Scotties Weekend Observations

Observations after the opening weekend of the Scotties, albeit from television:

* Kelly Scott doesn’t seem to be firing on all cylinders, does she? I heard a stat on television during last night's game that said all of last year, her team only had eight points stolen on it. Then they give up six in one game against Ontario and three more to Saskatchewan last night. However, count this squad out at your own peril.

* Does the ice seem to be bordering on ridiculous? The rocks are finishing hard, almost too hard. This could get ugly.

* I have a new name to add to my list of all time great Callers of the Sweep. That’s a list of people who have exceptionally distinctive voices when the yell for sweeping, so much so that you think you're sweeping for your life. The list includes John Kawaja (perhaps because I had to listen to it for so many years), Richard Hart and now Amy Nixon. Even when you’re not watching the Alberta game, you can hear her call. When she yells, you get the idea that if you don’t sweep, the arena is going to fall down – there’s that much intensity in her voice.

* It wouldn’t be a curling event in Saskatchewan if there wasn’t a Bobby Corman sighting. Murray McCormick stated in his fine blog that he was in the crowd last night. Let the games begin.

* The Canada Cup is leaving Kamloops and heading for Yorkton. Is that a move up? Down? Sideways? Where is Yorkton anyway?

* The Ontario-Manitoba match this morning has the potential to be the most entertaining game of the week (unless they meet in the playoffs, of course). Two women’s teams unafraid to mix it up.

* Alberta might be the only unbeaten team so far, but it’s had a softer schedule than the other front runners. Let's see where the team is after a few more games.