Three wild cards in CanadaB次元官网网址檚 menB次元官网网址檚 and womenB次元官网网址檚 curling championships apparently here to stay means keeping noses to grindstones to earn them.

Bumping up the number of wild-card berths from one to three was a COVID-19 adaptation in CalgaryB次元官网网址檚 2021 curling bubble.

Brought back by popular demand in 2022 and 2023, wild cards are a Plan B ticket to both the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Tim Hortons Brier for teams that donB次元官网网址檛 win provincial or territorial championships.

Earning a wild card can be a wild ride.

Wild cards go to the top three teams in Curling CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) that donB次元官网网址檛 win their provincial or territorial championship.

So itB次元官网网址檚 a matter of entering enough events and winning enough points during the season, while hoping a team ranked higher wins its province or territory so a wild card lands on you.

When the dust settled, Kaitlyn Lawes at No. 4, Casey Scheidegger at No. 6 and Meghan Walter at No. 7 in the CTRS earned wild cards for this yearB次元官网网址檚 Hearts in Kamloops.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e here, so thatB次元官网网址檚 all that matters,B次元官网网址� Walter said.

Defending champion Kerri Einarson topped Pool A at 3-0 ahead of British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Kaitlyn LawesB次元官网网址� wild card 1 all 2-1 heading into MondayB次元官网网址檚 draws.

Northwest Territories, Ontario, Northern Ontario and Manitoba were bunched atop Pool B at 2-1.

When Walter faced Jennifer Jones in the Manitoba womenB次元官网网址檚 final Jan. 29, WalterB次元官网网址檚 Hearts prospects also rested on Rachel Homan winning Ontario that same day.

When Walter lost the final to Jones, WalterB次元官网网址檚 supporters were still happy because of a Homan win that dealt the third and final wild card to Walter.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a very odd thing,B次元官网网址� Walter said Sunday in Kamloops.

There is no rest for a team that intends to pursue a wild card as a backup plan for entry into the Hearts and Brier.

B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 really lay off at all,B次元官网网址� Walter said. B次元官网网址淣ext season, weB次元官网网址檝e talked about it, weB次元官网网址檙e playing the same amount of events, 14 or 13 weB次元官网网址檝e played.

B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檙e not guaranteed to qualify (for playoffs) in every event and earn those big points.

B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檝e got to play in as many as possible and try to get to playoffs most of the time. Sometimes you fall short.B次元官网网址�

Scheidegger, who lost to Kayla Skrlik in AlbertaB次元官网网址檚 final, chased points this season with third Kate Cameron in charge of math.

B次元官网网址淢ost of the teams that are in the top 10 probably have that person thatB次元官网网址檚 calculating, and making sure that you are in a good situation for that,B次元官网网址� Scheidegger said.

B次元官网网址淲e attempted to play in B次元官网网址榮piels that would give us the most kind of bang for our buck, so they would give us the most points.

B次元官网网址淲hen you do come from a province that has had several wild cards come out of it the past couple years, itB次元官网网址檚 good planning to have that in the back of your mind.B次元官网网址�

Three wild cards were a boon for Manitoba women this year.

Lawes and Walter took two for a total of four Hearts entries from that province, including Einarson and Jones.

B次元官网网址淚 do think everyone wants to win their provincials and everyone wants to wear their crest on their back, but knowing there are some provinces that have a lot of great teams, you do kind of have your eye on wanting to be at the top of the CTRS,B次元官网网址� Lawes said.

B次元官网网址淵ou might see teams chasing points. If youB次元官网网址檙e in the hunt and youB次元官网网址檙e around that top five in the CTRS, thereB次元官网网址檚 a chance you might throw in an extra event in January.B次元官网网址�

Extra wild cards offer a young team like WalterB次元官网网址檚, who faces a gauntlet of Einarson, Jones, Lawes and Chelsea Carey in Manitoba, a chance to play in a Hearts early in their career.

B次元官网网址淚 definitely did not think IB次元官网网址檇 be playing in a Scotties at 20,B次元官网网址� said Walter, whose first win was an 8-6 decision over Northwest Territories on Sunday night.

Brendan Bottcher and Reid Carruthers lost the Alberta and Manitoba menB次元官网网址檚 finals respectively, but are the first and second wild cards in next monthB次元官网网址檚 Brier in London, Ont.

AlbertaB次元官网网址檚 Karsten Sturmay snared the third wild card by just five points over veteran John Epping of Ontario.

Homan edged Northern OntarioB次元官网网址檚 McCarville 7-5, Jones defeated Stacie Curtis of Newfoundland and Labrador 7-4 and New BrunswickB次元官网网址檚 Andrea Kelly downed YukonB次元官网网址檚 Hailey Birnie 14-3 in Sunday eveningB次元官网网址檚 draw.

Kelly and Casey ScheideggerB次元官网网址檚 wild card 2 were both 1-1 ahead of Walter and Curtis 1-2 in Pool B.

QuebecB次元官网网址檚 Laurie St-Georges was 1-1 followed by Prince Edward IslandB次元官网网址檚 Suzanne Birt and SaskatchewanB次元官网网址檚 Robyn Silvernagle at 1-2 in Pool A.

AlbertaB次元官网网址檚 Kayla Skrlik, NunavutB次元官网网址檚 Brigitte MacPhail and Yukon were 0-2.

The top three teams in each pool at the conclusion of the preliminary round Thursday advance to the championship round.

The four Page playoff teams emerge from that group.

The winner Feb. 26 represents Canada at the world championship March 18-16 in Sandviken, Sweden, and returns to next yearB次元官网网址檚 Hearts in Calgary as the defending champion.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press

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