CurlingZone: Ontario Announces Scotties Representatives

Ottawa's Team Homan (Picture: Andrew Klaver, Curling Canada) has been selected to represent Ontario at the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts after the provincial women's championships were postponed as a result of Ontario's COVID-19 response.

By: Dylan Chenier

In a press release put Friday, the Ontario Curling Association (CurlON) formally laid out their selection criteria to choose a provincial representative for the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay.

Upon reviewing the Canadian Team Rankings system (CTRS), as well as results from the Strength of Field Multiplier (SFM) and historic participation in key events (nationals, worlds, and Grand Slams), CurlON has named Homan's team as its Scotties representatives.

Homan is currently ranked fifth on the CTRS, she has represented Ontario at the Scotties eight times throughout her career.

The selection is a conditional one, as Homan is also in the running to represent Canada in the Mixed Doubles competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Curling Canada has yet to make its formal mixed doubles selection, an announcement is forthcoming. Due to the close proximity of the Scotties to the Mixed Doubles competition, Homan would be unable to compete in both events.

If Homan is selected for the Olympics and decides to participate, her rink will be unable to name a replacement skip for the Scotties. Instead, Team Hollie Duncan will take Homan's place at the nationals in Thunder bay.

According to CurlON officials, the tight race between the two teams in terms of CTRS points necessitated the decision to make Homan's selection conditional.

"After our review process, Team Homan was chosen based on several factors, including CTRS. But, when you remove 1/4 of the points earned and replace [them] with any player, Duncan moves ahead in the standings," Said Stephen Chenier, CurlON's executive director.

"For this reason, which such a close contest, it was our decision to make it conditional."

Team Duncan is currently the sixth-ranked women's team in the country, according to the CTRS points. As for whether a potential alternate for Team Homan would have secured the rink the necessary points, Chenier says that such a player could not be chosen.

"They [Homamn] are ranked fifth, three points ahead of Duncan. So, it would need to be a player from one of those four teams ahead of them in points. All of those teams have competed for their provincial championships and cannot compete for two associations in one season."

Therefore, without Rachel Homan, or any other member of the rink, absent from the lineup, the foursome would drop below Team Duncan in terms of CTRS points.

The 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts is currently scheduled to run from January 28th to February 6th at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Despite not being able to decide its national representatives at a provincial championship this year, CurlON has indicated its intentions to stage the 2022 Ontario Scotties Tournmanet of Hearts at some point in April. This ensures that Ontario's female curlers will still have an opportunity to compete for a provincial championship.

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