Grand Slam of Curling
The Grand Slam of Curling (currently known as the Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling) is a series of curling bonspiels that are a part of the annual World Curling Tour. Grand Slam events offer a purse of at least CAD$100,000, and feature the best teams from across Canada and around the World. The Grand Slam was instituted during the 2001–02 season for men and 2006–07 for women, but some of the Grand Slam events have longer histories as bonspiels.
Established | 2001–02 (Men's) 2006–07 (Women's) |
---|---|
2018–19 Bonus Cup |
Grand Slam of Curling events | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters | Canadian Open | National | Players' Championship | |||
Tour Challenge | Champions Cup |
The Grand Slam season consists of six men's and women's events. The original four events (Masters, Canadian Open, National, and Players' Championship) are considered to be "majors".[1] The other two slams (Tour Challenge and Champions Cup) have unique formats that set them apart from other events on the World Curling Tour.
History
In 2001, many curlers were upset with the Canadian Curling Association (CCA). Their complaints included the long curling season, not getting any prize money at the Brier, the national men's curling championship, which generated millions for the CCA, and the inability to have sponsors at the Brier.[2] Eighteen of the top twenty curling teams, known as the "Original 18", agreed to boycott the Brier from 2001 to 2003 and created the Grand Slam of Curling.[3] The original 18 skips were Dave Boehmer, Kerry Burtnyk, Pierre Charette, Glen Despins, Dale Duguid, Bert Gretzinger, Glenn Howard, Bruce Korte, Allan Lyburn, William Lyburn, Kevin Martin, Greg McAulay, Wayne Middaugh, Kevin Park, Brent Pierce, Vic Peters, Peter Steski and Jeff Stoughton.[4]
The Grand Slam of Curling began in the 2001–02 curling season with four events: the Canadian Open, Masters, National, and Players' Championship, the four "majors".[5]
In the 2006–07 curling season, a women's side was added the Players' Championship, and several existing women's events were designated as Grand Slams, but were not operated by the Grand Slam of Curling.[6] Grand Slam games also got reduced to eight ends that season.
In 2012, Sportsnet purchased the Grand Slam of Curling. As such, television rights to the series have also defaulted to Sportsnet, though certain events may still air championship rounds on CBC.[7][8][9]
Under this new ownership, the separate women's Grand Slams were phased out, with women's divisions added to existing men's Grand Slams. New Grand Slam events were also added: the Elite 10 in the 2014–15 curling season and the Tour Challenge and Champions Cup in the 2015–16 curling season. A women's division was added to the Elite 10 in the 2018–19 curling season, achieving for the first time equal number of events, prize money, and television time for men and women.[6] The Elite 10 was dropped the next season, bringing the number of events to six.
Current Grand Slams
Masters
The Masters was introduced as a men's event 2002, and was added to the women's side in 2012.
- Champions
Tour Challenge
The GSOC Tour Challenge was introduced as a men's and women's event in the 2015–16 curling season. The Tour Challenge has two tiers, with the bottom tier including regional invitations. The Tier 2 winning team qualifies for a subsequent grand slam.
- Champions
The winning skip for Tier 1 is listed above the Tier 2 winning skip.
National
The National was introduced as a men's event in 2002, and was added to the women's side in 2015.
- Champions
1 There was no National in the 2004-2005 season, but the BDO Curling Classic was held. It returned to its original name in the 2005-2006 season. The words "BDO Classic" were added to the name of the Canadian Open.
Canadian Open
The Canadian Open was introduced as a men's event in 2001, and was added to the women's side in 2014. The Canadian Open is the only Grand Slam that uses a triple knockout format.
- Champions
Players' Championship
The Players' Championship, the oldest tournament on the men's Grand Slam of Curling, was introduced as a men's event in 1993, and added to the women's side in 2006.
- Champions
Champions Cup
The Champions Cup was introduced as a men's and women's event in the 2015–16 curling season. The Champions Cup is contested by champions of various Grand Slam, Season of Champions, World Curling Tour, and other events throughout the season.
- Champions
Year | Men's winning skip | Women's winning skip | Location |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Sherwood Park, Alberta | ||
2017 | Calgary, Alberta | ||
2018 | Calgary, Alberta | ||
2019 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | ||
2020 | Olds, Alberta |
Statistics: Grand Slams won
This is a list of Grand Slam events won per player, including Players' Championships won prior to the creation of the Grand Slam.
Men
Colour | Explanation |
---|---|
Player currently active on the WCT |
As of the 2019 National
Women
Colour | Explanation |
---|---|
Player currently active on the WCT |
As of the 2019 National; Minimum 2 wins
Note: Totals due not include wins prior to the first Grand Slam season of 2006-07.
Former Grand Slams
Sobeys Slam
The Sobeys Slam was held as a Grand Slam event on three occasions in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.
- Champions
Year | Winning skip |
---|---|
2007 | Sherry Middaugh |
2008 | Marie-France Larouche |
2009 | Not held |
2010 | Jennifer Jones |
Wayden Transportation Ladies Classic
The Wayden Transportation Ladies Classic was held annually in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and was held nine times before it was discontinued.
- Champions
Year | Winning skip |
---|---|
2000 | Shannon Kleibrink |
2001 | Shannon Kleibrink |
2002 | Kelly Scott |
2003 | Kelly Scott |
2004 | Kelley Law |
2005 | Janet Harvey |
2006 | Stefanie Lawton |
2007 | Kelly Scott |
2008 | Jennifer Jones |
Manitoba Lotteries Women's Curling Classic
The Manitoba Women's Curling Classic was held in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, and was held eight times as a Grand Slam tournament. It was removed from the Grand Slam lineup starting in the 2014–15 curling season.
- Champions
Curlers' Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic
The Autumn Gold Curling Classic is held annually in Calgary, Alberta, and has been held 42 times (as of 2019). It offers a total purse of $50,000. It was removed from the Grand Slam lineup starting in the 2015–16 curling season.
- Champions since 1986
Year | Winning skip | Runner-up skip |
---|---|---|
1986 | Marilyn Bodogh | |
1987 | Jan Wiltzen | |
1988 | Michelle Schneider | |
1989 | Kerrylynn Richards | |
1990 | Cheryl Bernard | |
1991 | Sandra Peterson | |
1992 | Michelle Schneider | |
1993 | Sherry Scheirich | |
1994 | Michelle Schneider | |
1995 | Elisabet Gustafson | |
1996 | Shannon Kleibrink | |
1997 | Heather Rankin | |
1998 | Kim Gellard | Amber Holland |
1999 | Cathy Borst | Bronwen Saunders |
2000 | Amber Holland | Shannon Kleibrink |
2001 | Cathy King | Cheryl Bernard |
2002 | Heather Nedohin | Cheryl Bernard |
2003 | Sherry Anderson | Cathy King |
2004 | Stefanie Lawton | Cheryl Bernard |
2005 | Jenn Hanna | Jan Betker |
2006 | Kelly Scott | Crystal Webster |
2007 | Jennifer Jones | Shannon Kleibrink |
2008 | Shannon Kleibrink | Cheryl Bernard |
2009 | Jennifer Jones | Wang Bingyu |
2010 | Wang Bingyu | Desirée Owen |
2011 | Cathy Overton-Clapham | Amy Nixon |
2012 | Sherry Middaugh | Rachel Homan |
2013 | Eve Muirhead | Wang Bingyu |
2014 | Jennifer Jones | Rachel Homan |
Colonial Square Ladies Classic
The Colonial Square Ladies Classic is held annually in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and has been held since 1981. It officially became a Grand Slam event in 2012. It was removed from the Grand Slam lineup starting in the 2015–16 curling season.
Year | Winning skip | Runner-up skip |
---|---|---|
2004 | Sherry Middaugh | Renée Sonnenberg |
2005 | Stefanie Lawton | Candace Chisholm |
2006 | Jennifer Jones | Karen Purdy |
2007 | Stefanie Lawton | Cathy King |
2008 | Stefanie Lawton | Michelle Englot |
2009 | Stefanie Lawton | Mirjam Ott |
2010 | Stefanie Lawton | Jennifer Jones |
2011 | Crystal Webster | Valerie Sweeting |
2012 | Stefanie Lawton | Chelsea Carey |
2013 | Jennifer Jones | Michèle Jäggi |
2014 | Eve Muirhead | Sherry Middaugh |
Elite 10
The Elite 10 was introduced as a men's event in 2015, and added to the women's side in September 2018. The Elite 10 used a unique match play format, similar to skins curling. The event was dropped for the 2019–20 curling season.
- Champions
Year | Men's winning skip | Women's winning skip | Location |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Fort McMurray, Alberta | ||
2016 | Colwood, British Columbia | ||
2017 | Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia | ||
2018 (Mar.) | Winnipeg, Manitoba | ||
2018 (Sep.) | Chatham, Ontario |
Pinty's Cup
Beginning with the 2012–13 season, at the end of the season, the top Grand Slam team wins the "Rogers Grand Slam Cup", where they are awarded $75,000. The cup was renamed to the "Bonus Cup" for the 2017–18 season, and then the "Pinty's Cup" in 2018–19. Teams accumulate points based on their performance in each of the slams except for the Champions Cup and Tour Challenge Tier 2.[12][13]
Season | Men's winning skip | Women's winning skip |
---|---|---|
2012–13 | ||
2013–14 | ||
2014–15 | ||
2015–16 | ||
2016–17 | ||
2017–18 | ||
2018–19 |
References
- http://www.thegrandslamofcurling.com/curling/playerschampionship/gushue-homan-headline-field-for-players-championship/
- "The history of curling's Grand Slams". Sportsnet. March 19, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- Hanna, Claire (January 8, 2017). "Bruce Korte, an Original 18, reflects on history of Grand Slam of Curling". Global News. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- http://www.thegrandslamofcurling.com/curling/nolans-notes-the-story-of-the-original-18/
- "About the Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling". Grand Slam of Curling. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- Weagle, Lisa (October 23, 2018). "Weagle: GSOC brings women's game to new level". Grand Slam of Curling. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- "Sportsnet new owner of Grand Slam curling". The Curling News. 30 August 2012.
- "BREAKING: Sportsnet, CBC back on curling ice". The Curling News. 29 August 2012.
- "Grand Slam of Curling returns to CBC". CBC Sports. 30 August 2012.
- https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/gsoc-heading-to-sarnia-lambton-for-2020-masters/
- http://www.thegrandslamofcurling.com/curling/grand-slam-of-curling-records/
- http://www.thegrandslamofcurling.com/rogers-grand-slam-cup/
- http://www.thegrandslamofcurling.com/curling/2018-19-pintys-cup-standings/