Whitehorse to Stage 2006 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship
WHITEHORSE, YUKON, December 6, 2004 – The 2006 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship will be staged in Whitehorse, Yukon, it was announced today by the Canadian Curling Association (CCA).
The 43rd edition of the Canadian Mixed will be played at the Whitehorse Curling Club, located in the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre, November 19-26, 2005. It will mark only the second time that Whitehorse has staged a CCA-sanctioned Canadian championship. The city also hosted the 1990 Canadian senior men¹s and women¹s curling championships.
‘I am extremely pleased that Whitehorse has been awarded the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship,’ said Dave Thompson, President, Whitehorse Curling Club. ‘Whitehorse has a history of successfully hosting major curling
events. These championships will certainly raise the profile of curling in Whitehorse and will benefit the economy of the city. I’d also like to thank the Yukon Convention Bureau for helping with our bid to host this event.’
Saskatchewan shares the lead with Alberta for most Mixed wins – eight, since the championship began in Toronto in 1964. Teams from the Yukon/Northwest Territories have yet to win The Mixed, since joining the competition in 1972
in Thunder Bay, when, ironically, its best-ever record of 8-3 was established by skip Al Delmage of Yellowknife, who finished tied with Alberta for second, behind winner British Columbia. After a three-year absence, The Territories returned to The Mixed in 1976 and has competed ever since.
The 2005 Canadian Mixed was recently held at the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club, November 21-28. It was won by Newfoundland and Labrador’s Mark Nichols and his St. John¹s Curling Club team of Shelley Nichols, Brent
Hamilton and Jennifer Guzzwell, who defeated host Saskatchewan, skipped by Kyle George, 7-5 in the final. It was the first Mixed win for Newfoundland and Labrador. A revised playoff format, replacing the Page Playoff system, was also introduced this year. The first place team now receives a bye to the final, while the second and third place teams meet in a semi-final.
The 12 provincial and territorial championships to determine the participants for the 2006 Canadian Mixed take place in March and April of 2005.
Other 2006 curling events/championships confirmed to date are the Strauss Canada Cup, January 31-February 5 in Kamloops, British Columbia; Scott Tournament of Hearts, February 25-March 5 in London, Ontario; Tim Hortons
Brier, March 11-19 in Regina, Saskatchewan; Ford world women¹s, March 18-26 in Grande Prairie, Alberta and the world men¹s, April 1-9 in Lowell, Massachusetts. Still to be announced are the sites and dates for the Kärcher
Canadian Juniors, Canadian Seniors and World Juniors.
For further information:
Warren Hansen
Manager of Event Operations and Media
Canadian Curling Association
Cell: 604-329-9850
e-mail: warrenhansen@telus.net
David Thompson
President, Whitehorse Curling Club
2006 Canadian Mixed
Tel: 867-667-3688
David.Thompson@gov.yk.ca
Jeff Timson
Media
Canadian Curling Association
Tel/fax: 905-881-8322
jeff@curling.ca or jtimson5213@rogers.com