Women’s worlds redux at Players’ Championship
It’ll be an encore of the women’s world tournament at the Players’ Championship.
The season-ending Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event will feature the teams that made the final four at the 2015 women’s world curling championship in Pool A action. Jennifer Jones (Canada), Eve Muirhead (Scotland), Anna Sidorova (Russia) and world champ Alina Paetz (Switzerland) are set to clash again in the round robin.
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The group also features 2014 world champion Binia Feltscher and two-time Scotties winner Heather Nedohin, who is stepping back from competitive curling following the Players’ Championship.
Before the tournament kicks off next Tuesday at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, let’s break down the women’s teams competing in Pool A.
TEAM JONES
Lineup: Jennifer Jones, Kaitlyn Lawes, Jill Officer and Dawn McEwen
Hometown: Winnipeg
WCT year-to-date OOM: 1st
Jones capped a dream season winning the Players’ Championship a year ago. The 2014 Olympic gold medallists won the Scotties Tournament of Hearts this season and earned silver at the world championship. They’ve captured three titles on the World Curling Tour this season. Jones has won the women’s Players’ title a record five times.
TEAM MUIRHEAD
Lineup: Eve Muirhead, Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams and Sarah Reid
Hometown: Stirling, Scotland
WCT year-to-date OOM: 4th
Muirhead skipped her team to the world and the Players’ Championship titles in 2013. The rink won the first women’s Canadian Open in December after defeating Team Homan in the final and already have their sights set on taking the Players’ once again in Toronto.
TEAM PAETZ
Lineup: Alina Paetz, Nadine Lehmann, Marisa Winkelhausen and Nicole Schwaegli
Hometown: Baden Regio, Switzerland
WCT year-to-date OOM: 5th
Team Paetz was on fire at the 2015 world championships finishing the round robin with a 10-1 record and defeating Team Jones in the final to win the gold medal. Paetz also claimed gold at the 2012 worlds as an alternate on Mirjam Ott’s team and at the 2011 world mixed doubles curling championship with Sven Michel.
TEAM FELTSCHER
Lineup: Binia Feltscher, Irene Schori, Franziska Kaufmann and Christine Urech
Hometown: Flims, Switzerland
WCT year-to-date OOM: 6th
The 2014 world champions maintained their golden touch to claim the European title in November. They also captured the Womens Masters Basel title and made the quarterfinals at the Masters and Canadian Open events. Feltscher earned a silver medal at the 2006 Olympics in Turin while playing third for Mirjam Ott.
TEAM SIDOROVA
Lineup: Anna Sidorova, Margarita Fomina, Aleksandra Saitova and Ekaterina Galkina
Hometown: Moscow, Russia
WCT year-to-date OOM: 8th
The rink represented Russia on home ice at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Sidorova has picked up a pair of medals in 2015 taking bronze at the world championships and gold at the Winter Universiade.
TEAM NEDOHIN
Lineup: Heather Nedohin, Amy Nixon, Jocelyn Peterman and Laine Peters
Hometown: Edmonton
WCT year-to-date OOM: 12th
It’ll be one final swan song for skip Nedohin, who will step back from competitive curling following the Players’ Championship. Nedohin is a two-time Scotties champion and world bronze medallist. Her teammates will stick together for next season and have picked up Chelsea Carey (2014 Scotties bronze medallist) to skip the rink.
