Capital One Grand Slam of Curling

Elite field features eight World Championship and Olympic gold medal winning skips as well as Canada’s 2010 Olympic qualifier

GUELPH, ONT., November 30, 2009 – The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling announced today the list of 18 teams who qualified to compete in The National, the second leg of the men’s Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series, taking place from January 6-10, 2010 at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph, Ont.

Among the Canadian teams that will take to the ice at the Sleeman Centre include World Championship gold medallists Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.), Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.), Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg, Man.), Wayne Middaugh (Etobicoke, Ont.), Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg, Man.), as well as Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.).

The field for The National will also include Canada’s yet to be named Vancouver 2010 representative.  Other 2010 Olympic qualifiers to compete in The National include reigning World Championship gold medallist David Murdoch (Lockerbie, Scotland) and John Shuster (Duluth, Minnesota), a member of the United States’ 2006 Olympic bronze medal winning team.

The National is one of the last major international events prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.  The tournament will be contested just six weeks prior to the start of the opening ceremonies in Vancouver.

The top 16 teams in the Capital One Order of Merit rankings, regardless of nationality, following the completion of World Curling Tour events on November 23 automatically qualified to compete in The National.  The tournament’s final two entries were awarded to the Canadian and American 2010 Olympic qualifiers.

Sean Geall (New Westminster, B.C.) and Roar the Rings qualifier Jason Gunnlaugson (Beausejour, Man.) were added to the field after fourth ranked Thomas Ulsrud (Oslo, Norway) and 15th ranked Ralph Stoeckli (Ittigen, Switzerland) declined due to scheduling conflicts with the Perth Masters event in Scotland.

Brad Jacobs (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) was also added to the field after Jean-Michel Ménard’s (Quebec City, Que.) team could not attend the event due to work commitments.

In the event of team having to withdraw from the event, Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series guidelines state that invitations will be extended to the highest remaining teams in the Capital One Order of Merit standings.  A complete list of the Capital One Order of merit rankings as of November 23 can be found by clicking here.

The following is a complete list of the 18 teams which will compete at The National.  The event features a total purse of $100,000 (CDN).

The National is also the first event in the men’s annual Capital One Cup points race. The Capital One Cup is a season long competition that provides each team with a point value based on their performance during selected Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events. At the conclusion of the season, the top three men’s and women’s teams which record the highest cumulative results during selected 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events will split a purse totalling $170,000 (CDN).

GUELPH, ONT., November 12, 2009 – The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling announced today that individual draw tickets for The National, the second leg of the men’s 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series, will go on sale to the public on Monday, November 16 at 10:00 a.m. ET.  Individual tickets and ticket packages for The National can be purchased online through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ca or by phoning (519) 837-5630.

Scheduled to take place at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph, Ont. from January 6-10, 2010, The National is one of the last major international curling events prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.  Featuring 18 of the world’s top foursomes, the field for The National will include several 2010 Olympic Winter Games qualifiers, including Canada’s Vancouver 2010 representative.

Featuring a total purse of $100,000 (CDN), The National will be contested just six weeks prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Among the international 2010 Olympic qualifiers who are expected to compete at The National include reigning World Championship gold medallist David Murdoch (Lockerbie, Scotland), reigning World Championship bronze medallist Thomas Ulsrud (Oslo, Norway) and 2006 Olympic bronze medallist John Shuster (Duluth, Minnesota).

Other teams expected to take to the ice at The National include World Champions Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.), Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.), Wayne Middaugh (Etobicoke, Ont.), Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg, Man.), Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg, Man.) as well as Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.).

The top 14 teams in the Capital One Order of Merit rankings, regardless of nationality, as of November 23, 2009 will automatically qualify to compete in The National.  In addition, the top two international teams in the Capital One Order of Merit rankings are also automatically invited.  Should one squad decline, they would be replaced by the next team on the Capital One Order of Merit rankings, regardless of nationality.

The final two entries in The National will be awarded to the 2010 Canadian Olympic qualifier as well as the 2010 Olympic qualifier from the United States.

The National is also the first event in the men’s annual Capital One Cup points race. The Capital One Cup is a season long competition that provides each team with a point value based on their performance during selected Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events. At the conclusion of the season, the top three men’s and women’s teams which record the highest cumulative results during selected 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events will split a purse totalling $170,000 (CDN).