Ford Hot Shots competition returns for 21st year

Canada’s best-selling pickup truck will be on the line when the Ford Hot Shots skills competition is staged for the 21st consecutive year at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Moose Jaw, Sask., and the Tim Hortons Brier in Calgary.
The 2015 Ford Hot Shots winners will receive a two-year lease on a new Ford F-150 truck. (Prize may not be exactly as shown)

The 2015 Ford Hot Shots winners will receive a two-year lease on a new Ford F-150 truck. (Prize may not be exactly as shown)

The annual competition will feature competitors attempting six different 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 depending on the end result of the shot. Ford of Canada will provide the winner of the Ford Hot Shots at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Tim Hortons Brier with a two-year lease on an all-new 2015 Ford F-150 XLT. It is equipped with a 5.0L V8 engine, chrome exterior finishes and SYNC — Ford’s voice activated, in-vehicle technology, with an approximate retail value of $20,000. The all-new Ford F-150 is the toughest, smartest and most capable F-150 ever. The newly designed exterior is characterized by a new shape that suggests capability, with a wider “Built Ford Tough” stance, prominent wheel arches and a chiseled grille. It also has an all-new high-strength aluminum-alloy body, four capable and fuel-efficient engines and class-exclusive features, including 360-degree camera view and remote tailgate release, the 2015 F-150 sets the standard for future trucks. The second-place finisher will be presented with a cheque for $2,000, while the third-place finisher receives $1,000. At the Scotties, the Ford Hot Shots preliminary round will begin at 1 p.m. (CST) on Friday, Feb. 13. The playoffs (Final Eight, Final Four, Final) begin at noon on Saturday, Feb. 14, following the Opening Ceremonies. At the Tim Hortons Brier, the Ford Hot Shots preliminary round will begin at 2 p.m. (MST) on Friday, Feb. 27. The playoffs (Final Eight, Final Four, Final) begin at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28, following the Opening Ceremonies. 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 the Territories’ Kelli Turpin and Kerry Galusha, British Columbia’s Sherry Fraser, Kelley Law (twice) and Kristy Lewis, Alberta’s Marcy Balderston and Cheryl Bernard, Saskatchewan’s Kay Montgomery, Manitoba’s Gerri Cooke and Jill Officer, Ontario’s Andrea Lawes, Jenn Hanna and Rachel Homan, New Brunswick’s Allison Farrell (Franey), Prince Edward Island’s Suzanne Birt (Gaudet), Nova Scotia’s Colleen Jones, Saskatchewan’s Amber Holland, Team Canada’s Jennifer Jones of Manitoba, and last-year’s winner, Heather Strong of Newfoundland/Labrador. Past winners at the Brier have been Greg McAulay and Pat Ryan of British Columbia, Alberta’s Don Bartlett, Randy Ferbey, John Morris and Marc Kennedy, Saskatchewan’s Steve Laycock, Manitoba’s Steve Gould (twice), Northern Ontario’s Mike Coulter, Ontario’s Ed Werenich, Craig Savill and Richard Hart, New Brunswick’s Rick Perron, Jeff Lacey and Marc LeCocq, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Mark Nichols, Ontario’s Glenn Howard and Wayne Middaugh, and last year’s winner, Kirk Muyres of Saskatchewan.