Wes and Miles Craig do not have the market cornered on father-son combinations competing at the 2018 belairdirect sa国际传媒 men鈥檚 curling championship in Parksville beginning Wednesday.
Glen Jackson could be going one better if he faces son Cal Jackson, who plays lead on Chris Baier鈥檚 Kelowna-based rink, at the provincial championship. Baier is Glen Jackson鈥檚 son-in-law.
The two teams are on the same side of the 12-team draw and could meet in the A-event semi-final, should they win their first two games.
鈥淚 think there might be a few people in our family who would have to figure out who they would be rooting for,鈥� said Glen Jackson with a chuckle, referring to his wife, Elaine Dagg-Jackson, and daughter, Steph Jackson-Baier, both known for their curling achievements. 鈥淭hat鈥檒l be the interesting part.
鈥淲e鈥檝e played around each other all the time and we have curled together, just not competitively,鈥� the elder Jackson said of son Cal, who lives in Kelowna. 鈥淐urling against each other would add to it a little bit. I think there鈥檒l be a large contingent of people up there surrounding both our teams. Once we play each other, if we do, it would make it a little more interesting.鈥�
Glen Jackson, who has been on winning provincial teams in both sa国际传媒 (2001 with Dean Joanisse out of Victoria) and Alberta (1980 with Paul Gowsell out of Calgary) is skipping one of three teams from the Victoria Curling Club this week.
Wes Craig, with his senior team of third Herald Poelman, second Tony Anslow and lead Victor Gamble, is another, while son Miles Craig takes his spot at second on Jason Montgomery鈥檚 VCC foursome that also includes Cam de Jong at third and lead Will Duggan.
Jackson, a multi-time competitor at provincials, is joined by rinkmates Andrew Komlodi at third, second Corey Chester, lead Joel Cave and fifth man Alex Horvath.
Baier鈥檚 rink includes Casey Jackson at lead, Adam Cseke at third and Matt Tolley at second. They downed Glen Jackson 4-1 on the World Curling Tour at the Ashley Home Store Curling Classic in Penticton in early November.
鈥淲e know what to expect from them and it would be a fun game,鈥� said Baier, who also competed with Glen Jackson at provincial playdowns one year.
鈥淭his is Cal鈥檚 first provincial men鈥檚 and it鈥檚 the first for three of the four,鈥� Baier said of his team. 鈥淚t鈥檒l be nice to show the boys the ropes and go out there and, hopefully, win some games. I鈥檝e had a few provincials in Parksville, mixed provincials last year and in 2012, I had a good provincial there. We鈥檙e still a new team, but I think if things go well, we鈥檒l compete.鈥�
Four-time defending champion Jim Cotter (who has seven sa国际传媒 titles to his name) remains the favourite, despite not having John Morris at the helm. Morris will join Kaitlyn Lawes in mixed doubles at next month鈥檚 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and has been replaced on Cotter鈥檚 team by Rick Sawatsky, who rejoins his former group at lead for provincials. Catlin Schneider moves up to third and Tyrel Griffith tosses second stones.
Rounding out the field are highly competitive rinks skipped by Joanisse of Golden Ears, Sean Geall of Kelowna and Brent Pierce of the Royal City club. Geall and Pierce were teammates on the 2009 championship team.
Grant Dezura of Golden Ears, Wylie Eden of Penticton, Chris Medford of Cranbrook and Mark Longworth 鈥� who also competes with his son, Michael Longworth, of Vernon 鈥� will also do battle in Parksville.
Cotter minus Morris means the field could be a little more wide open this year.
鈥淎bsolutely, without John Morris it makes a huge difference. I think John is one of the best curlers ever, in my opinion,鈥� Baier said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 won quite a bit. Without him, I think teams feel that they have a chance.鈥�
Baier鈥檚 father-in-law has a similar opinion.
鈥淭here are a lot of good teams. It seems like the field to me is a little stronger from tip to tail,鈥� Glen Jackson said.
鈥淭here are some teams ranked lower who are going to have to curl real well. With the higher-ranked teams, others might be getting a little closer to them. The week will tell, as it goes along, and as teams deal with the ice and the pressure.
鈥淚t has changed,鈥� Jackson said of Cotter鈥檚 crew. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a change in dynamics, but I think he鈥檚 still number one. There are going to be some teams chomping right at his heels, though.鈥�
Montgomery, who has had an excellent year and could ruffle some feathers, is on Cotter鈥檚 side of the draw and could meet him in the A semi-final. Montgomery faces Medford in his first game. Baier challenges Craig and Jackson meets Eden, all at 2 p.m. today.
The Page playoffs are set for Saturday with 2 and 7 p.m. games, followed by Sunday at 11 a.m. and the final at 4 p.m. Shaw TV is to broadcast the last four games in Parksville.
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