Some late cancellations forced Dave Merklinger to tweak the women’s schedule for the $38,750 Prestige Hotels &Resorts Curling Classic starting Thursday night in Vernon.
“We lost $4,000 in entry fees so we’re gonna lose our shirt this year, but I’m honouring the money and we’ve got a great 20-team field,” said Merklinger, icemaker and manager of the curling club. “We’ve got Virgil Caine playing Saturday night’s dance so the 7:30 draw is free to the public and we urge people to stay and enjoy the dance.”
Weekly passes are $25 and a daily ducat is $10. The women’s opening draw is Thursday, 5 p.m.
Defending world champion Rachel Homan of Ottawa, Chelsea Carey of Calgary and Val Sweeting of Edmonton are the marquee skips.
Homan, 28, is a former Canadian junior champion with three national women’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts victories. Her rink became only the third in world tournament history to go unbeaten in round-robin play, joining fellow Canadian Colleen Jones from 2003 and Sweden’s Anette Norberg from 2005. Homan’s Team Canada foursome returns to the Okanagan for the Scotties, Jan. 27-Feb. 4 in Penticton.
Homan takes on Shannon Kleibrink of Calgary in the Thursday 8:30 p.m. draw.
As defending champions, Carey, 37, represented Team Canada at the 2017 Scotties in St. Catharines, Ont. Carey compiled a 9-2 round-robin record for third place. She finished with a bronze medal.
Following the season, Amy Nixon left the Carey foursome and was replaced with veteran third Cathy Overton-Clapham, formerly with Jennifer Jones. Carey began the 2017-18 curling season with a mixed doubles tour win with partner Colin Hodgson at the Canad Inns Mixed Doubles Championships in Winnipeg. Carey battles Robyn Silvernagle of North Battleford, Sask. in the late draw Thursday.
Sweeting, 30, represented Alberta at the 2014 Scotties at the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, losing 8-6 to Homan in the gold-medal game. Sweeting goes up against Diane Gushaluk of New Westminster in the Thursday 5 p.m. draw.
Vernon’s hopes will be represented by veteran Kim Slattery, who will have youngster Alyssa Kyllo on her roster. Slattery tangles with Jamie Sinclair of Blaine, Wash. in Thursday’s final draw.
First place is worth $8,500, while the runner-up collects $6,500. The final is scheduled for Sunday, 3 p.m.
There are eight men’s rinks chasing $12,000 with the champion pocketing $5,000.
Tyler Tardi, 19, of Cloverdale, is the defending champion.
Tardi starts play Friday, 4:30 p.m. against Daryl Horsman of Phoenix.
The men’s final is slated for Sunday, 3 p.m.