(Nov 25, 2008) -- Ticket packages for the eighth and final
2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event on sale Friday, November 28
GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALTA., November 24, 2008 – The Grande Prairie Local Organizing Committee, the World Curling Tour and Insight Sports announced today that early bird ticket packages for the Grey Power Players’ Championship, the eighth and final 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series event, will go on sale to the public on Friday, November 28 at 10:00 a.m.
Scheduled to take place at the Crystal Centre in Grande Prairie, Alta. from April 14-19, 2009, the Grey Power Players’ Championship will include both a men’s and a women’s draw featuring Canada’s top skips including World Champions Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Jennifer Jones (Winnipeg, Man.), Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.), Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.), Kelly Scott (Kelowna, B.C.), Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg, Man.), Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg, Man.), Wayne Middaugh (Midland, Ont.), as well as Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.) and Olympic bronze medallist Shannon Kleibrink (Calgary, Alta.).
“We’re thrilled to be hosting the top 16 men’s and women’s curling teams in Canada,” said Tom Pura, Media Liaison for the Grande Prairie Local Organizing Committee. “The Grey Power Players’ Championship is one of the most prestigious events on the Canadian curling calendar and we’re honoured to showcase this world class tournament to Grande Prairie’s passionate curling fans.”
Full event ticket packages for the Grey Power Players’ Championship are available through TicketMaster or by phoning the Crystal Centre box office at (780) 538-0387.
The 2009 Grey Power Players’ Championship marks the first time Grande Prairie has hosted a Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event. Last year, St. John’s, Nfld. played host to the Players’ Championship with Howard and Amber Holland (Regina, Sask.) winning the men’s and women’s titles respectively.
The top 16 women’s teams on the Canadian Team Ranking System as of March 2, 2009 and the top 16 men’s teams on the Canadian Team Ranking System as of March 16, 2009 will qualify for the 2009 Grey Power Players’ Championship.
“The Grey Power Players’ Championship is an event that all of curling’s top teams have circled on their calendar,” said skip Kevin Koe. “This tournament is the final competition where teams can earn qualifying points towards the 2009 Canadian Trials. With so much at stake, everyone is going to be bringing their A-game to Grand Prairie in April.”
“In terms of elite Canadian curling tournaments, it doesn’t get much bigger than the Grey Power Players’ Championship,” said skip Kristie Moore. “This is an event that every team wants to win at least once in their careers and I can’t think of a better place to try and capture our first Players’ Championship crown than in front of our hometown fans.”
Following the conclusion of the Grey Power Players’ Championship, the World Curling Tour will announce the winners of the inaugural Capital One Cup. The Capital One Cup is a points-based competition that awards each curling team a point value based on their performance during each Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event.
The top men’s and women’s teams on the Capital One Cup standings following the Grey Power Players’ Championship will each receive $50,000 (CDN). The second and third place men’s and women’s squads will each receive $25,000 (CDN) and $10,000 (CDN) respectively.
An elite, annual Canadian curling series, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling consists of eight events that feature this nation’s deepest and strongest curling fields.
The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events are closely tied to the Canadian Curling Association's qualifying process for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Through their performance in the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events, rinks can earn a significant amount of points towards securing a berth at the 2009 Canadian Trials.
The 2008-09 men’s Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series kicked off with Howard winning the Masters of Curling in Waterloo, Ont. The series’ second leg, The National will take place at ExpoCité in Quebec City from December 3-7, 2008. Winnipeg will host the men’s third event, the BDO Classic Canadian Open, from January 21-25, 2009 at the MTS Centre.
The women’s 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series began with Kleibrink winning the Trail Appliances Autumn Gold Curling Classic in Calgary and Michelle Englot (Regina, Sask.) capturing the Casinos of Winnipeg event. Jones won the series’ third event, the Wayden Transportation Ladies Classic in Abbotsford, B.C. New Glasgow, N.S. will host the women’s fourth event, the Sobeys Slam, from November 27-30, 2008 at John Brother MacDonald Stadium.
About Grey Power
Grey Power is the industry leader in providing auto and home insurance to mature Canadians. Grey Power recognizes it takes years of skill and experience to achieve a good driving record and rewards that experience with substantial savings through the Experience Advantage™. With Grey Power, Canadians not only save on their insurance but also get superior service and expert advice. Grey Power products are provided by Trafalgar Insurance Company of Canada, which is part of ING Canada, the country's largest provider of automobile, home and commercial insurance.
About Capital One
Located in Toronto, Ontario, Capital One has offered Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard® credit cards since 1996, when the company first introduced the Platinum MasterCard® in Canada. Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF).
About Insight Sports Ltd.
Insight Sports Ltd. is a leading North American sports media and entertainment company which owns, creates, aggregates and distributes sports and entertainment content across multiple platforms, including broadcast television, events, on-line, mobile, in-arena and video on-demand. Among its event assets, Insight Sports owns and operates the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling (www.worldcurlingtour.com), a series of eight high-profile men’s and women’s events that feature Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields. |
