Two of the best curling rinks in the world are coming to the foothills.
Kevin Martin, the 2010 Olympic champion, and Kevin Koe, last year’s world champion, are two of the 12 skips who will be leading their teams at the Alberta Men’s Curling Championship in High River, Feb. 9-13.
“With the current world champion in Koe and the Olympic champion, Kevin Martin, coming to a provincial championship, I don’t think it has ever happened,” said Alberta Men’s Open co-chair Janis Stark. “It’s kind of a fluke, but it’s great for us.”
You have to be good to be lucky and Stark said Alberta has the strongest men’s curling contingent from top to bottom in the country.
Don Walchuk has also qualified for the championships in High River and he’s also familiar with winning championships.
Walchuk was the third for Martin when he won the Brier in 1997 and an Olympic silver medal in 2002. The veteran Walchuk was also on Pat Ryan’s team when The Ryan Express won the world championships in 2009.
The fourth rink that has already qualified is the Robert Schlender foursome.
As for the remaining eight rinks, they will be determined through regional playdowns. Speculation is David Nedohin will once again throw skip rocks for Randy Ferbey in an attempt to get to High River for the championships.
Ferbey and Nedohin were part of the famed Ferbey Four, which won four of five Briers from 2001 to 2005.
The curling for the Alberta championships will be moved from the Highwood Curling Club in High River to the adjacent High River hockey arena in the Bob Snodgrass Recreation Complex.
The ice will be done with assistance from John Steel of High River and Mike Libbus of the Oilfields Curling Club in Black Diamond.
Libbus might have other duties in High River that weekend as he could be trying to knock off Martin or Koe.
Libbus qualified for the Southern Alberta Playdowns at districts in Black Diamond on Dec. 19.
The Southern playdowns are in January in Calgary. If Libbus can make the top three in Southern Alberta, he will advance to the finals in High River.
Tickets for the Alberta championships in High River are $125 for all the draws. Stark said the organizers are hoping to sell all 530 bleacher seats at the arena by way of the five-day passes.
They have already sold approximately half of the available tickets.
The passes will allow for entry to all curling events, including the playoffs.
For ticket information for the Alberta Men’s Open call 403-649-6286 of go on-line at www.2011albertamenscurling.ca
