Ford Hot Shots now in its 16th season

For the 16th consecutive year, the popular Ford Hot Shots curling skills competition will be contested at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Sault Ste. Marie and the Tim Hortons Brier in Halifax. The pre-event shot-making competition requires curlers to execute six shots: Hit and Stay, Draw the Button, Draw the Port, The Raise, Hit and Roll and Double Takeout.  Each shot is awarded points on a scale from 0-5, rating the success of each. The Ford Hot Shots consists of a preliminary round, final eight, final four and final.  Four curlers per team can compete, including alternates.  Sweeping (qualifiers can select two sweepers) is permitted, beginning with the final eight. Ford of Canada will provide the winner of the Ford Hot Shots at both the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (January 30-February 7 in Sault Ste. Marie) and Tim Hortons Brier (March 6-14 in Halifax) with a two-year lease on a 2010 Ford Taurus SEL FWD, an approximate retail value in excess of $25,000. The vehicle features a 3.5L V6 engine with 6-speed SelectShift Automatic™ transmission with paddle shifters, MyKey™, heated folding exterior power side mirrors with puddle lamps, dual zone electronic automatic temperature control, SIRIUS Satellite Radio® with 6-month paid subscription, engine block heater, moonroof, leather wrapped steering wheel with speed control and audio control, Easy Fuel™ Capless Refueling, unique cloth heated front seats, power windows, locks and mirrors, and 18” fully painted sparkle 5-spoke aluminum wheels. For the Scotties Tournament of Hearts at the ESSAR Centre, the Ford Hot Shots preliminary round is scheduled for 1:10 pm – 4:40 pm ET on Friday, January 29.  The playoffs (Final Eight, Final Four, Final) begin at 1:15 pm ET on Saturday, January 30, following the Opening Ceremonies. For the Tim Hortons Brier at the Metro Centre, the Ford Hot Shots preliminary round will be held Friday, March 5 from 1:10 pm – 4:40 pm AT.  The playoffs (Final Eight, Final Four, Final) take place Saturday, March 6 starting at 1:15 pm AT, following the Opening Ceremonies. In addition to the two-year lease of the 2010 Ford Taurus SEL FWD for each winner, the second place finishers will be presented with a cheque for $2,000, while the third place finishers receive $1,000. Since 1995, the Ford Hot Shots event has provided not only an exciting beginning to each championship but has proven to be an extremely popular competition for curlers and fans.  Previous Ford Hot Shots winners at the Hearts are Yukon/NWT’s Kelli Turpin, British Columbia’s Sherry Fraser, Kelley Law (twice) and Kristy Lewis, Alberta’s Marcy Balderston, Saskatchewan’s Kay Montgomery, Manitoba’s Gerri Cooke and Jill Officer, Ontario’s Andrea Lawes and Jenn Hanna, New Brunswick’s Allison Farrell (Franey), Prince Edward Island’s Suzanne Birt (Gaudet), Nova Scotia’s Colleen Jones and last year’s winner, Alberta’s Cheryl Bernard. Past winners at the Brier have been Greg McAulay and Pat Ryan of British Columbia, Alberta’s Don Bartlett, Randy Ferbey and John Morris, Saskatchewan’s Steve Laycock, Manitoba’s Steve Gould (twice), Northern Ontario’s Mike Coulter, Ontario’s Ed Werenich, New Brunswick’s Rick Perron, Jeff Lacey and Marc LeCocq, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Mark Nichols and Ontario’s Craig Savill, who won last year.

2010 Ford Hot Shots Online Game

Ford Hot Shots On-line For the second consecutive year, Ford of Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Curling Association, has launched an interactive on-line version of the Hot Shots skills competition. Curling fans will have a chance to win a two-year lease on a 2010 Ford Taurus SE, an approximate value in excess of $25,000, an autographed Team Canada curling jacket, full event VIP passes to the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier in London, Nintendo Wii and gift certificates to the Online Store of the Canadian Curling Association’s Season of Champions. The Ford Hot Shots On-line game, unveiled last year, culminated with a one-game playoff at the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship in Moncton, after approximately 27,000 participants had played a total of over 1.6 million games.  Dan Sherrard of Edmonton was the inaugural winner of a two-year lease of a 2009 Ford Flex, valued at over $20,000. Similarly, this year, once the contest closes on March 14, two finalists will be flown to Swift Current, Saskatchewan, site of the 2010 Ford World Women’s Curling Championship, March 20-28, for a one game playoff. All the information, including rules, regulations, player registration and game instructions are available at FordHotShots.curling.ca.