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martensville messenger - JANUARY 12 , 2017 - Page 9
SPORTS weekly
Gushue Captures Grand Slam
The Twin Cities Curling Club in North Battleford played host to the Pinty ’ s Grand Slam Meridian Canadian Open from January 3-8 . Avid curling fans were treated to some great shot making from teams all over the continent . They got to see some of the big names competing such as Brad Jacobs , John Morris , Mike McEwen , Niklas Edin on the men ’ s side and Jennifer Jones , Val Sweeting , Rachel Homan , Michelle Englot , Silvana Tirinzoni on the women ’ s side .
Gushue faced Niklas Edin of Sweden in the final defeating Olympic Medalist Brad Jacobs in the semi-final Saturday night . Edin defeated John Morris in the semi and was curling at 90 % all week . Gushue needed to be on his game facing the Swedish rink and he was . He curled a perfect 100 % to win 8-4 in the final to capture his 7th Grand Slam championship .
This year , 2017 is starting on a high note for Brad Gushue and his team , who curls out of St . John ’ s Newfoundland , as he is trying to put 2016 behind him . In 2015 he had a face first fall that knocked him out and he missed the end of that season . He also missed the first half of the 2016 season due to a hip / groin injury , so he has had a lot to deal with . St . John ’ s is hosting the 2017 Brier this year so they are gearing up for Provincial playoffs to earn a berth to represent Newfoundland .
On the women ’ s side , newcomer Casey Scheidigger out of Lethbridge stole in the 8th against Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland to capture her first Grand Slam . She also stole in the 4th and 5th ends to gain the momentum in the game . Scheidigger defeated Jennifer Jones in the quarterfinals and Val Sweeting in the semis on Saturday .
Saskatoon sent two men ’ s teams to the Canadian Open , Steven Laycock and Bruce Korte . Korte who curls out of the Nutana Curling Club of Saskatoon , faced Gushue in his first game and lost a close one 8-7 . He failed to qualify for the playoffs . Team Laycock , the defending provincial champions , had a slow start losing their first two games but qualified through to the C event with wins against McCormick , Balsdon and Thomas . The team earned a spot in the quarter finals against a hot Brad Gushue . Laycock curled a great game but it wasn ’ t enough to get by Gushue who went on to win the final .
Martensville ’ s Kirk Muyres plays third for the Laycock rink . The
Keep the Community up-to-date on your team scores , events , photos and tournaments . Submit material to jhayward @ sasktel . net or drop it off at the Martensville Messenger Office at Bay # 7 - 301 Centennial Drive North to be included in our sports report .
Janine Hayward Martensville Messenger
ABOVE : Team Laycock - Left to Right : Dallan Muyres , Colton Flasch , Kirk Muyres and Steve Laycock . ( Facebook Photo / Laycock Curling )
team represented Saskatchewan last year at the 2016 Brier as provincial champions . They had a slow start at the Grand Slam losing their first two games but were solid after that . “ We really started firing on all cylinders in the last 2-3 games and I think it was the commitment by each player to our plan of attack ,” commented Muyres . “ We played a very solid weekend overall , probably good enough to win the event but ran into a super-hot Brad Gushue in the quarter finals . All in all , I am happy with my play and our teams play . We are definitely trending in the right direction for brier play downs and the end of the season as we look to solidify our Olympic Trials spot !”
Muyres and his Laycock team Steven Laycock ( skip ), Colton Flasch ( second ) and Dallen Muyres ( lead ) have had a great season so far . They qualified for playoffs in six events and won the World Curling Tour event in Edmonton . They are currently ranked sixth in the world on the season and have played in ten events so far . They give back to the youth program and do their annual junior tour in January and February . They visit five communities throughout Saskatchewan and Manitoba to teach young curlers about the game . Good Luck to Kirk Muyres and the Laycock rink in their pursuit of another Provincial championship .
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Maddogs Hold Winter Camp
The Maddogs are holding a winter football conditioning camp to keep players active and in shape . There are seven sessions held at the MAP and five at Crossfit 3126 every second Tuesday and Friday throughout the winter . They held their first session on Friday January 6 . The peewees ran at 6:00 while the Bantams went at 8:15 . This is an opportunity for players who will be tackle age ( 11-14 ) this fall to come and participate in football and conditioning drills as well as team bonding activities . There will be a focus on safe contact drills as well . For more information please contact Janine Hayward ; jhayward @ sasktel . net or Olivia Schachtel o _ schachtel @ hotmail . com .
ABOVE : Players take a knee while they listen to the Coach discuss safe contact drills during the Maddogs Winter Conditioning Camp , held Friday , January 6 at the MAP . ( Photo submitted ). LEFT : Learning proper tackle techniques during the January 6th session at the Martensville Athletic Pavilion . ( Photo submitted ).