One of the best teams in the world is guaranteed to be here. The other nine won't be too shabby either.
They'll converge on the city for the B.C. Scotties Tournament of Hearts women's provincial curling championship. The high-profile event will unfold Jan. 6-12 at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club, and full-event passes are now on sale.
Vonda Hofferd, chairperson for the 2014 B.C. Scotties, encourages people not to waste any time in snapping up their tickets.
"This is the premier event for women's curling in B.C.," Hofferd said.
"Our seating is very limited and people won't see women's curling of this quality in Prince George again anytime soon."
Full-event passes are $50 and can be reserved by phone at 250-563-0357, local 100. Or, people can stop by the PGGCC, located at 2833 Recreation Place.
The B.C. Scotties will feature a minimum of 12 draws and will send one team to the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Feb. 1-9 in Montreal.
While all teams will be on level footing when they arrive in Prince George, the one skipped by Kelowna's Kelly Scott will be the favourite to represent B.C. at nationals. Scott -- whose rink includes Jeanna Schraeder at third, Sasha Carter at second and Sarah Wazney at lead -- will be shooting for her fifth consecutive provincial crown. At the women's level, she already has six B.C. championships to her credit, two Canadian titles (2006, 2007) and one world championship (2007). Scott also won world junior gold in 1995.
As the defending B.C. champion, Scott has a bye to this year's tournament. Berths will also go to the top two B.C. teams in the Canadian Team Ranking System. The other seven spots will be awarded at playdowns in Lake Cowichan (Nov. 15-17), Kelowna (Nov. 30 to Dec. 2) and Maple Ridge (Dec. 13-15).
Two local rinks, led by Patti Knezevic and Tracey Jones, are intent on qualifying for the B.C. Scotties. Last year, Knezevic and teammates Kristen Fewster, Jen Rusnell and Rhonda Camozzi played in the provincial championship game last year but lost 9-6 to Scott.
Hofferd said she also expects to see the Kelley Law foursome at the 2014 B.C. Scotties. Law was the Canadian and world champion in 2000, the year Prince George hosted nationals.
At the provincial Scotties, five of the eight PGGCC sheets will be used during round-robin draws. Bleachers will be positioned on the empty sheets, so spectators will be right on top of the action.
The set-up will be similar for playoff games. The main seating area at the club will also be used, as will the lounge for the semifinals and final, which will be carried live on Sportsnet.
Hofferd estimates seating capacity at 400 for round robin and 600 for playoffs.
Single-game tickets will go on sale in mid December. Prices will be $5 per game, $10 for the final.
The 2014 B.C. Scotties Tournament of Hearts, presented by Best Western, will also serve as a test event for the 2015 Canada Winter Games. The Games will be held in Prince George from Feb. 13 to March 1 of that year.
The PGGCC will host a Curl B.C. camp for new and beginning players on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Players aged eight to 14 are welcome to attend and will be able to register at the club. The fee is $15. Equipment, snacks and lunch will be provided.
