Two dozen of Canada’s best curling rinks will be strutting their stuff in Kitchener this week as they attempt to represent the country in the Winter Olympics.
The Capital One Road to the Roar kicks off Tuesday at The Aud, and carries through until Sunday night with multiple draws per day.
Two of the 12 participating men’s teams and two of the 12 participating women’s teams will win berths in next month’s Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings in Winnipeg – the final qualifying tournament for the Olympics.
“We are dealing with a prize that you can’t even measure. It’s an immense thing to be part of this group,” says tournament vice-chair Audrey Cook.
The long odds aren’t deterring the rinks from putting their best foot forward at The Aud.
“We know it’s not going to be easy, but we also know it is possible,” Kelly Scott, a two-time Canadian champion and the 2007 world champion, tells CTV News.
“It’s one game at a time. You can’t really look too far ahead.”
Other well-credentialed rinks on the women’s side of the draw include 2011 Canadian champion Amber Holland, 2010 Olympic silver medalist Cheryl Bernard and 2006 Olympic bronze medalist Shannon Kleibrink.
On the men’s side, big-name teams include 2006 Olympic champion Brad Gushue, three-time Brier medalist Rob Fowler and defending Brier champion Brad Jacobs.
The men’s side also includes local content, with the Guelph-based Rob Rumfeldt rink – the 1996 Ontario champions – as the #12 seed and Harriston Curling Club’s Jake Higgs also taking part.
Aaron Squires, a curler at Wilfrid Laurier University, is unlikely to see action as the fifth member of Higgs’ rink, but says he’s still excited for the experience.
“It’s pretty surreal right now,” he says.
Curlers say ice conditions are slow, but likely to pick up speed as the week goes on, with lots of curl.
