Timing, in all sports, is obviously important.

But isn’t the timing of the 2010 Scotties absolutely perfect for Sault Ste. Marie?

The Tournament of Hearts, the Canadian women’s curling championship, which begins Saturday at the Essar Centre, couldn’t have arrived here at a better time.

Disappointing as it is for the city’s curling community to mull over, competitive curling in the Sault isn’t what it used to be.

Full story via CANOE — SLAM! Sports – Curling – The Tournament Of Hearts: Soo curling gets a boost.

2010 Canadian Direct Insurance BC Men’s Championship Live Blog and Chat

Join Tyler and Andrew in the chat room at the Men’s Provincial Championship from Vernon. They will be describing the action on the ice and answering your questions.

Select the current draw below to join in or you can replay the chat from previous draws. (All times Pacific Standard Time)

• Draw 1 – Monday, February 1 at 12:00pm
• Draw 2 – Monday, February 1 at 7:30pm
• Draw 3 – Tuesday, February 2 at 12:00pm
• Draw 4 – Tuesday, February 2 at 7:00pm
• Draw 5 – Wednesday, February 3 at 12:00pm
• Draw 6 – Wednesday, February 3 at 7:00pm
• Draw 7 – Thursday, February 4 at 12:00pm
• Draw 8 – Thursday, February 4 at 7:00pm
• Draw 9 – Friday,February 5 at 9:30am
• Tie-breaker (if necessary – Friday, February 5 at 2:30pm
• Page Playoff #1 – Friday, February 5 at 7:00pm
• Page Playoff #2 – Saturday, February 6 at 12:00pm
• Page Playoff #3 – Saturday, February 6 at 7:00pm
• Final – Sunday, February 7 at 10:00am

With one draw remaining for both the women and men at the British Columbia Senior Provincial Championship, playoff berths are still up for grabs for five teams on both the women’s and men’s side.

Wendy Cseke from Salmon Arm leads the women with a perfect 6-0 record and bye to the final already sewn up. Quesnel’s Lori Freeman is guaranteed a spot in the semi-final with a record of 5-1 – but who she will face is still an unanswered question. The final playoff spot could come down to possibly two tie-breakers depending upon the outcome of the final draw at 9:00am today. Christine Jurgenson (4-2), Jane Adam (3-3) and Lynne Noble (3-3) could all tie for the final playoff berth.

Rick Folk from Kelowna and Richmond’s Ken Watson are tied at the top of the men’s standings with identical 5-1 records. Both Folk and Watson are guaranteed at least a tie-breaker. If Folk should beat 1-5 Myron Nichol, he’ll secure the bye to the final. Watson has a tough matchup with Royal City’s Doug Meger who has a 4-2 record and sits tied with Victoria’s Wes Craig. A win by Meger guarantees him, at the least, a tie-breaker. Craig will be facing Brian Gessner in the final draw at 9:00am who sits alone in fifth place with an outside chance of getting into a tie-breaker. Gessner needs a victory and help with a win over Meger by Watson.

Draw 7 at 9:00am Pacific on Playdowns.com. Senior Women’s and Senior Men’s.

The ice is ready, the bright lights have been switched on, and if you think you spot a member of the women’s curling elite in town, you’re probably not mistaken.

The first of the curlers who will compete in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, including members of Team Canada, were expected to roll into Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday night and the rest are scheduled to arrive on Thursday (today), said Sandra Randa, chair of the event’s local organizing committee.

Randa said the visiting curlers will have their first opportunity to practise at the Tarentorus Curling Club on Thursday, with trial runs at the Essar Centre on Friday morning before the Hot Shots competition, where Scotties’ participants attempt skill shots in a bid to win a two-year automobile lease, begins at 1 p.m. Friday.

Full story via The Sault Star – Ontario, CA - Ready for rocks to roll

Kelowna’s Kelly Scott has a news bulletin. She and her Kelowna Curling Club mates are a long way from going looking for a new sport.

Apparently, there was a faction of the curling community that thought Scott, Jeanna Schraeder, Sasha Carter and Jacquie Armstrong were going to retire in ignominy last year when they failed to get to the provincial Scotties play-down and thought something similar earlier this season upon their Olympic trials failure.

Full story via The Province -  Scott alive, kicking. – theprovince.com

It’s where the heart is, there’s no place like it and they say you can never go back, but nonetheless, Tara George is heading home.

In between family visits and catching up with old friends, the 36-year-old curler has a mission in mind, winning the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. It’s the fifth time in five years George has been to the Canadian women’s curling championship, four times with skip Krista McCarville and once as a fifth for Sherry Middaugh in 2008.

George, whose father, Tom, helped secure the Sault Ste. Marie Scotties bid, is thrilled to get to play in familiar surroundings.

“It’s going to be really exciting. I’ve already had some calls from some people saying they can’t wait until you get here and there’s been a lot of town support and displays put up around our team. I think it will be great and I think we’ll feed off of it,” George said Tuesday, before being piped into the lounge at Fort William Curling Club alongside McCarville, lead Kari MacLean, second Ashley Miharija and spare Sarah Lang, during a send-off ceremony for the reigning provincial champions…

Full story – George comes home - TbNewsWatch.com.

My hat goes off to the Idylwylde junior girls curling team of Kendra Lilly, Jenny Gates, Kim Curtin and Kaitlynd Burns.

They didn’t win gold at the 2010 M&M Meatshops national junior championship this past weekend, but they did put on one hell of a performance by making it to the semifinal game before losing to British Columbia in extra ends.

Again, this is more about pride than winning first place.

Full story via Curling team shows what Northern Ontario is made of – The Sudbury Star – Ontario, CA.