Courtesy Robert Wilson
Rachel Homan at the recent Scotties Tournament of Hearts.The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling’s Elite 10 event will have an unlikely participant as a Centretown-based women’s team will be competing in the men’s event.
Skip Rachel Homan, third Emma Miskew, second Joanne Courtney and lead Lisa Weagle will compete against nine of the top men’s teams in Victoria, B.C., during the Eilte 10, which runs until March 20.
Homan says that the team is excited to play in the tournament, but that they will treat “this event like any other and go one game at a time regardless of who our competition is – in this case men’s teams,” she said in an email.
“We’re used to being at events with men’s teams – although not competing against them – but having the men’s teams on the sheets beside us won’t be anything new.”
Team Homan, the top women’s team in the world, is the only female team in the field of 10 which is the first time a female team has competed in a Grand Slam of Curling men’s event since Sportsnet took over the series in 2012.
The event is advertised as a competition that features the top 10 men’s teams in the world, but Grand Slam of Curling manager Kristi Petrushchak says that the circuit had the opportunity to add team Homan after three teams said they wouldn’t compete in the event.
Women have competed against men in the past in sports, but it has been rare and in individual sports.
The most significant “battle of the sexes” came in 1973 when an up-and-coming tennis star Billie Jean King took on, and beat Bobby Riggs – who was 26 years older than King – in straight sets.
More recently, Annika Sorenstam, who had 72 LPGA wins during her career, tried to play in a PGA Tour event in 2003 but failed to make the cut.
Michelle Wie, another female professional golfer, tried her hand at the PGA as well, but missed the cut in seven of eight events she competed in and dropped out of the other one.
Both Homan and Petrushchak say that this event may lead to more chances for women to compete against the men.
“It’s something that we can look at for sure,” says Petrushchak, “because we’re looking to expand the sport as much as we can.”
“The great thing about the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling is that there really is equal opportunity for the women’s teams in terms of number of events and the rewards that go with them,” says Homan.
“This (Victoria) event is a bit unique and maybe this will lead to other ideas in future years, too.”
A number of the teams participating in the B.C. event were in Ottawa from March 5-13 for the Tim Hortons Brier, including Team Newfoundland and Labrador skip Brad Gushue, who will be competing against Homan in Elite 10 round-robin play.
He says that Team Homan is a “really good” team and that there’s a chance Gushue could lose to Homan.
“I think it’s going to be interesting.”