Peace, records, break-ups and Bonspiels

The curling world kept busy in 2003; some highlights ...

Adam Daifallah

National Post

Tuesday, December 30, 2003

Another year has come and gone, and 2003 was an eventful one for the curling world. Here are just a sampling of the stories that stick out over the last twelve months:

PEACE AT LAST The big story of the year is the truce between the Canadian Curling Association (CCA) and the World Curling Players' Association which ended the three-year rift between the two organizations. The announcement at the end of the summer meant that all of Canada's elite men's teams could play in both the World Curling Tour's (WCT) Grand Slam events as well as Brier playdowns. The players won some significant concessions, including the ability to wear sponsors' crests and get real financial compensation at the Brier. The hatchet-burying couldn't have come too soon for curling fans.

FERBEY'S FIVE-PEAT Edmonton's Randy Ferbey wins a record third Brier in a row, his record fifth lifetime title (the other two came in the 1980s as vice for Pat Ryan), and becomes the first man in 30 years to win back-to-back world titles.

JONES' FIVE-PEAT Not to be outdone on the ladies' side, Colleen Jones of Halifax wins a record third straight title, and her record fifth Scott Tournament of Hearts, all of them as skip.

RULES HARMONIZATION. After years of playing under different rules, the Canadian Curling Association finally acquiesces and ditches the three-rock free guard zone rule for the four-rock rule. The Canadian and international sets of rules are now virtually uniform.

JONES LOSES ANOTHER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP That makes her a calamitous one-for-five lifetime. The 2003 worlds were particularly painful, though, with the event held in Canada's curling heartland, Winnipeg. The Jones team went 9-0 through the round robin, the first women's team to go undefeated in world play, and lost a heartbreaking final to Debbie McCormick of the U.S. by a score of 5-3. It was the first time an American team won the women's world championship.

THE WRENCH COMES OUT OF RETIREMENT Ed Werenich, the colourful 56-year-old firefighter, is playing with old lead Neil Harrison at vice, son Ryan at second and Lino Di Iorio at lead. The team has had moderate success on the cashspiel circuit, but recently failed to get out of their zone playdowns.

THE GAUDET TEAM BREAKUP Many thought the Charlottetown foursome of Suzanne Gaudet, sisters Rebecca Jean and Robin MacPhee and lead Susan McInnis were the Next Big Thing, after their run at the Tournament of Hearts. They were off to a quick start on the spiel circuit before splitting up with little explanation in November. There is hope for reconciliation but, for now, the MacPhee sisters have their own team, and Gaudet has picked up a couple of P.E.I. veterans to fill out her foursome.

CURLING LOSES TWO GREATS Ottawa super athlete Gordon Perry, known as the Galloping Ghost, died in September at the age of 100. Perry was known for his prowess in several sports, including football, baseball and curling. A member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, a popular bonspiel at the Ottawa Curling Club still bears his name each spring. Bill Tetley, who skipped the 1975 Brier winning team from Thunder Bay, also passed away.

HOGLINE INNOVATION The CCA introduces magnetic hogline detection devices on stones for all its national competitions, much to the delight of the majority of players. Developed by a Saskatoon engineering firm, the technology flashes two red lights on the stone's handle if the rock is hogged and green lights if it is released in time. This should put an end to the ritual of players complaining about bad calls by hogline judges (or, as Werenich calls them, "those freeloading blind mice.")

SNUBBING WAYNE Wayne Middaugh's rink, unable to participate in zone playdowns because of a scheduling conflict, approaches the Ontario Curling Association for a bye to the Challenge Round. In one of its more boneheaded decisions, the OCA rejects the request, meaning Middaugh's Toronto's St. George's rink, likely the hottest team in the game with close to $90,000 in winnings in WCT events, will not be at the provincial or national championships again this year.

Happy New Year!