Pandemic continues to impact curling events across northern Ontario

CBC News

· Posted: Jan 15, 2022 7:00 AM EST | Last Updated: January 15, 2022

As immoderate qualifying events successful curling get cancelled, organizers successful this portion and crossed the state are starting to person to take teams based connected a ranking strategy to find who gets to compete.

On Thursday, Curling Canada announced Rachel Homan and John Morris arsenic the mixed doubles squad for Canada competing astatine the Beijing Olympics.

The enforcement manager of the Northern Ontario Curling Association said having to take teams is simply a hard concern for everyone involved. Bobby Ray said the provincial Scotties qualifier had to beryllium cancelled and a squad had to beryllium selected.

"It's ne'er the mode we privation to spell astir business," helium said.

In the end, the McCarville rink was chosen retired of Thunder Bay to correspond bluish Ontario astatine the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

"We are grateful for the accidental to correspond bluish Ontario astatine this year's Scotties successful our hometown," the squad posted connected societal media.

Ray said to take that team, a committee utilized a programme called the Canadian Team Ranking System.

"Team McCarville is the tenth ranked curling squad successful each of Canada and they conscionable finished with a bronze medal astatine the astir caller Olympic curling trials," helium said.

"We utilized that strategy to find our apical ranked team."

Ray said if a qualifying lawsuit can't beryllium held to find the men's squad for the Brier, a akin process volition beryllium done to take a team.

'Still connected the calendar'

While immoderate events person been cancelled, Ray said the Scotties aboriginal this period successful Thunder Bay is still scheduled to instrumentality place.

He said this season, bluish Ontario was scheduled to big 5 nationalist curling events.

"Now that's been a small damped by the ongoing pandemic," helium said.

"Timmins was going to big the Canadian Under-18 Championships. It's been cancelled for Timmins. They're going to big successful 2023."

Sudbury volition big the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championships arsenic good arsenic the Canadian University and College Championships successful March.

"We're hoping the much clip we have, the amended accidental we tin tally those events," helium said.

"They are inactive connected the calendar."

As for curling clubs crossed the region, Ray said erstwhile they're open, immoderate clubs are reporting to beryllium doing well.

"I cognize my section curling nine wherever I play, they're rank is arsenic beardown arsenic it's ever been," helium said.

"But past we're often uncovering ourselves successful situations wherever we're not allowed to beryllium open. That tin beryllium frustrating due to the fact that we're inactive paying the hydro bills and staff."