McCormick Rink Wins Royal Lepage OVCA Women's Fall Curling Classic - Jim Dolan

The only thing hotter than the 2010 US Women’s Olympic Curling Team this weekend in Kemptville was the weather outside the North Grenville Curling Club. Debbie McCormick and her US Olympic teammates Allison Pottinger, Nicole Joraanstad, and Natalie Nicholson, rolled to five straight victories to claim the $4,500 first prize and the OVCA Fall Classic Trophy.  McCormick beat the young Lisa Farnell team, representing the Peterborough Curling Club, in the championship game 5 to 2.  McCormick had almost complete control of the game until the seventh end when Erin Morrissey, Farnell’s third made a brilliant shot that left Farnell with two shot stones and a chance to tie the game.  However Allison Pottinger answered back with a great hit and roll behind cover that resulted in a count of one for the McCormick team and a 5-2 lead going into the final end.  Lisa Farnell might have come up short on the scoreboard, but it wasn’t all that bad a weekend for the team as they took home $2,500 as the runner ups. 

Jenn Hanna, the 2007 Fall Classic Champion, won the consolation event beating Sandra McMakin from the Potomac Curling Club in Laurel Maryland.   Hanna was no doubt disappointed with winning only the consolation event, but I can tell you the McMakin team was pretty pleased with their performance and will have quite a few stories to tell their clubmates when they arrive back in Maryland thanks to their team’s sponsor, the Kemptville Truck Centre and the hospitality shown by Fran and Doug Thompson.

The North Grenville team skipped by Jamie Temple finished the event with a 1 and 2 record; while Dawn Kish was eliminated in the semi-finals of the consolation round.  Barb Kelly who also plays out of our club finished with a 2 and 2 record.

The Ottawa Valley Curling Association would like to thank the event’s Title Sponsor Royal LePage Team Realty and Royal LePage Gale Real Estate for their continued support of this event.  We also want to thank the North Grenville Curling Club, its members and all the team sponsors, friends of the events and spectators for supporting the Fall Classic.  While many of the fans were from the Ottawa and Seaway Valleys some came from as far away as Fredericton New Brunswick, Peterborough Ontario, Windsor Quebec and the United States.  We even had over sixty children from the Kemptville Public School drop by the club to watch a couple of ends of the Debbie McCormick Lauren Horton opening game.  Debbie and her teammates took a few moments out of their pre-game warm-up to toss a few souvenirs into the bleachers, have a group picture taken with the kids and high five a number of them as they walked along the bleachers.  The McCormick team was really touched that these kids showed up to watch them play.

Finally, we wish to thank the curling teams who participated in this event for allowing the fans to see both sides of your remarkable personalities, your game face and your human touch through taking the time to make young children or even an old man like me feel special.  You ladies may show your exceptional skills on the ice every time you play but it’s the class you show off the ice that has left me with lasting memories.  Hope to see you all next year. 

Picture courtesy of Terri-Lyn Love of Maple Leaf Photography
Pictured above are the 2009 winners of the Royal LePage OVCA Women’s Fall Classic:  Debbie McCormick, Allison Pottinger, Nicole Joraanstad, Natalie Nicholson. The Presenters are Title Sponsor Royal LePage's Judie Dillman on the left, and OVCA President Marian Dupont on the right.