MCA opens Select door
By JIM BENDER -- Winnipeg Sun
It was a shocking change of curling hearts. The Manitoba Curling Association decided to award an exemption into the Safeway Select to the top-ranked Manitoba team on the Canadian Curling Association's Canadian Team Ranking System at yesterday's annual AGM in Morris after all.
Just a month ago, the MCA's board of directors had rejected the proposal.
"Hey, really?" asked a pleasantly surprised Jeff Stoughton, the top Manitoba CTRS team last season. "That was pretty good of them. That's a good move for Manitoba curlers."
Although the change will go into effect for next season's Select in Selkirk, details have yet to be ironed out. The MCA must still decide whether to award the exemption to last year's top CTRS side (Stoughton) or give it to the top Manitoba squad at a certain date before the Select.
"It would be great if they award it to us," Stoughton said. "But if it happens to be another team, that's great. If it goes to the top team during the 2004-05 season, that's fine, too.
"It gives something to the teams that are competing across Canada to get better and not have to take a week off to play in their zones. That's the good side of it."
But if it does go to the top CTRS side next season, Stoughton doubts if his foursome would be able to earn enough points.
"Our trail won't take us to a lot of spots with CTRS points just because we don't need to go to them," said Stoughton, who has already earned a 2005 Olympic trials berth with the points earned last season.
To get the Select exemption, the top CTRS team must compete in at least one Manitoba event.
"This is a progressive step for curling in Manitoba, the CTRS represents a new level of aspiration and achievement for all Canadian curlers," said new MCA president Lorne Hamblin of Morris. "The time is right for the Manitoba Curling Association to recognize the new reality of the Canadian curling scene.
"It's a wonderful decision looking down the road at what the Olympics have done for curling and with what the other provinces are doing. It's good news all around for Manitoba and for the development of curling."
The official explanation for the turnaround was that the board of directors had actually rejected the recommendation of terminating the Southern Berth Bonspiel, meaning that there was no Select spot to award to the top CTRS point-getter. But the AGM accepted the MCA Bonspiel Review Committee's recommendation to terminate the spot given to the minor-event playoff -- a recommendation that The Sun first revealed a month ago -- opening up a berth that could be awarded.
"We said to take their personalities out of it," said MCA executive director Ian Staniloff, noting some lingering bitterness toward the Grand Slammers who were pushing for the change. "Six years down the road, the David Hamblins (Lorne's son) and the Mike McEwens can't get any better if they only play on the (Manitoba Curling Tour). This encourages them to get better by playing teams across Canada."
In another change, minor-event games in the MCA spiel will also be reduced to eight ends.
Meanwhile, former MCA employee Janine Smith (Elmwood), Flin Flon's Doug Gourlay Sr., Jack McDonald of Grain Exchange, Pilot Mound's Faye McCannell and out-going president Joan Halowski were all made Honourary Life Members. And Glenboro's Stan Oleson was named Volunteer of the Year.
