After months of anticipation, the Home Hardware Canada Cup of Curling gets started in Grande Prairie this morning, with the first draw starting at 8:30 this morning. Eight of the country’s top men’s teams and seven the the best women’s teams in Canada are in the swan city to compete in the event.
Winners are guaranteed a spot in the 2017 Tim Horton’s Roar of the Rings Olympic Qualifiers. They will also earn a berth at the 2016 Continental Cup in Las Vegas. There is $70,000 in prize money up for grabs for both the men’s and women’s sides, with the winning teams getting a $14,000 chunk of that.
Some of the teams that are competing in Grande Prairie this week include both the men’s and women’s national teams, Pat Simmons and Jennifer Jones, last year’s Canada Cup winners Mike McEwan and Edmonton’s Val Sweeting, and the current reigning Olympic champions, Brad Jacobs and again Jennifer Jones.
Semi finals will take place on Saturday, while the women’s final is Sunday at 11 am and the men’s Sunday at 5 pm.