World Financial Group Canadian Seniors begin Saturday in Ottawa

The World Financial Group Canadian Senior Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships get underway Saturday at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. Twelve men’s and 12 women’s teams will compete in the national championships, slated for March 20-28.   At the conclusion of the round robin on Friday night, the first place teams advance directly to Sunday’s finals at 1:30 pm, while the second and third place teams meet in semi-finals on Saturday. The winners of the 2010 Canadian Seniors will then represent Canada at the 2011 World Seniors, April 15-24 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA. This year’s fields are two of the best in Canadian Seniors history. The men’s roster includes Northern Ontario’s Al Hackner, a two-time (1982, 1985) Brier and world champion, in addition to also being a Canadian Seniors champion in 2006. Other skips include Brier veterans Peter MacDonald of Prince Edward Island, Brian Rafuse of Nova Scotia, Quebec’s Pierre Charette and Saskatchewan’s Brad Heidt. The women’s line-up boasts Alberta’s Diane Foster of Calgary, the 2008 World Seniors champion, British Columbia’s 2008 Canadian and 2009 World Seniors championship team, this time skipped by Christine Jurgenson, while former skip Pat Sanders is now at second.  Both Jurgenson and Sanders are also former Canadian and World champions. The field also includes veteran Scotties Tournament of Hearts skips Heidi Hanlon of New Brunswick, Laura Phillips of Newfoundland/Labrador and Quebec’s Agnes Charètte, also a three-time (1997, 1999, 2000) Canadian Seniors champion. The Canadian Seniors were last held in Ontario in 2002 in St. Thomas.  Ottawa has twice previously hosted the Seniors.  It staged the inaugural Canadian senior women’s championship in 1973 and the men’s event in 1976, when the championships were conducted separately, prior to being combined, starting in 1985 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Manitoba and Ontario have each won 10 Canadian senior men’s titles since the championship began in 1965 in Port Arthur, while Ontario has also won a leading 10 women’s crowns since 1973. Ontario (Bruce Delaney of Ottawa) and Nova Scotia (Colleen Pinkney of Truro) won the 2009 Canadian Seniors in Summerside, Prince Edward Island and will represent Canada at the 2010 World Seniors, April 16-24 in Chelyabinsk, Russia. The 2008 Canadian Senior champions, Eugene Hritzuk of Saskatchewan and Pat Sanders of British Columbia, won gold medals at the 2009 World Seniors in New Zealand, while the 2007 Canadian Senior champions, Alberta’s Pat Ryan and Diane Foster, also won gold medals at the 2008 World Seniors in Vierumäki, Finland. Draw results for the 2010 Canadian Seniors will be instantly available at www.curling.ca <https://www.curling.ca>. The phone number at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club is (613) 736-1355 (event office). -30- 2010 World Financial Group Canadian Senior Women’s Curling Championship March 20-28, Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club, Ottawa, ON WOMEN’S TEAMS (listed in order of skip, third, second, lead) Alberta – Calgary Winter Club, Calgary Diane Foster, Karen Morrison, Barb McDonald, Louise Sheeran British Columbia – Juan de Fuca  Curling Club, Victoria Christine Jurgenson, Cheryl Noble, Pat Sanders, Roselyn Craig Manitoba – Brandon Curling Club, Brandon Linda Van Daele, Betty Couling, Sharon Shannon, Liliane Fargey New Brunswick – Thistle-St. Andrews Curling Club, Saint John Heidi Hanlon, Kathy Floyd, Susan Dobson, Jane Arseneau Newfoundland and Labrador – Re/Max Centre, St. John’s Laura Phillips, Diane Ryan, Marian Dawe, Jeannette Hodder Northern Ontario – Sudbury Curling Club, Sudbury Vicky Barrett, Margaret McLaughlin, Lois Henderson-Campbell, Brenda Harrow Northwest Territories/Yukon – Yellowknife Curling Club, Yellowknife, NWT Ann McKellar-Gillis, Terry Fisher, Marie Coe, Louise Marcinkoski Nova Scotia – Glooscap Curling Club, Kentville Jocelyn Nix, Andrea Saulnier, Jill Alcoe-Holland, Julie Morley Ontario – Brampton Curling Club, Brampton Dale Curtis, Twyla Gilbert, Rosemary Gowman, Vicki Marianchuk Prince Edward Island – Cornwall Curling Club, Cornwall & Charlottetown Curling Club, Charlottetown Shirley Berry,  Sandy Hope, Shelley Ebbett, Arlene Harris Quebec – Buckingham Curling Club, Buckingham Agnès Charette, France Charette, Guylaine Deschåtelets, Marie Leblanc Saskatchewan – Callie Curling Club, Regina Susan Lang, Linda Burnham, Donna Ell, Pat Bell 2010 World Financial Group Canadian Senior Women’s Curling Championship March 20-28, Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club, Ottawa, ON MEN’S TEAMS (listed in order of skip, third, second, lead) Alberta – Thistle Curling Club, Edmonton Mark Johnson, Marv Wirth, Ken McLean, Millard Evans British Columbia – Juan de Fuca Curling Club, Victoria Wes Craig, Phil Olson, Tony Anslow, Blair Cusack Manitoba – Baldur  Curling Club, Baldur Rob Ramage, Shawn McCutcheon, Laurie Stewart, Dave Boutet New Brunswick – Beaver Curling Club, Moncton Robert MacDiarmid, Peter Myers, David Cogswell, Danny MacDonald Newfoundland and Labrador – Gander Curling Club, Gander Gary Oke, Bob Skanes, Peter Matthews, Jim Goodyear Northern Ontario – Fort William Curling Club, Thunder Bay Al Hackner, Art Lappalainen, Al Laine, Brian Adams Nova Scotia – Lakeshore Curling Club, Lower Sackville Brian Rafuse, Curt Palmer, Alan Darragh, Dave Slauenwhite Ontario – Brant Curling Club, Brantford Gareth Parry, Frank McCourt, Len Rominger, Ken Armstrong Prince Edward Island – Charlottetown Curling Club, Charlottetown Peter MacDonald (second stones), Peter Gallant, Rod MacDonald (fourth stones), Doug MacGregor Quebec – Thurso Curling Club, Thurso Pierre Charette, Louis Biron, Maurice Cayouette, Marco Ferraro Saskatchewan – Kerrobert Curling Club, Kerrobert Brad Heidt, Gerald Shymko, Dan Ormsby, Dale Hannon Yukon/Northwest Territories – Whitehorse Curling Club, Whitehorse, Yukon George Hilderman, Pat Molloy, Dale Enzenauer, Clarence Jack