The final draw will determine the final placings at the 2023 Everest Canadian Senior Women’s and Men’s Curling Championships Friday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m. at the Vernon Curling Club.
The top four women’s and top four men’s rinks that will qualify for Saturday morning’s semifinals will be confirmed, as will their placings.
Going into the draw Friday, there’s a logjam on the women’s side featuring six of the eight teams. Saskatchewan’s Nancy Martin (8-1) and Ontario’s Susan Froud (7-2) have clinched final four spots. Those two play each other, with the winner getting the No. 1 seed for the semifinals Saturday.
B.C.’s Diane Gushulak (6-3) and Alberta’s Atina Ford Johnston (6-3) are in positions to clinch. But the remaining four teams – Northwest Territories, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Manitoba – are 5-4.
Gushulak will take on Quebec’s Chantal Osborne. Ford Johnston plays Nova Scotia’s Andrea Saulnier. Manitoba’s Joelle Brown plays the Sharon Cormier rinkof the Northwest Territories.
Should teams be tied, tournament records will be used to determine the final two spots.
Gushulak fell to 6-3 Friday morning with an 8-5 loss to Saulnier’s Nova Scotia squad.
On the men’s draw, Saskatchewan’s Bruce Korte rebounded from his first loss Thursday night, 7-5 to Dave Boehmer of Manitoba, to defeat Francois Roberge of Quebec 8-3 Friday morning.
The win lifted Korte to 8-1 and in position to clinch the No. 1 seed in the 6 p.m. draw with a win over Paul Flemming of Nova Scotia (7-2). A Flemming win and the Maritimes rink gets the top seed.
Flemming is tied with B.C.’s Wes Craig of Duncan and Boehmer at 7-2 while New Brunswick’s Mike Kennedy is alive at 6-3. Craig plays Kennedy Friday at 6 p.m.
Semifinals for both men and women go Saturday morning, Dec. 9, at 8:30 a.m. The first- and second-place team in each draw gets the hammer (last rock) to start the semis.
The men’s championship and bronze-medal matches will be played at 12:30 p.m., followed by the women’s medal games at 3:30 p.m.
The two champions will represent Canada at the World Championships in 2024 in Sweden.
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