Crawl out to Colwood because the house will be rockin’ next spring.
The best men’s curlers in the world are coming to The Q Centre for the Elite 10, utilizing a unique match-play format, that will be played March 16-20, 2016.
It’s part of the Pinty’s Grand Slam, curling’s mega tour with a purse of $1.5 million over seven events in 2015-16. That is expected to be kicked northward to $2.5 million over eight events for 2016-17.
The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling has been owned and operated by Sportsnet since 2012. It is part of the World Curling Tour and features the top rinks from Canada and other curling-playing nations.
The 2015-16 Grand Slam begins with the GSOC Tour Challenge from Sept. 8-13 in Paradise, N.L, and continues with The Masters from Oct. 27-Nov. 1 in Truro, N.S. Both of those are men’s and women’s tournaments.
The men’s National will be held Nov. 11-15 in Oshawa, Ont. followed by the men’s and women’s Canadian Open from Dec. 8-13 in Yorkton, Sask. After that, it’s the Elite 10 men’s at The Q Centre next March.
The sites for the final two stops — the Players’ Championship from April 12-17, 2016, and Champions Cup from April 26-May 1, 2016 — have yet to be determined.
“Canada’s appetite for premium curling coverage continues to grow at a great rate,” Scott Moore, president of Sportsnet and NHL Properties, said in a Sportsnet media release in January, which announced the dates of the series but not the venues.
“Sportsnet remains committed to growing the sport in Canada, adding more events to Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling that shine the spotlight on both international and homegrown talent while elevating the profile of curling’s up-and-coming stars in communities across the country.”
In the same Sportsnet release, the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics gold-medallist skip Brad Jacobs said: “The addition of more Grand Slam of Curling events is amazing for us curlers, as the Slams contain the best teams, most prize money, best ice surfaces and most CTRS points. It gives the fans more curling to watch in the arenas and at home.”
Jacobs is no stranger to Greater Victoria, having placed second to Sweden at the 2013 world championship held at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, before winning Olympic gold the following year at Sochi.
The sport is a popular pastime on the Island and Victoria is no stranger to hosting major curling events, having hosted the Ford men’s world championships in 2013 and 2005, Scotties Canadian women’s championships in 2009 and 1974 and the Brier Canadian men’s championships in 1984 and 1958.
In addition, the Victoria Curling Classic, a former stop on the World Curling Tour, brought many of the best shooters in the world to compete at The Q Centre and Archie Browning Sports Centre over eight years from to 2006 to 2013.
Keith Dagg, chairman and co-chairman, respectively, of the 2005 and 2013 world men’s championships, is not involved in the Pinty’s Grand Slam stop in Colwood, but said the announcement is tremendous news for the sport on the Island.
“This is awesome. The best curlers in the world will be back in Victoria. We couldn’t ask for more,” said Dagg, chairman of the board of the Victoria Curling Foundation.
“Coming right after the [2016] Brier, it’s going to be a great event and a wonderful thing for curling on the Island. And match play is a whole new game, a very different and very exciting format. It’s where curling is going.”
