight with those guys for three years and we were just missing one player. We eyeballed Stevie as a person who had similar goals and, to start with, Russ had to come along with that package initially. I joked with Russ over the summer, I told him I really wanted Stevie, not him. “But it has worked out well. Stevie’s got a lot of good experience under his belt this season . . . he played third for us today and that was even better . . .” Yorkton’s Gerry Adam, a regular with Davidson’s Pat Simmons, filled in for Howard. “I think Russ was missing being up in the booth,” Grattan said of the recent Brier venture in Calgary. “By all accounts he’s pretty good at it, too. So I wouldn’t be surprised if he leans in that direction. I think he’s going to have some decisions to make once everything’s calmed down. “I’ve never put pressure on the guy. Last summer I told him, ‘listen, if you play one game or 100 I could care less. Whatever you want to do is fine with me. If anything, that may prompt him to play whenever he wants to, or if he wants to at all. We have four guys so I’m not going to put any pressure on the guy. Based on that he might play another year. He’d make a helluva fifth to take to a Brier.” Grattan has no qualms about returning to the teehead, although he admits to having been somewhat shaken after last year’s 2-and-9 Brier debacle at Winnipeg. “Yeah, we didn’t play well at the Brier last year and I was sick and it just seemed to snowball,” he recalled. “I think that had a lot to do with my decision to call up Russ and say, ‘listen, I’ve been lucky enough to get to the Brier seven times now but I’m tired of going there and getting kicked’. This year we wound up being one of the competing teams. We were there until the last draw. I think that’s all we could ask for. “I’m confident enough in myself that I can compete at this level. It’s just a matter of finding three guys that are on that same page. Out east it’s a little tough with numbers. “A good thing about having Russ on the squad is that we had less trouble lining up sponsors and that’s a big thing when it comes
Gerry Adam played a fill-in role. to travelling to these ’spiels. We spent a lot this year and actually made a little bit. And that’s all we want to do out east is kind of break even and get out here to do what we all want to do. “It’ll be tougher if Russ isn’t with us but the last few years without him we’ve actually done a few ’spiels out west. Because I work for Air Canada it helps with the flight costs. I use that as much as I can.” Another hitch, poor ice, has been a bugbear for Russ Howard since he moved to New Brunswick. “We don’t get enough practice on this (Canada Cup) kind of ice,” agreed Grattan. “We’ve got a bad situation with the ice out east and it always takes us a few games at the Brier to learn a new release and how to cope with it. Russ doesn’t exaggerate. It is tough to deal with. “We have an icemaker, Chris Tapley, who has worked a couple of Briers and makes a good surface, one of the best sliding surfaces I’ve ever played on. But it’s just that the rocks in these facilities back home are so old. He gets no help from the rocks. If they had that situation out here they’d just sandpaper the rocks every now and then and give ’em some good curl. “We’ve actually tested it. There’s one club in New Brunswick that’s sandpapered the rocks and if you played those rocks on the ice surfaces here it’d be just like this. We’ve done it on Chris’s surfaces. The difference is 100 per cent. What does that tell you? “But every time you mention the word sandpaper back home they think it’s a word from hell.”
SASKATCHE-WIN! DALE BRACKEN 81 BROADWAY ST E, YORKTON SK S3N 0L1 PH: 306-782-2486
Everyone wins with Saskatchewan Lotteries! Every time you purchase a ticket you have a chance to win great prizes. And the proceeds benefit 12,000 sport, culture, recreation and community groups in Saskatchewan.
Buy your tickets today and help Saskatche-win!
www.sasklotteries.ca
Outstanding Agents. Outstanding Results. Re/Max Blue Chip Realty “OFFICIAL BRONZE SPONSOR OF THE 2009 CANADA CUP OF CURLING” “WITH AGENTS ACROSS THE PARKLAND” Call a member of our team today 783-6666
CANADA CUP OF CURLING – MORNING CUP - March 2009 - Page 7
Making a difference in Saskatchewan for over 125 years.
Proud sponsor of the 2009 Canada Cup of Curling Information Services Corporation (ISC) is the provincial Crown corporation responsible for the administration of land titles, vital statistics, survey and personal property registries, as well as related geographic information and mapping systems.
atch Canada Cup of Curling action on Max Local on Demand, Channel 48.
SATURDAY MARCH 21 Television for you, by you. Max Local on Demand showcases people, places and events across Saskatchewan. To submit videos or program ideas and for more information visit sasktel.com.
Entertainment starts after the evening draw
(in the Flexi Hall)
NOON Lasagna with caesar salad and garlic toast SUPPER Country fried chicken with perogies $8 per person (GST included) All meals served with salad bar of at least 8 salads Coffee, tea and water Served on paper plates
CIMCO Refrigeration welcomes all participants and fans to the ...
GET IN ON ALL THE ACTION
We’re East Central Saskatchewan’s Headquarters for High Definition Plasma and LCD Televisions. Expert set-up and installation.
CIMCO Refrigeration is the largest and most experienced ice rink refrigeration company in the world. From a local curling club to a national championship, you can count on CIMCO for quality installation and service.
OFFICIAL SUPPLIER OF SAMSUNG TELEVISIONS & CELL PHONES
44 DRACUP AVE. YORKTON
(306) 782-6677 www.audiowarehouse.sk.ca www.cimcorefrigeration.com
Page 8 - CANADA CUP OF CURLING – MORNING CUP - March 2009
Kleibrink From Page 5 “This definitely has been a longer grind. I think it’s better to have a two-year process rather than three because three is a really long time to stay at the top of your game and play every single weekend. Especially for women because a lot of them want to have kids and there’s no room in that four-year span to have a baby. It’s tough. You have to try to fit it around curling and, often, it doesn’t work. “I mean, there’s no babies on our team, not until 2010. “But we’re thinking two years would probably be better. You’ll still get your best teams. Maybe even be more certain of it.” Even though she won the last trials, she wasn’t in favour of that system, either. “I didn’t like it — if you won one of the designated ’spiels or competitions you were in. I mean, you might reach five finals and be beaten by five different teams and you might not get your best team out of that. “What happened to us last time was, we won the Autumn Gold designated ’spiel in October and we were the first declared. Then we had no pressure so we won the next one, too. But the impetus isn’t the same.” No matter how other teams are regarding the seas o n next year,
Proud Sponsor of the Canada Cup of Curling
Their
energy is amazing. They arrive early. Leave late. They drive. Sweep. Chip in wherever they can. There’s no plaque, or podium, or certi½cate. They do it because they hope to make a difference, and they do. SaskEnergy is proud to sponsor the 2009 Canada Cup of Curling volunteers. Their energy makes this event possible.
1/7/09 1:27:11 PM
Proud to be a Sponsor of the 2009 Canada Cup of Curling
(Answers)
MONITORED PREMISES
6. Only five Saskatchewan skips have competed in the women’s section of the TODAY’S QUIZ Canada Cup. Can you name all five. 7. Likewise there have been only five QUESTION OF THE DAY: Saskatchewan men’s skips who have competed at the Canada Cup. Name them. One team has won three of the past six 8. Name skips from east of the OntarioCanada Cup competitions. Name the skip Quebec border who have competed in and his hometown. the Canada Cup men’s event and their 1. This is the first Canada Cup for hometowns. Yorkton. All previous events have been 9. How about skips from east of the played where? Ontrario-Quebec border who have com2. Only five players have thrown rocks in peted in the women’s event and their all six previous Canada Cup competihometowns. tions. Can you name all five? 10. Two skips share the honour of com3. While three teams have dominated peting in the most Canada Cup women’s men’s play in the Canada Cup, the competitions. Name the skips. women’s event has been won by six dif11. How many Canada Cups? ferent skips. How many of them are com12. Which Ontario skip doesn’t fit in this peting this year? category? Greg Balsdon, John Base, 4. Name them. Glenn Howard, Wayne Tuck, Ed 5. Now, how about those winning skips Werenich, Mike Harris, Peter Corner, that aren’t here this week? Wayne Middaugh.
8. Shawn Adams, Halifax; Mark Dacey, Halifax; Brad Gushue, St. John’s; Russ Howard, Moncton; JeanMichel Menard, St-Romuald. 9. Suzanne (Gaudet) Birt, Summerside, PEI; Sandy Comeau, Moncton; Cathy Cunningham, St. John’s; Virginia Jackson, Halifax; Colleen Jones, Halifax; Marie-France Larouche, StRomuald; Heather Smith-Dacey, Halifax; Heather Strong, St. John’s. 10. Shannon Kleibrink and Kelly Scott. 11. Five. 12. Ed Werenich is the only skip in this list who has not played in the Canada Cup.
Can’t rock this house.
Canada Cup trivia
QofD: Randy Ferbey, Edmonton 1. Kamloops, B.C. 2. Randy Ferbey, Kevin Koe, Dave Nedohin, Scott Pfeifer, Marcel Rocque. 3. Four are currently competing. 4. Sherry Middaugh, Shannon Kleibrink, Cathy King, Stefanie Lawton. 5. Colleen Jones, Jennifer Jones. 6. Sherry Anderson, Jan Betker, Michelle Englot, Stefanie Lawton, Patti Herzikorn. 7. Glen Despins, Brad Heidt, Brian Humble, Joel Jordison, Pat Simmons.
3312 Morning Cup ad.indd 1
Kleibrink plans business as usual. “Everybody says the following year will be a nothing year. But it’s not a nothing year. It’ll be just as hard to get to the Scotties and you’re trying just as hard. In fact, it may be the best year to try. “I guess if you’re just in it for the Olympic thing, then there might be some teams folding or taking a year off or not playing as much. And some ’spiels are shutting down because they interfere with the Olympic pretrials or they don’t think they’ll draw enough teams just before the pre-trials.” That doesn’t bode well for Kleibrink or any other team already qualified and looking to hone a sharp edge. “We’re not sure exactly what we’re going to do if there’s a shortage of competition,” she said. “We’re a team that loves to ’spiel so we’ll go into as many things as we can. But there might be a problem finding as many competitions prior to December as we’d like.” Kleibrink wouldn’t mind angling her way into a Canada Cup playoff match here against fellow Calgarian Cheryl Bernard who slammed closed the Alberta door to the Scotties earlier in the winter. Revenge can be a sweet thing. “As it turned out, points-wise, the right teams won for us at the Scotties so we qualified for the trials anyway,” said Kleibrink. “But it would have nice to have been able to go there and earn that ourselves. It was a little bit anticlimactic. But we’ll take it.”
CANADA CUP OF CURLING – MORNING CUP - March 2009 - Page 9
The broadcast crew of Heath Mulligan (far right) and Lyle Myers has been on the air for every draw at the Canada Cup. The whole production is orchestrated by Saskatoonʼs Russ Besenski.
On the ice and on
THE AIR
TV production company grows up fast to show fans curling events
By DAVE KOMOSKY Morning Cup Associate Editor
R
uss Besenski had a unique challenge thrown in his lap prior to this curling season. How do you build a crack TV curling production team in a matter of months? “Yeah, pretty much from the ground floor up,” says Besenski, describing the organizing challenge of putting the elite curling events in Saskatchewan on the air this winter. Besenski, a producer and production co-ordinator for Media Group of Saskatoon, was faced with the task when his company moved in to fill the void after Global TV announced it was dropping out of the picture to cover the provincial men’s and women’s championships due to production costs. With Global on the sidelines, Media Group entered into an agreement with SaskTel to put the events on the SaskTel Max Local on Demand channel, and the heat was on to put together a production crew with zero TV curling experience or little of the equipment necessary to do the job. Now into their third and final event this season — the Canada Cup of Curling in Yorkton — Besenski and his team have met the challenge beautifully. “I’m really proud of the way everything came together,” says Besenski, who has orchestrated the production of this event plus the provincial men’s and women’s championships this winter. “All I can say is we have a terrific crew and that’s why it all works.”: Besenski has a crew of 11 people in Yorkton, including a technical producer, switcher, director, audio person, cameramen, a graphics person, production assistant and two on-air announcers. Together, they have covered this event from the first rock, doing every draw, including four the opening day. Their work continues into Saturday with one playoff game before finally giving way to TSN which will do the two men’s and women’s championship games.
The broadcasts have been shown live in-house at the Gallagher Centre but are available on a 24-hour delay on SaskTel Max Local on Demand. The quality has been just what Besenski wanted from the start: a first-class, professional production. So how’d he do it, in such a short period of time? “We were fortunate, in some ways,” says Besenski. “We didn’t have anything in terms of overhead cameras, or anything like that. We had to go out and lease a lot of equipment.” He was able to secure cameras from Global, and scooped up two of its employees who had experience in curling TV production. Besenski was also able to tap into the extensive TV production experience of Ken Adolph, owner of Media Group. Put it all together and Besenski and his crew was off and running. The crew’s first event was the provincial Scotties in Swift Current, which came off without a hitch “It went very well,” says Besenski. “We were pleasantly surprised, but it goes back to our crew and their past experience. “The toughest challenge there was being inside an actual curling club and not a hockey rink. It was a bit of a challenge because it was so tight for camera positions. But our crew is just awesome and flexible enough that they take what they have and make the best of it.” The same can be said for the situation in Yorkton. The production room in the Gallagher Centre is cramped, to say the least, but they have crammed in five guys with their equipment with just enough room to get in and out. And because there’s five sheets, and not four, in operation at the Canada Cup, space is tight for the two cameramen out in the ice location. “Logistics has been our biggest concern here,” says Besenski. “It’s our first time working closely with TSN and they have been great. Whenever you deal with someone of that calibre for the first time, you’re always concerned about how they’re going to react. That was the biggest hurdle, getting things straightened out so we weren’t bumping into them and them into us.”
But the pictures, graphics and audio have been seamless. Besenski has been particularly pleased with the work of the onair team of play-by-play announcer Heath Mulligan of Muenster and former provincial men’s champion Lyle Myers of St. Gregor, who is handling the colour and interviews. “An amazing job by the crew on Wednesday, especially the on-air guys,” says Besenski. “To talk curling for 11 hours — that’s amazing.” The production crew honed its skills in Meadow Lake for the provincial men’s Tankard, and finish its commitment with the Canada Cup. “One of the great things about all these places is the community is behind us and happy to see us,” says Besenski. “They know we’re not a news crew out to get the dirt on somebody. We’re out to make everybody look good. And make the events look great. And we get nothing but support from these communities.” They are also getting great feedback from the folks inside the Gallagher Centre watching the in-house feed in the Patch, and consumers across the province who are tuning into the tapedelayed broadcasts. “The numbers were huge for the first four games that went up on the channel,” says Besenski. “Obviously a lot of people from the four coners of the province can’t be here and want to watch. But we feel that (numbers) has a lot to do with what we’re doing here.” Media Group of Saskatoon has another year in the agreement with SaskTel and Besenski is hoping that things will grow and they will be able to provide a live show to the whole of the province. “Hopefully the numbers will be good enough that we can go out and purchase some equipment in the future,” he says. “We’re very close to live now in terms of production. It’s all part of the evolution process.” It’s been a labour of love for Besenski and his crew. “It’s long days and it’s been stressful, but it’s been fun,” he says. “I’d do it again next week. It’s very rewarding when you hear back from SaskTel and hear they’re loving it.”
Page 10 - CANADA CUP OF CURLING – MORNING CUP - March 2009
LINESCORES FRIDAY DRAW 8 9 a.m. WOMEN Cheryl Bernard (b) 222 Masry-Anne Arsenault (a) 000 S P % BERNARD 69 201 73
002 220
102 020 S ARSEN. 72
x x
— 11 — 6 P % 218 76
Marie-France Larouche (b) 000 Stefanie Lawton (b) 011 S P % LAROUCHE 80 213 67
020 102
021 100 S LAW. 77
x x
— —
Kelly Scott (a) Shannon Kleibrink (a) S P SCOTT 72 208
101 010
020 303 S KLEIB. 72
x x
201 020
03x 10x S STOU. 64
x x
020 102
2 0
020 202 % 72
P 245
5 6 % 80
— 6 — 11 P % 239 83
MEN Randy Ferbey (b) Jeff Stoughton (b) S FERBEY 64
030 002 P 229
Russ Howard (a) Wayne Middaugh (a) S P HOWARD 80 241
% 89 102 020 % 75
200 021 S MIDD. 80
— — P 203 — — P 244
9 5 % 79
Kerry Burtnyk (b) Kevin Koe (b) S BURTNYK 64 Ted Appelman (b) Jeff Stoughton (b) S APP. 88
010 202 P 279
% 87 020 201
P 195
% 76 030 102
P 246
011 100 S FERBEY 80
KOE
% 70
10x 03x S 64
101 010
020 103 S STOU. 88
0 1
— — P 289
x x
— — P 212
7 8 % 90 4 9 % 83
10 — 8 01 — 9 P % 267 76
Kelly Scott (a) 001 Mary-Anne Arsenault (a) 010 S P % SCOTT 77 245 80
020 201 S ARSEN. 75
x x
Cathy King (b) Cheryl Bernard (b) S P KING 88 286
010 102
20 — 9 01 — 10 P % 296 85
% 81
POOL A W 4 3 2 2 1
Kevin Martin Wayne Middaugh Mike McEwen Brad Gushue Russ Howard
L 1 2 3 3 4
Shannon Kleibrink Michelle Englot Mary-Anne Arsenault Kelly Scott Sherry Middaugh
W 4 3 3 2 0
L 1 2 2 3 5
W 4 3 2 2 2
L 1 2 3 3 3
POOL B
POOL B W 4 4 3 1 1
Jeff Stoughton Randy Ferbey Kevin Koe Kerry Burtnyk Ted Appelman
L 1 1 2 4 4
Marie-France Larouche Cheryl Bernard Amber Holland Cathy King Stefanie Lawton
DRAW 10 6 p.m.
000 111
410 002 S BERN. 87
Steafanie Lawton (b) Michelle Englot (a) S P LAWTON 64 204
200 021 % 80
301 010
32x 0xx S ENGLOT 64
x x
— 11 — 4 P % 193 75
204 010
— —
Marie-France Larouche (b) 030 Amber Holland (b) 001 S P % LAROUCHE 48 169 88
xxx xxx S HOLL. 48
x x
Shannon Kleibrink (a) Sherry Middaugh (a) S P KLEIB. 88 279
020 102
100 002 S MIDD. 88
11 — 7 00 — 6 P % 251 71
010 002
300 001 S MARTIN 80
1 0
004 410
x x
101 010 % 79
P 127
9 2 % 66
MEN
WOMEN
001 130
POOL A
WOMEN
202 020
100 012
WOMEN
9 8 % 76
DRAW 9 1:30 p.m. MEN Mike McEwen (a) Randy Ferbey (b) S McEWEN 80
MEN
— — P 238
3 7 % 79
Wayne Middaugh (a) Kevin Martin (a) S P MIDD. 79 263 Brad Gushue (a) Russ Howard (a) S HOLLAND 64
020 101 % 83 102 010
P 202
% 79
04x 20x S HOW. 64
— — P 278
7 5 % 87
— 11 — 8 P % 186 73
Jon Mead (left) and Scott Bailey get on the business end of a brush Friday at the Canada Cup.
PLAYOFFS
TODAY ON THE ICE
8:30 a.m. MEN Page 1-1 — Kevin Martin vs. Randy Ferbey; Page 2-2 Jeff Stoughton vs. Wayne Middaugh WOMEN Page 1-1 — Shannon Kleibrink vs. Marie-France Larouche; Page 2-2 Cheryl Bernard vs. winner of Mary-Anne Arsenault/Michelle Englot tiebreaker 3 p.m.
WOMEN’S SEMI-FINAL 7:30 p.m.
MEN’S SEMI-FINAL
CANADA CUP OF CURLING – MORNING CUP - March 2009 - Page 11
Men From Page 2 “For us, we just have to bear down and, you know, if breaks go their way a little bit, and they might continue to, we just have to keep playing well. “If we win, fine. If we don’t then we’re going to have another shot at getting back to him. That’s what’s nice about the position we’re in.” Mike McEwen of Winnipeg and Brad Gushue of St. John’s bit the dust with 2-3 records while Ted Appelman of Edmonton, Kerry Burtnyk of Winnipeg and the James Grattan-skipped Russ Howard entry from Oromocto, N.B., logged in at 1-4. Grattan won his team’s only match of the
piece Friday morning against Middaugh, 98, burying his last rock of the 10th end on the four-foot and then following with a tapback for a winning deuce after Middaugh couldn’t get his last brick hidden. “Actually,” said Grattan, “my first one in the first end kept us in it. I found a little hole and I thought if I missed that one the game’s over a lot quicker. But we managed to scrap for the first five ends and I thought we outplayed them the last five.” Gushue defeated Grattan 11-8 on the Friday night shift with four on the eighth end. In the afternoon, Ferbey ousted McEwen in a last-rock 8-7 thriller, Koe dumped Burtnyk 9-4 and Stoughton required an extra-end and a rally to subdue Appelman 98. Ferbey defeated Stoughton 9-5 in the morning.
PROUD SPONSOR
Welcome all Curlers and Fans 27 Second Ave. N., Yorkton, SK S3N 1G1 T. 306.782.6969 F. 306.786.6955 TOLL FREE: 1.800.782.6970 email: yorkton@quickprint.ca
www.quick-print.ca Post Office: 306.786.1866
WE ARE A FULL SERVICE FACILITY RESTAURANT HOURS • Monday - Saturday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday • 7 - 9
LUNCH TIME BUFFET • 11:30 - 1:30 SUNDAY BUFFET • 9 - 2
306-783-9781 to reserve tables EXCEPTIONAL EVENING DINING
Marie-France Larouche has made the playoffs with solid play in Yorkton.
Women From Page3 Arsenault, who throws last rocks with Kay Zinck skipping, was in top form in eliminating Scott from the scene. “We just outcurled them,” said the Halifax
sniper. “We knew it was a must win and the four of us put together a pretty cohesive game.” The Easterners stole four points en route to the decision. Bernard held a 7-2 lead on King after six but the Edmonton outfit replied with four in the seventh and a steal in the eighth before the teams traded deuces leading to the extra end where Bernard drew her last rock cold to the button with King lying a pair.
Page 12 - CANADA CUP OF CURLING – MORNING CUP - March 2009
Saskatchewan Canada’s Heartland
for a growing world
Come and visit a while
About Richardson The Richardson name stands for honesty and integrity in agriculture. By bringing our subsidiaries together under one trusted brand, we help customers to fully understand the scope of our integrated operations, strengthen our presence in the global marketplace and establish each of our subsidiaries as a unified team with a shared vision of growth.
Richardson International Limited proudly provides an influential global presence for Canadian producers. Renowned as a leader in the agriculture and food industry, Richardson International offers a world of expertise in grain handling, merchandising, logistics, crop inputs sales as well as oilseed processing and food service packaging. We are able to provide producers with everything they need to thrive in today’s demanding marketplace and serve as customers’ premier point of contact for Canadian grains and oilseeds. Meeting the needs of a growing world requires extensive experience, global vision and the ability to recognize new opportunities. For this reason, Richardson International continues to be actively involved in all aspects of the agriculture product cycle.
www.richardson.ca
Richardson International is pleased to be the Official Presenting Sponsor of the 2009 Canada Cup of Curling. We wish all of the competitors in this year’s Canada Cup of Curling the best of luck. To u r i s m S a s k a t c h e w a n / K e v i n H o g a r t h