Canadian curling would benefit from Tier II series of Slam-like events

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The crème-de-la-crème of curling in the world is currently gathered in Red Deer, Alta., for the Grand Slam Canadian Open, an event that has become so exclusive that it’s incredibly hard for Canadian teams to make it into the field.

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Just six of the 16 men’s teams in the tournament and seven of the 16 women’s teams are from Canada, something that has been the case at each of the Grand Slam events this season.

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There’s nothing wrong with that.

International curling teams have become very strong and have earned their way into the Slams, using them as a springboard for huge success in events like the world championships and the Olympics.

“The Slams are the top events and they should have the top teams in the world, regardless of where you are from,” Calgary’s Kevin Koe said from Red Deer this week.

“Credit to a lot of these international teams. They’re putting in the time, they’re travelling more than Canadian teams, they’re coming here a lot and getting their points.”

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The Slams have likely done more for the growth of international curling than anything else.

But where does it leave Canada, a country that used to produce world championships and Olympic gold medals regularly, but is in the throes of a dry spell that started in 2018?

Koe’s team, along with those skipped by Brad Gushue, Brendan Bottcher, Matt Dunstone, Reid Carruthers and Mike McEwen, get into the Slams regularly.

On the women’s side, you’ll always see Rachel Homan, Jennifer Jones, Kerri Einarson and Kaitlyn Lawes. Kate Cameron, Jolene Campbell and Selena Sturmay all also got in to the Canadian Open, although one team was added at the last minute when Italy’s Stefania Constantini had to pull out.

But there are so many Canadian teams on the fringe that simply aren’t getting the chance to play in the biggest events and many people believe the only way they are going to grow is if a secondary tour (Tier II) is established.

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“It’s almost time that we just accept it and build a tour for both levels, with room for those Tier II teams to move up into Tier I or the professional ranks or whatever you want to call them,” said two-time Olympian Marc Kennedy, the third for Bottcher’s Alberta team.

“A feeder system, I can see that happening within the next few years. For those mid-range teams, for them to have a lot of access to good events is absolutely crucial.”

Kennedy said he has had conversations with Curling Canada high performance director David Murdoch about the need for a Tier II tour, with more and more people in the game are thinking that’s the way to go.

“You look at the whole big picture and the whole Tier II idea, and I think we’re starting to realize how important it is,” said Kevin Martin, a 15-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Olympic medallist who is now an analyst for Sportsnet.

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“It’s kind of been something that people haven’t worried about, but it’s something we need to worry about.

“As the Tier I continues to grow, the teams that won’t quite make it are still that good, but there’s just not enough room. Then Tier II becomes very strong also and it’s a wonderful way to set up a sport.”

There already is one of the five Grand Slam events each season that includes a Tier II division. The Tour Challenge in October features 64 total teams (32 men’s and 32 women’s), with two separate divisions.

While it’s an excellent concept and is precisely what Canada needs to get more teams involved at the elite level — thereby increasing the country’s chances of winning international medals — there are logistical issues.

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“I love that event,” Martin said. “It’s a little tricky to run because you’ve got 64 teams in one community, you need two rinks. There are limited places that can house it because it’s just a massive event. But, boy, the success.”

He then used a golf reference to illustrate what might need to happen next.

“I’m not sure your PGA events and the next tier of golf events should be on the same golf course on the same weekend,” Martin said. “But I sure think the Tier II events, we need to have it more organized and have the schedule a lot better over the whole year.”

Martin was one of the Canadian curlers who boycotted Curling Canada events back at the turn of the century in order to establish the Grand Slam series.

Since then, the Sportsnet property has grown into a successful tour that has helped spur on the careers of many Canadian and international teams.

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Sweden’s Niklas Edin, Scotland’s Bruce Mouat, Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni and recently Italy’s Joel Retornaz have all reached great heights after fine-tuning their games on the Grand Slam tour.

Even though all of the events are held in Canada, the Grand Slam seems to have done more for the international teams than Canadian ones. You can’t blame the tour organizers for wanting to put the very best teams on the ice. Besides, teams have to qualify to get into the Slams and right now, more international teams are qualifying than Canadian ones.

“You look at some of the new teams that are getting in, they are mostly international teams but they are playing in their first Slams,” Koe said. “It’s definitely doable. You’ve just got to put in the time and effort and it’s not easy.”

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It’s not like there are no second-tier events.

Big cash bonspiels in Ontario (Shorty Jenkins Classic, Soo Curlers Classic), B.C. (Penticton Curling Classic), Saskatchewan (Western Showdown) and Alberta (ATB Okotoks Classic, Astec Safety Challenge) give opportunities to non-Slam players to compete.

But the thinking is that a secondary level of events needs to be more organized. Some curlers, like Alberta’s Ben Hebert (the lead for Bottcher), are getting involved in organizing events themselves and more likely need to join him.

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“It’ll be interested to see how it goes over the next 10-20 years and hopefully we can see a lot more Canadian teams getting into those big events to stay relevant,” Kennedy said.

The last word goes to Martin, who was asked if the current exclusivity of the Slams is good for the game of curling overall.

“When it comes to thinking about curling and the growth of it, the healthiest answer would be that the world of curling continues to grow and more and more nations are getting to the top tier,” he said.

“I would say it’s probably healthier for the game of curling if even more Canadian teams have trouble getting in. That means there’s more growth, far and wide, of our wonderful sport.”

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Twitter.com/Ted_Wyman

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