News Masters

Two teams are already set to take the stage at the Masters, running Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre in Truro, N.S.

Jim Cotter, of Vernon, B.C., and Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson earned spots to the second event on the 2015-16 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season after winning the Tier 2 divisions at the Tour Challenge this past weekend in Paradise, N.L.

The season-opening, all-new event saw a total of 30 men’s and 30 women’s teams competing in two tiers of action. The Tier 2 winners were guaranteed berths to the Masters, the first of four majors on the season.

Both Team Cotter and Team Einarson ran the table, posting undefeated 7-0 records, through the Tier 2. Cotter topped the men’s division with a 5-3 victory over Mark Kean, of Stoney Creek, Ont., in the men’s final while Einarson defeated Regina’s Team Chantelle Eberle, with spare skip Amber Holland, 8-2 to win the inaugural women’s title.

For Cotter, the Tier 2 win is a chance for his team to get back into the elite level. After finishing runner-up at both the Canadian Olympic Trials and the Tim Hortons Brier during the 2013-14 season, the rink played a lighter schedule this past season, one the reigning B.C. provincial champions ultimately paid the price for on the World Curling Tour’s order of merit rankings that saw them slip.

“We didn’t play very much last year so we kind of played ourselves out of the Slams and we’re realizing now that was probably a bad mistake there last year not to be playing,” said Cotter, who was a finalist at the 2012 Masters. “Now our goal is to fight our way back into them because they’re great events, the best teams in the world, and any time you can play against the best teams in the world you’re only going to get better.”

In Einarson’s case, the Tier 2 win represented her first title with her team. The rink has finished runner-up at the past two Manitoba provincial tournaments and stepped up their game to make it through the Tour Challenge.

“It’s usually as we qualify, it’s like pressure is off of us but we just kept it on us and we’re like, ‘No, we’re going to go for everything,’” Einarson said. “We wanted to be in Nova Scotia with those top teams so it’s awesome. It’s going to be a fabulous time.”

The Masters consists of 15 men’s and 15 women’s teams. Each division is divided into three groups of five for round-robin play with the top eight teams advancing to the playoffs.

For qualification into the Masters, 13 of the top men’s teams and 13 of the top women’s teams based on the World Curling Tour’s order of merit rankings as of Sept. 29 are invited. Should any of these teams decline, the next ranked team is invited until the field is set. One spot in each division is reserved for the Tour Challenge Tier 2 winners plus another spot for a sponsor’s exemption (which is selected by the Pinty’s GSOC and may or may not be implemented).

Keep it here at thegrandslamofcurling.com when the full field is announced.

All-event, weekend and single draw tickets are now available for the Masters, click here to purchase your tickets today!