15.8°C Cloudy 
- Rec Plex transforms for curling bonspiel
- Cool Shots at the curling rink
- Both local sides bounce back with evening draw wins
- Locals back at men's curling provincials
- Trail, Castelgar earn wins at Senior playdowns in Kimberley
- Buchy rink repeats undefeated victory at mixed provincials
- Kimberley rink earns playoff spot at mixed provincials
- Buchy 4-0 after Day 2 of mixed curling provincials
- Buchy leading after Day 1 at Mixed provincials
- Shypitka bound for 2010 Brier
- Richard on verge of provincial Page playoff berth while Buchy drops to 1-8
- Local teams fall to 0-2 on first day of men’s curling provincials
- Buchy hopes rink hits stride quickly at Interior Playdowns
- Curling clinics in Kimberley
This is no hack job, Cranbrook, but the real curling deal.
The Canada Cup of Curling is coming to town, featuring the highest quality curling in the world and accompanying national televised exposure.
The Canada Cup ? a Canadian Curling Association (CCA) sanctioned event ? is the first qualifying event for the Olympic trials, which in turn will determine who will attend the Winter Olympics (in this case, the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia). There are subsequent qualifying events, but as Cranbrook Curling Club president Peter Sweetman puts it, the Canada Cup is the easiest, ?a fast track to the Olympic trials.?
The top ten men?s teams and the top 10 women?s teams from all across the country will descend on Cranbrook Nov. 26 to Dec. 5, 2011. Winners earn an automatic berth in the trials.
The teams? rankings are based on the Canadian Tour Ranking System, with points accumulated by taking part in other CCA events (the Brier, for example).
Tracey Amy, co-chair of the local Canada Cup Committee, says we can expect the current stars of Canadian curling to be in attendance: Kevin Martin, Randy Furbey, Jennifer Scott, Kelly Scott, et al, with their rinks.
TSN will be providing 15 hours of live national coverage of the bonspiel ? likely the final weekend, Amy said. Sweetman added that TSN will reserve portions of their coverage for spots showcasing the local community.
Close to the event, CCA professional icemakers will arrive in town to transform the surface of the Cranbrook Rec Plex into five sheets of World Cup quality curling ice.
Amy added that a minimum of 250 volunteers will be required from Cranbrook and surrounding communities. More information on how to volunteer will be forthcoming as preparations get underway.
Spectators can also look forward to a nightly party to be held at the Curling Club ? the Alexander Keith?s ?Patch? (?patch? from ?brierpatch?).
Amy says the event will generate at least $5 million in economic impact, considering sojourn of 80 curlers, coaches and spares, their families, CCA and Curl BC staff, TV crews, and, of course, the hundreds of spectators who will arrive from all over the country.
Medicine Hat is hosting this year?s Canada Cup, and analysis has shown it expects $13 million or more in economic impact from the event.
