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VIERUMAKI, FINLAND – The dual world curling championships for Mixed Doubles and Seniors begins Saturday in this Finnish city.
24 teams will contest the first-ever World Mixed Doubles Championship, while 18 men’s and 10 women’s teams will battle for the World Senior Championship. In all, 160 national team competitors will represent 27 World Curling Federation (WCF) member associations.
“The World Curling Federation will celebrate curling in Vierumaki,” said Les Harrison, WCF President. “We are delighted to spotlight the first-ever world championship for the new discipline of Mixed Doubles, and our Senior competitors are sure to repeat the great shootout that occurred last year in Edmonton.
“We salute the local organizing committee and also our partners at the Sport Institute of Finland and the Finnish Curling Association, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year.”
Mixed Doubles features two competitors, one male and one female, throwing five stones per end in an eight-end game. One player throws first and last (fifth), while the other player throws stones two, three and four. The opponents alternate with their shots.
There are other variances to traditional curling. Sweeping is allowed but with just two players on the ice the thrower will sweep the delivered stone, or the other teammate will rush to sweep.
In addition, each end starts with two stationary stones in play: one in a guard position on the centre line and the other placed in the rings at the back of the button.
“It’s interesting,” said multiple world champion Scott Pfeifer of Canada, at December’s Continental Cup of Curling.
“Lots of rocks in play, and lots of high scores.”
A number of domestic and world champions and Olympians will contest the 2008 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. Jamie Haskell, third for Cassie Johnson’s U.S. team at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, will compete with husband Nate Haskell. Canada’s Dean Ross and Susan O’Connor won their nation’s traditional Mixed championship to qualify for Vierumaki. Another interesting pairing sees Norwegian veteran Tormod Andreassen teamed with 2004 world junior champion Linn Githmark.
The Seniors field sees 10 women’s teams and 18 men’s teams. Sweden’s Ingrid Meldahl will try to defend her 2007 women’s championship against the likes of Scotland’s Kirsty Letton and Canada’s Diane Foster. On the men’s side, 1989 men’s world champion Pat Ryan of Canada will make his World Seniors debut, and will see a familiar face in the Scottish champion: skip Graeme Adam, who also competed in that 1989 Worlds in Milwaukee.
The Finnish Curling Association will post live results online of both Championships. The World Mixed Doubles results will be available at: curling.fi/en/competitions/leagues/2688 and the World Seniors can be viewed at: curling.fi/en/competitions/leagues/2687
In addition, results will be mirrored on the World Curling Federation website at: results.worldcurling.org
The host websites for the Championships are: wmdcc2008.com (World Mixed Doubles) and: www.wscc2008.com (World Seniors).
World Mixed Doubles – Teams
Australia – Gerald Chick, Jennifer Thomas
Canada – Dean Ross, Susan O’Connor
China – Li Guangxu, Xindi Zhang
Czech Republic – Radek Zdarksy, Hana Cechova
Denmark – Lasse Damm, Kirsten Jensen
England – Steve Amann, Jane Clark
Estonia – Jan Anderson, Marou Velga
Finland – Jussi Uusipaavalniemi, Anne Malmi
France – Lionel Roux, Helene Grieshaber
Hungary – Gyorgy Nagy, Ildiko Szekeres
Italy – Alberto Rostagnotto, Silvia Mingozzi
Japan – Kenji Tomabechi, Michiko Taira
Latvia – Roberts Krusts, Iveta Stasa
New Zealand – Sean Becker, Bridget Becker
Norway – Tormod Andreasson, Linn Githmark
Poland – Damian Herman, Agnieska Ogrodniczek
Russia – Dmitriy Abanin Ilona Grishina
Scotland – Dillan Perras, Judith Carr (son/mom)
Slovakia – Stefan Turna, Barbora Vojtusova
Spain – Sergio Vez Labrador, Irantzu Garcia Vez
Sweden – Goran Karlsson, Marie Persson
Switzerland – Toni Mueller, Irene Schori
United States – Nate Haskell, Jamie Haskell
Wales – Phil Jones, Lisa Peters
World Seniors – Women's Teams
Sweden – Ingrid Meldahl (skip)
Canada – Diane Foster
England – Glynnice Lauder
Finland – Helena Timonen
Ireland – Fiona Turnbull
Japan – Eriko Igarashi
New Zealand – Liz Matthews
Scotland – Kirsty Letton
Switzerland – Renate Nedkoff
United States – Pamela Oleinik
World Seniors – Men's Teams
Canada – Pat Ryan (skip)
Sweden – Per Lindeman
Switzerland – Hugo Jaeggi
Norway – Leif Hald
USA – David Russell
Wales – Hugh Meikle
Denmark – Allan Plough
England – Michael Sutherland
Estonia – Leo Jacobsen
Finland – Mauno Nummila
Germany – Klaus Unterstab
Iceland – Gisli Kristinsson
Ireland – Tony Tierney
Italy – Gino Savoi
Japan – Akinori Kashiwagi
New Zealand – Peter Becker
Russia – Aleksander Kolesnikov
Scotland – Graeme Adam
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