Looking ahead to next season

When WCF President Les Harrison concluded the presentation ceremony at the inaugural World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Vierumaki (above), he tantalisingly did NOT confirm where the second event was going to be held. It was an open secret though that Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, was the venue that was being considered, and this apparently was confirmed at the WCF AGM in Grand Forks. Italy here we come!

The dates for the second World MDs, a standalone event next time, will be April 18-26, and that should mean that whoever qualifies to represent Scotland from the Scottish Mixed Doubles Championship at Murrayfield on December 19-21 will have no conflict with other international events this time! Except of course the World Seniors which are scheduled for April 24-May 3, in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Canada have again elected to send to the Mixed Doubles two of the team which wins their Mixed Championship to be played this November in Iqaluit, Nunavut, in northern Canada.

What other international dates are in the curling calendar? The European Mixed is set for Kitzbuhel, Austria, September 22-27.

The European Championships are in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, December 6-13. There is an announcement on the ECF website (here) on how the B Division will be played if more than 20 countries enter this year.

The Continental Cup is December 18-21, Camrose, Alberta.

World Junior B Qualifying Competition, is in Copenhagen, January, 3-7, 2009. A Scottish Junior Men's team will be looking for one of two qualifying places for the Junior Worlds in Vancouver.

The World University Games are in Harbin, China, February 18-28, 2009.

The World Wheelchair Championship is February 21-28, 2009, in Vancouver, BC.

The same venue will host the World Juniors, March 5-15.

The World Women's is March 21-29, Gangneung, Korea.

Moncton, New Brunswick, will host the Ford World Men's Curling Championship at the Coliseum, April 4-12.

Canada's Dean Ross and Susan O'Connor, neither of whom had played the Mixed Doubles discipline before going to Vierumaki, lost out to Anne Malmi and Jussi Uusipaavalniemi of Finland in the second qualifying round.

Sweden's Goran Carlsson sweeps a stone with the WCF's Mixed Doubles Banner in the background.

Photos by Bob.