James Richardson International to be Presenting Sponsor

The Canadian Curling Association today announced that James Richardson International (JRI) will be the Presenting Sponsor for the 2009 Canada Cup of Curling in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. The Canada Cup will be staged March 18-22, 2009 at the Farrell Agencies Arena in the Gallagher Centre and will be one of the last events to qualify teams for the 2009 Tim Hortons Canadian Curling Trials, December 6-13 in Edmonton, which will determine Canada’s representatives for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. The Canada Cup winners become part of a pool of 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams eligible for either a berth directly into the Trials or a berth into the pre-Trials qualifier, November 10-15 in Prince George, British Columbia. Winnipeg-based JRI, the largest subsidiary of James Richardson & Sons, Limited, operates Canada’s largest, privately-owned network of high-throughput elevators and high-efficiency port terminals. It is a recognized agribusiness market leader in grain handling, merchandising, crop inputs sales/services and canola oil processing/packaging. “James Richardson International is pleased to be the presenting sponsor of the 2009 Canada Cup,” said Kevin Jacobson, Director, Business Development, JRI. “We’re confident that the host committee and the City of Yorkton will stage a very successful event. Being a proud Canadian company with a history that spans more than 150 years of achievement, we at JRI know that agriculture and curling are both significant components of our communities. Today, we continue to build on our tradition by becoming involved in a very important competition in one of Canada’s most popular sports.” Ten men’s and 10 women’s teams will compete in the 2009 Canada Cup, presented by JRI, with the winners receiving berths into the Trials pool, in addition to earning $25,000 in prize money. Already qualified for the Cup are reigning world champions Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg and Kevin Martin of Edmonton, along with 2008 Strauss Canada Cup winners Kevin Koe of Edmonton, and Stefanie Lawton of Saskatoon. As the official broadcaster for the Canadian Curling Association’s Season of Champions, TSN will air 14 hours of Canada Cup coverage, including the women’s and men’s finals on Sunday, March 22. The Canada Cup has consistently attracted Trials-calibre fields since it began in 2003 in Kamloops, British Columbia. Edmonton’s Randy Ferbey has won three Cups, while Kevin Martin has taken two. Other women’s winners are Sherry Middaugh, Colleen Jones, Shannon Kleibrink, Cathy King and Jennifer Jones. Tickets for the 2009 Canada Cup are available online at Ticketmaster.ca, by calling the Ticketmaster Sports Line at 306-938-7800 (toll free 1-800-970-7328) or at the Gallagher Centre Box Office.