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Saturday, March 9, 2013

2014 Swiss Open Air Speil wants wheels




The organisers of the 2014 Swiss Open Air Spiel are looking to expand on the wheelchair curling part of the event. They hope to attract at least 8 teams for the event in January of 2014.

Haven't you almost wanted to go to Swiss Alps....Nice place I hear!

Cape Cod Summerspiel - Register Now!

 
 
 
 

Curl BC host an IMPROVE your game clinic!

 
Two wheelchair curling clinics (intro & intermediate) are being offered in the Lower Mainland.
An Introduction to Wheelchair Curling clinic will be held at Marpole Curling Club on March 16.
 
An Intermediate Wheelchair Curling clinic has also been planned for March. Participants must have attended an Intro to Wheelchair curling clinic or have been actively playing in a league for two or more years to take part.
 
The intermediate clinic will take place at Langley Curling Club on March 15.
 
For more information on either event, or to register for the Langley clinic, please contact Curl BC Educational Programs Manager Elisabeth Walker-Young at ac.cblrucnull@gnuoyreklawe

Team USA Paralympic profiles

Jimmy Joseph

Jimmy Joseph, pictured at the 2013 World Curling Federation World Wheelchair Curling Championships in Sochi, Russia, hopes to make his third U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team in 2014. The sport was added to the Games in 2006.

Preview

The United States has never medaled in wheelchair curling at the Paralympic Winter Games, but that all could change at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Russia.
Patrick McDonald
Patrick McDonald, who was injured while serving with the U.S. Army in Korea, became the skip for Team USA in 2012.
Team USA finished fourth at the World Wheelchair Curling Federation’s 2013 World Wheelchair Championship after a last-rock loss to China in the bronze-medal game at the Ice Cube Curling Center in Sochi, Russia.
"We came and we played, we trained really hard,” said Patrick McDonald, Team USA's skip. “After the fourth end break they turned up the heat. They made it really difficult. The best team won." The U.S. fell to China's Haitao Wang, 6-5, to finish with an 8-4 record.
"I'm very proud of our team and very proud of how we played,” Penny Greely said. “We've come a long way in two years. Next year we're only going to be stronger. We are going for gold in the Paralympics,"
Team USA holds one medal from the world championships, a bronze in 2008.
McDonald (Madison, Wis.) and teammates David Palmer (Mashpee, Mass.), Jimmy Joseph (New Hartford, N.Y.), Greely (Green Bay, Wis.), and Meghan Lino (East Falmouth, Mass.) have mathematically qualified the U.S. for the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.
The U.S. finished eighth of eight teams with a 2-7 record at the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games – where wheelchair curling made its debut. Team USA improved to fourth at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. In the bronze-medal match, the Americans lost 7-5 to Sweden.
Joseph was part of both the 2006 and 2010 U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Teams. McDonald, the only other member of the current team with Paralympic experience, represented Team USA in Vancouver.
Wheelchair curling is open to male and female athletes who have a physical disability in the lower half of their body, including spinal-cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and double-leg amputation. Each five-member team at the Paralympic Winter Games must have one male and one female representative.

The sport is now practiced in 24 different countries with 10 countries qualifying to compete in Sochi next March.

Storylines
  • While competing for their nation, four members of the five athlete 2012-13 USA Curling Wheelchair Curling National Team roster are also raising children. David Palmer (Mashpee, Mass.) has three children, while Patrick McDonald (Madison, Wis.) has one daughter and one son. Penny Greely (Green Bay, Wis.) has one son. Jimmy Joseph (New Hartford, N.Y.) has one daughter.
  • Two members of the five athlete 2012-13 USA Curling Wheelchair Curling National Team roster represent the Cape Cod Curling Club, a Paralympic Sport Club as recognized by the U.S. Paralympics division of the United States Olympic Committee. David Palmer (Mashpee, Mass.) competed with Team USA at the 2012 and 2013 World Curling Federation World Wheelchair Championship. Meghan Lino (East Falmouth, Mass.) made her debut in 2013.
  • Patrick McDonald (Madison, Wis.) is a U.S. Army veteran. While serving in Korea in 1991, the armored personnel carrier he was riding in rolled on the way back from patrol, injuring his spinal cord. McDonald’s grandfather lost his leg while serving in World War II.
  • The USA Curling Wheelchair Curling Player Selection Committee, which will determine the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Curling roster based on selection procedures, is comprised of five members.
    • Steve Brown, USA Curling National Wheelchair Curling Team Development Coach
    • Marc DePerno , USA Curling National Wheelchair Curling Program Director of Outreach and Development
    • Wally Henry, Coach, 2010 U.S. Women's Olympic Curling Team
    • Tracy Sachtjen, 2010 U.S. Olympic Curling Team member, six-time National Champion
    • Russell Schieber, USA Curling National Wheelchair Team Assistant Development Coach
Athletes to Watch

Penny Greely (Green Bay, Wis.)Penny Greely, a lead out of the Green Bay Curling Club, started curling in 2010 after a successful career in sitting volleyball. She has been a fixture on the USA Curling Wheelchair Curling National Team since 2011, when she made her debut at the World Curling Federation World Wheelchair Curling Championships. Team USA finished seventh in 2011, fifth in 2012 and fourth in 2013. Greely is a case worker with Brown County in Wisconsin. She is married with one son. She also enjoys fishing, golfing and swimming.

Jimmy Joseph (New Hartford, N.Y.)Jimmy Joseph, who is in the second position for the USA Curling Wheelchair Curling National Team, is one of the most experienced wheelchair curlers in the U. S. Curling since 2003, Joseph competed at the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games, where Team USA was eighth, and the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games, where Team USA placed fourth. He has competed at seven World Curling Federation World Wheelchair Championships, highlighted by a bronze-medal appearance in 2008. Joseph is a member of the Utica Curling Club. He is married with a daughter.

Meghan Lino (East Falmouth, Mass.)At 28, Meghan Lino is the youngest member of the USA Curling Wheelchair Curling National Team, which took fourth at the 2013 World Curling Federation World Wheelchair Curling Championships. An alternate with Team USA, Lino started curling in 2009 when a friend brought her to a fundraising event at the Cape Cod Curling Club. Lino now has a wheelchair curling tattoo. In addition to curling, she enjoys cycling, fishing, kayaking and swimming. Lino is an avid fan of World Wrestling Entertainment and The Food Network.

Patrick McDonald (Madison, Wis.)Patrick McDonald, a U.S. Army veteran, lost the use of his legs in 1991 when the armored personnel carrier he was riding in rolled on the way back from patrol in Korea. A life-long athlete, he turned to sport for rehabilitation. McDonald began curling in 2007. He competed at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, where Team USA was fourth, and three World Curling Federation World Wheelchair Championships. McDonald became the Team USA skip in 2012. McDonald also enjoys golf and shooting. He is involved in breast cancer awareness and literacy causes. He and his wife, Carrie, have one daughter, Andie, and one son, Kaelen.

David Palmer (Mashpee, Mass.)David Palmer is a vice skip for Team USA. In 2012, the Cape Cod Curling Club member made his debut at the World Curling Federation World Wheelchair Curling Championships, where the United States finished fifth. He was a part of the fourth-place finish at 2013 worlds. Palmer was introduced to curling in 2009 when he attended a fundraiser for a friend. Married with three children, Palmer is employed by Mashpee Public Schools.

Canadian Paralympians begin 1-year countdown to Sochi


Posted: Thursday, March 7, 2013 | 01:27 PM

Biathlon world champion Mark Arendz is part of the young wave of athletes boosting Canada's medal hopes for the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Winter Games. (Hannah Johnston/Getty Images) Biathlon world champion Mark Arendz is part of the young wave of athletes boosting Canada's medal hopes for the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Winter Games. (Hannah Johnston/Getty Images)
 

 

The next generation of Canadian Paralympic athletes has arrived and seems ready to carry the torch in Sochi in 2014.
Three years ago in Vancouver, Brian McKeever of Canmore, Alta., came within a coach's decision of a feat that no Canadian had ever accomplished: competing in both the Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Winter Games.

The cross-country skiing champion, who has Stargardt's disease and is legally blind, qualified as a member of the Canadian Olympic team and was prepared to race. But he was denied that opportunity when another skier, who was deemed to be a better medal contender, was chosen by the Canadian coaching staff to replace him in the 50-km marathon event.

Disappointed but undaunted, McKeever raced a few weeks later in the Vancouver Paralympics and won gold in the sprint, the 10-km classical and the 20-km freestyle events, giving him 10 Paralympic medals in his prolific career.

The 33-year-old veteran is still at it and, with the help of his guide Erik Carleton, he just won gold in the sprint and the 20-km skate-ski events at the International Paralympic Committee Nordic world championships in Solleftea, Sweden. He will again be among the potential stars for Canada in Sochi in 2014.

Even better news for Canada's cross-country team, and for other sports as well, is that the next generation has arrived and seems ready to carry the torch.

Arendz, Williamson shine at worlds

Mark Arendz, the pride of Springton, P.E.I., took home a gold and two bronze medals in biathlon (a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting) from those same Nordic world championships in Sweden. Arendz is an arm amputee who races cross-country with just one ski pole and shoots a rifle with pinpoint accuracy. He just celebrated his 23rd birthday and represents a younger wave of athletes who are helping to give Canada greater medal-winning potential in 2014.

Alpine ski racer Chris Williamson, a 40-year-old from Markham, Ont., seems to be as fast and as fit as ever and managed to recover from injury to win world championship gold in February as well. Williamson, working with guide Robin Femy, was the best among visually impaired skiers in the super-combined discipline, which pairs a super-G with a slalom, at the IPC alpine world championships in La Molina, Spain. It was one of four medals for Williamson and part of a 14-medal haul for Canada. That was the highest total of any nation, with France next at 12 medals.

Other veterans who had strong alpine results were Kimberly Joines from Rossland, B.C., who did not compete in 2010 at the Paralympics because of injury. In La Molina, she made four trips to the podium (two silver, two bronze), and Edmonton's Viviane Forest, with her guide Chloe Lauzon-Gauthier, gathered in two bronze medals.

Among the up-and-comers for Canada in Spain was 15-year-old Mac Marcoux of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., who along with his brother-guide Billy Joe took bronze in the giant slalom, and 18-year-old Alexandre Starker of Calgary, who grabbed three bronze medals.

Success on the ice

Billy Bridges has been shining with Canada's sledge hockey team for years, but his excellence does not seem to be tapering. In January, in a three-game series against Norway, the Summerside, P.E.I., native piled up 14 points, including an incredible three-goal, six-assist game. Fellow veterans like Brad Bowden (Orton, Ont.), captain Greg Westlake (Oakville, Ont.), and Adam Dixon (Midland, Ont.) should help Canada to a top-five result at next month's world championships, which will qualify the team automatically for Sochi.

Newcomers are also making their presence felt on the sledge hockey team. New players had better be ready to contribute, because Canada's current roster includes 10 players who were not part of the team at Vancouver 2010. Brampton, Ont., native Karl Ludwig scored his first national-team goal in that series against Norway and followed it up with his first hat trick. Edmonton's Kieran Block played four full seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League before being injured in a cliff jumping accident and now brings an elite able-bodied hockey background into the sledge hockey environment. The team, now under the strong leadership of Hockey Canada, is well organized and well funded and seems poised to be in the medal hunt in Sochi.

Wheelchair curling might be the one winter sport where older veterans will dominate the Canadian narrative. Canada's entry will travel to Sochi as the favourites. Jim Armstrong, originally from Richmond, B.C., but now living in Cambridge, Ont., is expected to be the skip. He is the reigning Paralympic champion and his rink of Dennis Thiessen (third), Ina Forrest (second), Sonja Gaudet (lead) and alternate Mark Ideson just won the world championship that was staged in Sochi as a test event for the Paralympics. The 62-year-old Armstrong lost in the 1 vs. 2 Page playoff against Sweden but made good on his second chance with a 6-5 come-from-behind win over Sweden in the gold-medal game.

The "second chance" theme seems to run strong in Jim Armstrong's story. The six-time Brier participant as an able-bodied curler started using a wheelchair after a car accident in 2003. He guided Canada to wheelchair curling gold at the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics, but soon a series of events resulted in his pleading guilty to trafficking counterfeit erectile dysfunction drugs across the U.S.-Canada border and agreeing to pay a $30,000 fine. His son was sentenced to a year in jail in relation to the offense.

In January of 2012, on the eve of the world championships, Armstrong tested positive for the drug Tamoxifen and was given an 18-month suspension. However, he argued successfully that he had inadvertently taken the medication that was left over from his late wife, who had battled breast cancer before she died in 2009. In September of 2012, after a hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the 18-month doping suspension was reduced to six months and he was allowed to resume his curling career. The decision noted "the accidental nature of the offence and the obvious lack of benefits to Armstrong from ingesting the Tamoxifen."

Canada targets top 3

The seemingly indomitable Armstrong is expected to be a key member of Canada's 2014 team, which will include approximately 50 athletes and will compete in all five sports on the winter program: alpine skiing (which includes snowboard), biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling.

The Black Sea resort area of Sochi will host almost 700 athletes from as many as 45 countries in the XI edition of the Paralympic Winter Games. The Games will be broadcast in more countries than ever before, thanks to recently announced deals with U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 and the European Broadcasting Union.

Canada has targeted a top-three finish in the medal standings, which would match the success of Vancouver 2010. Canadian team chef de mission Ozzie Sawicki said, "There is a certain humbleness to the Canadian group, but they are not afraid to say, 'I'm the best in the world.'"

Canada's best, young and old, have exactly one year to prepare to prove that statement.

Sochi 2014: Scandinavians shine in wheelchair curling

Sochi 2014: Scandinavians shine in wheelchair curling

 



Sweden, Finland and Norway have all built up foundations for strong wheelchair curling programmes in the lead-up to Sochi 2014.
 
A picture of person in wheelchairs playing curlingSweden's second-place finish at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships in Sochi, Russia, bumped them up to No. 2 in the overall world rankings, just behind Canada and ahead of Korea.
 
 © World Curling Federation
By Nate Williams | For the IPC
 
 
 
A picture of a man in a wheelchair playing curling
The Norway's wheelchair curling team finished in tenth place at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships in Sochi, Russia. © • World Curling Federation A picture of a man and a woman in wheelchairs
“That was our goal. The worse thing that could happen was that we have an open house and that we have nothing to do."
With just one year to go until the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Games, wheelchair curling has seen a rapid growth in the Scandinavian countries in terms of participation.

Most notably, fans have taken notice of Sweden’s rise toward the top of the world rankings, as the team won the silver medal at February’s World Wheelchair Curling Championships in Sochi, Russia, after losing to Canada in the final round by a score of 4-3.

Skipped by Jalle Jungnell, it was the second time Sweden won silver in the event’s history, also having lost to Canada in the final round in 2009.

Sweden’s second-place finish in Sochi bumped them up to No. 2 in the overall world rankings, just behind Canada and ahead of Korea.

“We gave ourselves an opportunity,” Jungnell told World Curling afterwards.

“That was our goal. The worse thing that could happen was that we have an open house and that we have nothing to do. With my last stone we were so concerned about not hitting the stone directly. I could not jam it or (Canada’s Jim Armstrong) would draw against it. I had to roll over, so we took a little more ice ... and ah, it was just too much.”

Finland and Norway also both the Scandinavian region at the World Championships in Sochi, which in addition served as the test event for the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.

Finland finished in eighth place at the event, with Norway coming in 10th.

Finnish head coach Lauri Ikavalko was pleased with his team’s progress, however he thinks the team will finish even higher next year.

“Our goal was to be in the top eight so we could go to Sochi 2014,” he said. “I was happy that we got that. We were one win away from playing in the medal games but we now have our chance again next year at the Paralympics. I think we could be top five or six next year and I will be happy with that.”

Those teams who have qualified for Sochi 2014 will be announced later this spring.

In the meantime, has been a long journey for the Finnish team after they originally tried to set up a team in 2004 and then again in 2007, at which point they failed to reach the World Championships.

Ikavalko said: “We did try and start it earlier in 2004 when the Canadians came to visit and play but after that, nothing happened. We tried again in 2007 when seven players, who were outside Finland, came to teach us wheelchair curling.

“After that meeting, five players said they would like to learn more. We practiced twice a month and then we travelled to Inverness, Scotland to play our first-ever wheelchair curling game.”

The first World Wheelchair Curling Championships were held in Switzerland in 2002, with the home team finishing as champions. The sport was introduced into the Paralympic Games programme in 2006.

But why now is wheelchair curling such a popular sport throughout the Scandinavian countries?

“I think we have a very good tradition of learning from each other,” said Swedish curler Stefan Lund. “We have some very good teams and we are matching each other all the time.”

However, Lund thinks wheelchair curling is not just growing in Scandinavia, but rather it’s actually gaining a stronger appeal globally.

“I think curling is growing all over the world ever since it became an Olympic and Paralympic sport,” he said.

“Of course, it is better now because we have more resources for training and practice. For the moment, curling is the fastest growing winter sport all over the world. We have had a lot of media so I think we our on the right way with this sport.

“Hopefully, it can grow even more than in the next few years and get more attention.”
 

Former USA coach passes - Bill Rotton


 
 
This week saw yet another of the starters from wheelchair curling pass away. Former USA national coach and starter of the USA national program Bill Rotton pass away this week in Utia , New York.
 
I had the great pleasure of knowing and learning from Bill in the early years of wheelchair curling. This is a great loss for the USA program and we know that Bill will be calling the game from above!
 
 
Our greatest condolences to the Rotton family, from the Wheelchair Curling Blog 2!.
 
 


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Your chance to give it a try

          
Forfar Curling Centre will host its first ‘Try Wheelchair Curling Session’.

Wheelchair users are invited to try curling as a rewarding, social and competitive hobby.
Forfar Curling Centre supports more than 1,000 regular curlers and has helped local players develop to National and International standards. The same opportunity exists for budding Wheelchair athletes. Wheelchair curling boasts its own World Championships and Paralympic events and can be mastered by many wheelchair users who have sufficient upper body strength to play the sport.

All curling costs will be covered for this come and try session and all equipment will be provided. Participants, helpers and carers are asked to wrap up in warm clothing and wear flat rubber soled shoes where possible.

For further information or to register please contact Sandra by March 11 at sandra@forfarindoorsports.co.uk or call 07803089061. The session will be held on Thursday, March 14, from 1.30 to 3 p.m.

Mark Ideson likens his gold-medal win in Sochi, Russia, to the silver lining throughout what has been a difficult few years.

  • By Stephannie Johnson
  • Ideson brings home gold

    Team Canada. Team Canada players, from left, Ina Forrest, Jim Armstrong, Sonja Gaudet, Dennis Thiessen and Mark Ideson celebrate their gold-medal victory February 23. World Curling Federation photo
    PARRY SOUND – Mark Ideson likens his gold-medal win in Sochi, Russia, to the silver lining throughout what has been a difficult few years.

    Last month Ideson and Team Canada captured their third gold medal in the last four world championships, beating out Sweden’s Jalle Jungnell 4-3 in the final of the World Wheelchair Curling Championship.

    A helicopter accident in on February 2, 2006, left the then 30-year-old a quadriplegic, but that didn’t stop him from continuing on with his love of curling that began here in Parry Sound.

    In 2011 Ideson skipped for his team from the Iderton Curling Club to a third place finish at the Ontario Provincial Wheelchair Curling Championships. Last year, he won the Ontario Wheelchair Championships on the same team and represented Ontario at the National Wheelchair Curling Championships in Thunder Bay, coming home with a bronze medal.

    Ideson and Team Canada arrived in Russia for the once-in-a-lifetime experience on February 11. The toughest part about heading overseas was the nine-hour time difference, Ideson said.
    Prior to their first of 12 games that began on February 16, the team had the opportunity to practice on each of the Ice Cube’s four sheets.

    “We had a couple of days of practices; there was a morning practice and an afternoon practice,” said Ideson from is Iderton home Monday morning. “We got to throw rocks on all four sheets, so you have 20 minutes on each sheet, so all five of us threw rocks on each sheet, which was good to get accustomed to the surroundings. The building was a lot bigger than what I’m used to playing it. It was nice to get in there and get my feet wet, throw some rocks just to practice.”

    Playing as an alternate, Ideson only physically played in one game, but said there was no better feeling than throwing his first rock in that setting, representing his country.

    “There are so many (memorable moments), stepping into the rink for the first time, playing against teams from across the world instead of just across the province or across the country was amazing, and to throw my first rock in a game – I’ll never forget that,” he said.

    And the memorable moments for Ideson weren’t just on the ice. On his flight home, Ideson said he was late grabbing his connecting flight from London to Toronto and the plane waited for him.

    “Everyone on board had to wait. They finally got me onboard and I sat down next to this lady and she was really friendly and so we struck up a conversation and she asked me where I was coming from,” he said. “So I told her and she stood up and told everyone on board. It made my late arrival a little happier, because I’m sure everyone was a little irritated by the fact that I was so late for the flight. We carried on our conversation from there and it turns out we had a Parry Sound connection, which was even more unique and exciting – it’s a small world.”

    Ideson credits his wife, family and friends and the support from his hometown in helping him reach his goal.

    “I couldn’t have got through without the support of my wife and family – I couldn’t have done it without them and all the support from home and Parry Sound throughout the tournament. It was heartwarming,” he said. “I was lucky enough to play in an international competition on a hockey team in Parry Sound when I was young. Our bantam team went over to Germany, which was also amazing and the only time I thought I would represent Canada, but this has been an even more amazing experience with all the stuff that I’ve gone through to get to this point.”

    Although he’s not sure of the process, Ideson says he hopes to be apart of Canada’s 2014 Paralympic curling team.

    “In my opinion, I honestly don’t foresee any changes (in the existing team), because the team we had played so well and the team dynamics was so great,” he said, “There was no drama, we were just as happy on the 15th day as we were the first day, which was really good; a lot of respect and a lot of respect for each other, which was really great to be a part of.”

    Now that he has been home for a few weeks, and settled back into he routine, Ideson chuckled when asked where he keeps his gold medal.

    “No, I’m not wearing it,” he said with a laugh. “My gold medal is with my trophy – I got a trophy which is a little curling rock made from the same rock that they make the curling stones from Scotland – it is together in the box. I’ve had to show them so often, that they’re now in my backpack so I have them with me all the time.

    “The whole ordeal leading up to this experience was surreal. And being there was amazing, and having the opportunity to represent my country is something I never thought I’d experience, to be honest.”