NEWS RELEASE

Pomeroy Inn & Suites Peace Curling Tour

November 25, 2012

Pomeroy Inn & Suites Peace Curling Tour

Dawson Creek, November 23, 2012

The third and final event of the Pomeroy Inn & Suites Peace Curling Tour goes this weekend at the Dawson Creek Curling Club.

The Mile Zero Cash Spiel will determine which eight teams from each division will qualify for the Tour Championships in January. Teams playing in the Tour Championships will compete for more than $20,000 in cash and prizes.

Fourteen teams will compete in the SunLife Financial Competitive Division: Kurt Balderston (Sexsmith), Graham (Sexsmith), Daylan Vavrek (Sexsmith), Mark Pillsworth (Grande Prairie), Colin Griffith (Grande Prairie), Kristie Moore (Grande Prairie), Tracy Steinke (Dawson Creek), Darrel Veiner (Dawson Creek), Jordan Steinke (Dawson Creek), Jeff Ginter (Dawson Creek), Ryan Konowalyk (Peace River), Cliff Kostiuck (Peace River), Mark Zahacy (High Prairie), Glen Godberson (Fort St.John).

In the SunLife Financial Competitive division, Team Balderston has guaranteed their spot in the championship. The remainder of the spots are still undetermined and will depend on the final finish this weekend.

Fifteen teams will compete in the EnCana Challenge Division: Bob Cooper (Fort St.John), Donna Sipe (Fort St. John), Jodi Busche (Fort St. John), Delia DeJong (Grande Prairie), Caryl Sallows (Grande Prairie), GPRC Lady Wolves (Stephanie Yanishewski), Courtney Rossing (Grande Prairie), Mark Luckwell (Grande Prairie), Karen Powell (Sexsmith), Devin Burkitt (Hudson's Hope), Darren Turcotte (Falher), Don Dumont (Falher), Colette Trudeau (Falher), Elaine Laurin (Peace River), Marlene Maxwell (Dawson Creek).

In the EnCana Challenge division, things are definitely a little less clear, especially since two of the top teams will not be playing in Dawson Creek this weekend. Team Jeff Henricks and Team Kellie Henricks have other curling commitments leaving the door open for several teams to break into the top eight.

Tour standings for the above have been attached.

Six junior teams will join the mix on Sunday as the Canwest Group Benefits Junior Division continues its road to the championship. After this weekend, junior teams have four other events in which to earn points.

Games begin at 1:30 pm on Friday November 23 with the finals set for Sunday at 4:00 pm.

The draw and results can be found at www.peacecurl.org.

Pomeroy Inn & Suites Peace Curling Tour

Rhyason Contracting/Tidy Trucking/Fort Motors

In the SunLife Financial Competitive Division, Team Pomeroy Inn & Suites, skip Kurt Balderston, third Les Sonnenberg, second Rob Maksymetz and lead Del Shaughnessy of the Sexsmith Curling Club, won their second tour event of the season. They defeated Team Steinke, skip Jordan Steinke, third Jason Ginter, second Tristan Steinke and lead Brett Winfield of Dawson Creek by a final score of 3 - 1.

The EnCana Challenge Division saw two junior teams battle for the top prize. Team Turcotte, skip Darren Turcotte, third Jean Brochu, second Evan Limoges and lead Jacques Brochu of the Falher Curling Club stole the win from Team Henricks, skip Kellie Henricks, third Kathleen Dunbar, second Crystal Chabot and lead Cheyanne Richars of the Grande Prairie Curling Club. Final score: 5 - 4.

News Release

Pomeroy Inn & Suites Peace Curling Tour

Curry 24-hour Towing Cash Spiel

Read the Daily Herald Tribune Article HERE.

In the SunLife Financial Division, Kurt Balderston defeated Daylan Vavrek in a close final that came down to last rock. Final score 9 - 6.

In the EnCana Challenge Division, Karen Powell defeated Delia DeJong in another close game. Final score 7 - 5.

News Release

Pomeroy Inn & Suites Peace Curling Tour Championships

Grande Prairie, AB October 26, 2012

The Peace Country Curling Season is in full swing and now the Peace Curling Tour joins the action with its first tour event, the Curry 24-Hour Towing GP Cash Spiel.

Action begins Friday morning at 10:00 am at the Grande Prairie Curling Club in the first event in the Pomeroy Inn & Suites Peace Curling Tour.

Fourteen competitive, twenty challenge and six junior teams will compete for almost $12,000 in prize money. This is the most teams the Grande Prairie Cash Spiel has seen in a number of years. Colin Griffith, Tour Committee Chair stated “We are seeing many teams return and new teams join the circuit because of the interest the Pomeroy Inn & Suites Peace Curling Tour is creating. The tour championship in January is definitely an event worth qualifying for, which was our goal when we first initiated the concept.”

Competing teams include Kurt Balderston (three-time tour champion and skip of the 2011 & 2012 Alberta Mixed provincial champion), Colin Griffith (2012 Master’s Men’s Champion), Courtney Rossing (2012 Arctic Winter Games medalist), GPRC Lady Wolves (2012 National College runner-up), and Kristie Moore (2012 World Curling Tour competitor and 1996 World Junior Champion).

Results can be viewed on the Peace Curling Association website at www.peacecurl.org.

The Pomeroy Inn and Suites Championships has 3 Divisions:

- The Sun Life Competitive Division

- The EnCana Challenge Division

- The CanWest Group Benefits Junior Division

Co-Chair Rob Griffith continued “Teams of all ages, skill levels and sometimes gender mix play in a division that suits their game, giving them the opportunity to compete for cash.”

The cash spiel circuit starts this weekend with the Curry 24-Hour Towing Grande Prairie Cash Spiel and then moves to Fort St John on November 9 – 11, 2012. The Cash Spiel circuit concludes in Dawson Creek with the Mile Zero Open November 23-25, 2012. The Pomeroy Inn & Suites Peace Curling Tour Championship will be held at the Sexsmith Curling Club January 18 – 20, 2013.

20 teams (8 competitive, 8 challenge, 4 junior) will earn berths to the Tour Championships through play in the 3 Cash spiels held in Dawson Creek, Fort St John, and starting this weekend in Grande Prairie with the Curry 24-hour Towing Cash Spiel.

"We expect this year to be extremely exciting for not only the curlers but also for all our wonderful curling fans in the Alberta and BC Peace River areas.” concluded Colin Griffith, who added “Many teams compete ‘for the love of curling’ and the tour really brings that to light.”

Executive Director of the Peace Curling Tour, Renee Sonnenberg, notes the benefits of the tour, especially to young curlers. “The Tour supports the development of our junior curlers not only through competitive play but also through the annual PCA Rock Star Junior Camp and the Juvenile Super League. This is critical to the survival of our sport.”

Media contacts:

Colin Griffith 780-933-9054 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Renee Sonnenberg 780-532-4782 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Pomeroy Inn and Suites Peace Curling Tour Championship

Backgrounder

The Pomeroy Inn & Suites Peace Curling Tour details:

• 3 divisions of play
  • SunLife Competitive Division
  • EnCana Challenge Division
  • Canwest Group Benefits Consultants Junior Division
• 3 Cash Spiels
  • Grande Prairie October 26 - 30
  • Fort St. John Curling Club November 9 – 11
  • Dawson Creek November 23 – 25
• Tour Championship
  • Sexsmith January 18 – 20, 2013
    • 8 teams in the competitive division
    • 8 teams in the challenge division
    • 4 junior teams
• Qualification for the Tour Championship
  • Teams earn points during the 3 cash spiels in the competitive and challenge divisions. The top 8 teams qualify for the tour championship.
  • Junior teams earn points through the cash spiels as well as the juvenile super league and Arctic Cup.