News
The World’s Best Curlers will compete for $670,000 in Prize Money The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling enters its second decade
Oct, 28th, 2011
TORONTO, October 28, 2011 – The World
Curling Players‟ Association and
iSport Media and
Management announced today the details of the
11th season of the Capital One Grand Slam
of Curling. Consisting of the four major events on the World Curling Tour, the „Slams‟ have
consistently presented the strongest fields in curling.
“We are thrilled to be entering our second decade
of the Capital One Grand Slam of
Curling,”
said Kevin Albrecht, CEO, iSport Media and Management. “I
believe the secret to the Slams
longevity has been the ability to present the
best curling fields in the world each and every year
and the best curlers inevitably produce the best
curling in the world.”
Held annually since 2001-02, the Capital One
Grand Slam of Curling is a series of four
elite
international events providing the largest prize
purse in curling, $670,000.
Last season, Team Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta)
won The Swiss Chalet National and an
unprecedented 7th GP Car and Home Players’
Championship on his way to capturing
the
prestige
year end Capital One Cup
and the $50,000 bonus that goes along with it. Martin has
won 17 major titles in his illustrious career, one
more than tennis superstar Roger Federer and
only one behind the legendary Jack Nicklaus for
the most major victories in any sport.
“The Grand Slam events have been an important
part of my career success over the last 10
years,”
said 2010 Vancouver Olympic Gold Medalist, Kevin
Martin. “The curling is always so
good that you can never take anything for
granted and that helped me get to the
next level.
Hopefully, our team has a few more wins in us as it would be very
special to secure major wins
18 and 19.”
The 2011-12 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling
series will begin with the GP Car and Home
World Cup of Curling at the Essar Centre in Sault Ste Marie, Ont. from November 2-6, 2011.
The K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ont. will
host the series‟ second
event, the
BDO Canadian
Open, from December 14-18, 2011 while
Dawson Creek‟s EnCana Events Centre will be the
site of the third event, The Swiss Chalet National
from January 25-29, 2012.
The 2011-12 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling
concludes with the GP Car and Home
Players’
Championship, an event featuring separate men‟s and women‟s draws. The
announcement for the 2012 GP Car and Home
Players’ Championship will take place later in
October.
“All of
our teams know that the Slams are so difficult to win,” said Pierre Charette, President of
the
World Curling Players‟ Association. “You
always have to be at the top of your game
as there
are no
easy games at a Grand Slam event.”
CBC
Sports will air live playoff coverage
of the first three 2011-12 Capital
One Grand Slam of
Curling
events as well as the men‟s
and women‟s finals of the 2012 GP Car and Home
Players’ Championship.
About iSport Media and Management:
iSport
Media and Management is Canada’s
leading sports Digital Media and
Event Sponsorship
Company. iSport specializes in:
• Leading edge digital
media strategies and operations
• Event development,
execution and sponsorship sales
• Sport Federation sponsorship sales and strategic
counsel.
For
more information visit www.isportmedia.com.
About the World Curling Players’ Association:
The WCPA represents the elite curlers of the
world and its Executive Board consists of eight
elected
members that include a minimum of three Canadian men and two Canadian women
representatives,
as well as one member from the United States along with one member from
Europe. The final board position is awarded to the
candidate who receives the highest
remaining
vote total from the player elections.
-30-
For
additional information, please contact:
Kevin Albrecht
CEO
Capital
One Grand Slam of Curling
(416)
593-4273 ext: 226
Pierre
Charette
President
World
Curling Players‟ Association
(819)
775-7578
Christopher Plummer And The Entire Original Creative Team Of Barrymore Reunite At Toronto’s Historic Elgin Theatre For 30 Performances Only
Jan, 27th, 2011
Christopher Plummer’s Tony Award-winning tour-de-force is an unforgettable portrayal of legendary actor, John Barrymore, a man of colossal talent and contradictions, and one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of all time. Set in 1942, the final year of John Barrymore’s life, BARRYMORE takes place on the stage of a Broadway theatre, where the actor is struggling to recreate his performance in the title role of Shakespeare’s Richard III.
Battle Of The Blades – Learn What Happens After The Ice Melts
Dec, 6th, 2010
It was a season of blood, sweat and tears – eight weeks of stunning performances, incredible showmanship, thrilling victories and heart-breaking defeats. In a one-hour special that closed out the season, the cast of 2010′s super-hit Battle of the Blades gathered together for the very last time to relive the laughter and the tears in After the Ice Melts.
Power Wheelchair Hockey Shoots For Live Broadcast
Aug, 6th, 2010
Toronto Power Wheelchair Hockey League (TPWHL) is bringing players together for a
full weekend of competitive Hockey. What makes this event special is that for the first
time, games will be broadcasted LIVE on Gretky.com/tpwhl/ through web streaming video.
This will allow teams to play for a national audience and will allow fans to tune in to
support their favourite North American TPWHL teams in real time.
The TPWHL is for kids and young adults with various disabilities who have limited upper
body strength and/or mobility. The league works hard towards physical and emotional
growth by teaching the game of hockey. This builds players into strong leaders in
sportsmanship and team spirit, regardless of their skill level.
Gretzky.com is very pleased to present this amateur sport live online and hopes this
will lead to stronger fan interaction and greater excitement for the sport of hockey.
TPWHL provides the opportunity for families to come together to share their own
experiences and offer support to one another. The tournament runs from August 6-10th
so come join in on the fun this weekend at Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St, 2nd floor
in Kerr Hall West.
For more information call 416-690-1412 or email: torontopwhl@gmail.com
The Kevin Smith & Walter Gretzky Show
Feb, 26th, 2010
When filmmaker Kevin Smith first learned about the Gretzky family, he never imagined he would get the chance to stage a press conference with Canada’s most famous hockey dad.
On Wednesday, a dream came true, as he and Walter spoke to the press at Wayne Gretzky’s Restaurant in Toronto to announce their plans for the fourth annual Walter Gretzky Street Hockey Tournament.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d do this,” Smith said during an interview following the announcement. “Reading about the Gretzky family and all the work they’ve done was something … This was just incredible. Aside from everything else that is happening with this tournament, I got to hang out with Walter Gretzky today.”
True to his style, Smith started the event with a joke, saying he had called the press conference to announce that the Edmonton Oilers were trading Walter to the Los Angeles Kings.
He and Walter then spoke about the fourth edition of Brantford’s street hockey tournament.
Skatebuzz designed to keep fans and newbies plugged in
Jan, 8th, 2010
When Skate Canada CEO William Thompson had the idea of an interactive, and at times, live website devoted to coverage of figure skating, he wondered if the older skating fans would get on board.
He soon had the answer when his 70-something mother was in the stands at the HomeSense Skate Canada International event in Kitchener last fall. She was plugged in and listening to the www.skatebuzz.com in-house commentary called Skatebug.
“She loved it; she really enjoyed it” said Thompson, a skating judge, who had an assignment at the last Winter Olympics in Turin, and a former competitor.
“It’s not just appealing to a younger demographic.”
Skatebuzz had a soft launch in October and has been adding material ever since.
This week at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships at both the Western Fair Sports Centre and the John Labatt Centre, daily coverage is offered on the website, with host Debbi Wilkes leading the way.
Capital One Million Dollar Button Contest
Jan, 1st, 2010
Guelph’s Alma Laidlaw Wins $1,000 in Capital One Million Dollar Button Contest
Alma Laidlaw, 63, of Guelph, Ont. won $1,000 in the finals of the Capital One Million Dollar Button contest today at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man. after her rock failed to reach the rings.
“It was a lot harder not having a practice shot,” said Laidlaw following her throw. “It was hard to know what weight to throw but the whole experience has been a fabulous opportunity.”
As the national finalist of the Capital One Million Dollar Button contest, Laidlaw had just one opportunity to cover the button for $1 million (CDN).
Laidlaw’s $1 million attempt aired live on CBC Television during the fourth end break of the BDO Classic Canadian Open championship game between Kevin Martin and Glenn Howard.
Laidlaw advanced to the finals of the Capital One Million Dollar Button contest yesterday after emerging from a pool of six semi-finalists when her rock landed 63.5 inches / 161.3 centimetres from the button – the closest of all the competitors.
During the finals of the Capital One Million Dollar Button contest, Laidlaw had an opportunity to win $100,000 (CDN) if the rock touched any part of the button. Alternatively, $25,000 (CDN) would have been awarded if the rock touched the four-foot circle. A prize of $10,000 (CDN) would have been awarded if the stone touched the eight-foot circle while a rock that touched the 12-foot circle was worth $5,000 (CDN). A throw that did not land on any of the rings was worth $1,000. Full contest details are available at www.capitalone.ca/button.
Last year, Ron Trottier of Osoyoos, B.C. came within 35 inches / 89 centimetres of winning $1 million after his shot slid just past the button. Trottier’s shot was good enough to earn him $10,000 (CDN) as the inaugural finalist of the Capital One Million Dollar Button.
The Capital One Million Dollar Button is Canada’s first ever million dollar curling contest.
