There was a lineup out the door 30 minutes before the doors opened for the first draw of the Elite 10 curling tournament.
Canadian curling champions Brad Gushue and Jennifer Jones opened the tournament with wins. Jones’ team shut out their opponents, taking the first four ends.
“It’s fun to get our first game under us,” said Olympic gold medallist Kaitlyn Lawes. “The different format, it’s a challenge, but a lot of fun.”
Gushue’s team went three up on their opponent to the cheers of the packed Thames Campus Arena.
“I loved seeing a full house here tonight,” said Lawes.
Full crowds can often cause problems with the ice due to increased humidity, but Lawes said her team didn’t mind.
“If there’s some humidity in here we’re okay with that,” said Lawes.
Curling fans packed the bench stadium seating, but also kept a steady stream through the Pinty’s VIP Pub area where Sons of Kent beer and Pelee Island Winery wines were being sold. As the matches ended, audience members packed the side walls of the ice for autographs.
“This is so nice, that they come up to the audience and don’t mind signing anything,” said Sharon Bower, who came all the way from Vancouver B.C. to watch the tournament in Chatham-Kent. “It’s such a beautiful moment. This whole city is unbelievable."
Sharon and Ted Bower came all the way from Vancouver, B.C to see the @grandslamcurl action in @MunicCK! #ck #ckont #gsocelite10 pic.twitter.com/uUg3CLOuem
— Angelica Haggert (@AngelicaHaggert) September 27, 2018
After Wednesday’s opening round-robin draw, teams will discuss plans for moving forward in the tournament.
“We weren’t perfect by any means,” said Lawes after her team’s winning match. “We’ll talk about what went wrong but I think we managed it pretty well.”
Draw times continue during the day and evening on Thursday and Friday, with semifinals and finals matches on the weekend.
Brad Gushue and his team practice. Earlier this week Gushue told me he hopes it’s “like riding a bike,” since he’s been off the ice all summer.
The draw starts soon. #gsocelite10 #ck #ckont pic.twitter.com/YRiICpeKlg— Angelica Haggert (@AngelicaHaggert) September 26, 2018
The @Pintysfoods pub (featuring @sonsofkent and @Peleewinery drinks) is packed, with 30 minutes to the first @grandslamcurl draw! #ck #ckont pic.twitter.com/OIh686iSTZ
— Angelica Haggert (@AngelicaHaggert) September 26, 2018