The final draw will determine the final placings at the 2023 Everest Canadian Senior Women鈥檚 and Men鈥檚 Curling Championships Friday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m. at the Vernon Curling Club.
The top four women鈥檚 and top four men鈥檚 rinks that will qualify for Saturday morning鈥檚 semifinals will be confirmed, as will their placings.
Going into the draw Friday, there鈥檚 a logjam on the women鈥檚 side featuring six of the eight teams. Saskatchewan鈥檚 Nancy Martin (8-1) and Ontario鈥檚 Susan Froud (7-2) have clinched final four spots. Those two play each other, with the winner getting the No. 1 seed for the semifinals Saturday.
B.C.鈥檚 Diane Gushulak (6-3) and Alberta鈥檚 Atina Ford Johnston (6-3) are in positions to clinch. But the remaining four teams 鈥� Northwest Territories, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Manitoba 鈥� are 5-4.
Gushulak will take on Quebec鈥檚 Chantal Osborne. Ford Johnston plays Nova Scotia鈥檚 Andrea Saulnier. Manitoba鈥檚 Joelle Brown plays the Sharon Cormier rinkof the Northwest Territories.
Should teams be tied, tournament records will be used to determine the final two spots.
Gushulak fell to 6-3 Friday morning with an 8-5 loss to Saulnier鈥檚 Nova Scotia squad.
On the men鈥檚 draw, Saskatchewan鈥檚 Bruce Korte rebounded from his first loss Thursday night, 7-5 to Dave Boehmer of Manitoba, to defeat Francois Roberge of Quebec 8-3 Friday morning.
The win lifted Korte to 8-1 and in position to clinch the No. 1 seed in the 6 p.m. draw with a win over Paul Flemming of Nova Scotia (7-2). A Flemming win and the Maritimes rink gets the top seed.
Flemming is tied with B.C.鈥檚 Wes Craig of Duncan and Boehmer at 7-2 while New Brunswick鈥檚 Mike Kennedy is alive at 6-3. Craig plays Kennedy Friday at 6 p.m.
Semifinals for both men and women go Saturday morning, Dec. 9, at 8:30 a.m. The first- and second-place team in each draw gets the hammer (last rock) to start the semis.
The men鈥檚 championship and bronze-medal matches will be played at 12:30 p.m., followed by the women鈥檚 medal games at 3:30 p.m.
The two champions will represent Canada at the World Championships in 2024 in Sweden.
