Shorty and Shoot-out underway

The first stop on the women’s WCT is on this week in Edmonton and there is a lot going on, especially with Heather Nedohin’s Canadian champs in the house.

Norm Cowley details the champs’ position heading into the season, with the fact that the next 15 months is all planned out.

“Our goal is to prepareourselves for the next 15, 16 months until the Olympic trials,” Nedohin saidafter thumping Chana Martineau 8-0 in only five ends Thursday morning in herfirst game in the season-opening The Shoot-Out bonspiel at the SavilleCommunity Sports Centre.“The bonus is we’ve got the opportunity to do that. We know where we’re goingto be in 2013 and we know what big events lead us throughout this year.

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Kelly Scott is going to have to change the water in the team cooler. What other explanation can she give for this rash of babies being born to members of her team? Con Grikowsky has the story of the rotating lineups for the BC squad that’s playing in this week’s Shoot-Out in Edmonton.

Jeanna Schraeder is back in after maternity leave and Sasha Carter is at home giving birth to Son No. 2.

Last year, when Scott got all the way to the Scotties final, she also had to re-order the lineup sheet and get used to new teammates. Part of that was the illness that swept through the competition.

“In a sense, we’re king of back to that again,” said Scott.“We’ve got to kinda learn one another again. There’s some sense of comfort inhaving a past teammate (Schraeder), but at the same time we have new goals.It’ll be fun.”

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 Meanwhile in Ontario, the teams are gathering for the Shorty spiel in Brockville, the annual event named in honour of the great icemaker.

As Ottawa Sun’s and Hogline Curling proprietor Joe Paviasays, the stars are gathering at the event including Brad Gushue, Kevin Koe and Brad Jacobs along with Sherry Middaugh, Rachel Homan and Eve Muirhead.