“Cool New Tech” Slides into TV Curling

Curling returns tonight to American network CBS for the first time since the Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter Games but it’s the amateurs that get the spotlight.

The inaugural Everest North American Curling Club Championships start tonight and while Canadian curling fans don’t seem too aware of it, the U.S. market is gung ho for the show.

The two-day challenge series sees Canada vs USA in women’s and men’s team competition with all four squads hailing from last season’s respective national “club” championships.

Both matches will air on the CBS Sports Network in the U.S. and TSN in Canada.

TSN’s Bryan Mudryk will call the play-by-play with Olympic champions Jennifer Jones and Matt Hamilton providing colour commentary, while CBS’s Marissa Roberto provides sideline commentary.

Play begins Tues. Sept. 17 at Rock Creek Curling in Lafayette, CO with USA’s Sidney Schroeder of Madison, WI (with Joanna Seboth, Celeste Marlow, Lois Buckingham and Shalon Holbeck) taking on Canada’s Abby Burgess of Oromocto, NB (Brooke Tracy, Sam Crook, Hannah Williams and Katherine Stirling).

Wed. Sept. 18 sees the men’s match, with USA’s Ryan Berg of Fargo, ND (Tim Hodek, Josh Moore, Randy Askew and Ethan Sampson) challenging Canada’s Dan Sherrard from Beaumont, AB (Brandon Klassen, Kyle Reynolds, Shawn Donnelly and Cody Brown).

Everest is now in its 10th year of sponsoring Canadian curling—current properties include the national Club and Senior championships—and the company’s toe is finally dipping directly into the growing U.S. market.

Everest is based in Houston, TX and boasts CEO Mark Duffey as possibly the most passionate curling fan in either country.

“In the United States you only get to see curling every four years during the Olympics, and you don’t get to see much of it,” said Duffey.

“Folks said there’s no way we’d be able to get it on to U.S. television, but here we are.”

The event is hoped to give a further boost to the grassroots of the U.S. game, which continue to expand in the United States and which Duffey says are exemplified by these particular curlers.

“I think curling should get back to that, the grassroots amateurs,” said Duffey. “It’s the way to grow the sport. I can tell you, since we announced this the participation in the club championships has gone through the roof.

“And let’s face it, these guys are pretty darned good.”

Duffey promises top-rate TV production, in-game music and hosting fun and other special goodies.

“It’s going to show really well,” said Duffey. “We’ve got some really cool new technology that’s never been seen in curling before, in fact nowhere except the NBA.”

The women’s match airs live Sept. 17 on CBS and TSN at 6:00 p.m. MT (8:00 p.m. ET) with the men’s final taking place at the same time on Sept. 18.