Mixed Doubles teams will be able to compete in a new BC curling championship this season.
The announcement follows the Canadian Curling Association’s (CCA) decision to hold Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Leduc, Alberta, from March 14 to 17, which will determine who will represent Canada at the World Mixed Doubles in Fredericton in April 2013.
Alongside the other provinces and territories, BC has been invited to send a representative team.
In order to decide who will represent BC, Curl BC will host an open event from February 1 to 3, 2013, at the North Shore Winter Club in North Vancouver.
The winner of the BC Mixed Doubles Championship will go on to compete in Leduc.
The format of the BC event will be dependent on the number of teams that enter. Registration will open next week.
Details of the Leduc event were decided at a special meeting of the CCA today (Wednesday, September 25).
The trials will be a 32-team event with four pools of eight teams competing in individual round robins with 12 teams advancing to a playoff round.
The 32 teams will be made up of 16 teams invited by the CCA based on the Order of Merit and the four players from the winning team at 2013 Canadian Mixed in Montreal event in November 2012. Fourteen teams will represent CCA Member Associations (one from each province or territory).
Mixed Doubles teams must be comprised of one male and one female curler.
Games are eight ends and will follow modified WCF Rules. The rules are printed in the 2012-13 Curl BC Yearbook in the green pages.
It is hoped that Mixed Doubles, which is popular in Europe, will become an Olympic event in 2018.
BC residents wanting to catch a glimpse of some of the world’s best Mixed Doubles teams can watch them in action at the World Financial Group Continental Cup, presented by Monsanto, in Penticton in January.
Anyone interested in hosting the 2014 BC Mixed Doubles Championship will soon be able to enter the bidding process. Further details on the bidding process will be announced soon.