Organizers of the Pinty鈥檚 Grand Slam of Curling threw local fans an in-turn when they expected an out-turn on Wednesday, announcing Rachel Homan鈥檚 Ottawa team will be competing in the Elite 10, slated for March 17-20 at The Q Centre in Colwood.
Originally sold as a top-10 men鈥檚 team event, Homan and her rink of third Emma Miskew, second Joanne Courtney and lead Lisa Weagle joins nine of the best men鈥檚 teams in the world for the four-day event.
The foursome is the No. 1-ranked women鈥檚 rink on the World Curling Tour and is the first women鈥檚 team to compete in a men鈥檚 GSOC event since Sportsnet acquired the series in 2012.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited for the opportunity to play in this unique event,鈥� Homan said of the tournament, which takes on a different match-play format. 鈥淭he Pinty鈥檚 Grand Slams have provided such a great platform for teams to develop over the years and this will just add to that.
鈥淲e try to always just play our game and this will be no different. Just focus on our shots, no matter who we鈥檙e playing,鈥� she added in a statement.
Homan, who did not qualify for this year鈥檚 Scotties after losing out in the Ontario finals, will be facing the likes of men鈥檚 No. 1-ranked Mike McEwen of Winnipeg, who defeated Sweden鈥檚 Niklas Edin to claim the inaugural Elite 10 championship in 2015.
Edin, who won the Ford World Men鈥檚 Championship in Victoria in 2013, will also be here, as will Brad Gushue of St. John鈥檚, Calgary鈥檚 Kevin Koe and Saskatoon鈥檚 Steve Laycock. Rounding out the field are Toronto鈥檚 John Epping, Winnipeg鈥檚 Reid Carruthers, Calgary鈥檚 Charley Thomas and Edmonton鈥檚 Brendan Bottcher.
McEwen, Gushue, Koe and Laycock are all competing at The Brier, March 5-13.
The Elite 10 format is a match-play event where teams attempt to win the most ends per game in order to advance. Unlike a skins game, match play does not allow for carryovers as each end is worth the same amount. The Elite 10 features a $100,000 purse.
鈥淧inty鈥檚 Grand Slam of Curling is dedicated to growing the game of curling in new and exciting directions 鈥� providing challenging new formats for the players and premium competition coverage for the fans,鈥� Rob Corte, Sportnet鈥檚 vice-president, Live Events and News Production, said in a statement. 鈥淭eam Homan鈥檚 unquestionable talent and competitive drive will be a welcome addition to the Elite 10鈥檚 star-powered competition field.鈥�
Originally slated to be an all men鈥檚 event, the top 10 World Curling Tour鈥檚 year-to-date Order of Merit (as of Feb. 15) on the men鈥檚 side received invites. Brad Jacobs, Glenn Howard and John Shuster, of the U.S., couldn鈥檛 make the event.
There will be three draws on the Thursday and Friday of the week, followed by quarter-finals and the semifinals on Saturday. The championship final is slated for Sunday, March 20.
Check selectyourtickets.com or thegrandslamofcurling.com for ticket details.
