Sobeys Slam taking a year off

NEW?GLASGOW - One of Pictou?County's premier sporting events is taking a year off.
Organizers of the Sobeys Slam announced yesterday that they won't offer the bonspiel in 2009 due to this season's upcoming Olympic Curling Trials.
The trials take place December 6-13 in Edmonton, meaning that most of the top female curlers in Canada would likely pass on the World Curling Tour event to prepare for that competition.
Points from World Curling Tour stops are key to placement in those trials, helping the Slam attract big names such as Jennifer Jones, Shannon?Kleibrink and Stefanie Lawton the last two years. But that very drawing card would give most of these names cause to skip New Glasgow this time around.
"When we looked at it, hosting a tournament that wouldn't feature the best teams in Canada didn't seem like something we wanted to do," said Jim Nix, tournament chairman. "We exhausted other possibilities - moving the date, coming up with an alternate format - but in the end, this was the best thing to do."
The tournament will return in 2010, with what appears to be the blessing of the title sponsor.
"While we are disappointed that the event will not take place in 2009, we completely understand the reasons for the decision," Cindy Stevens, vice president of Marking for Sobeys Atlantic, said in a release. "We look forward to working with organizers in 2010 to build on the success the Sobeys Slam has had to date, and collaborate to see even further growth and development of this event."
Nix added the hiatus was not caused by any shortfalls in previous editions of the weekend.
"Based on the first two years, we wouldn't even be thinking twice about (holding this year's Slam)," Nix said. "There would be no reason to discontinue it."
That said, 2010 might be the final incarnation - Nix had mentioned at this year's final that the tournament would probably run three years - although that decision will be made at a later date.
The 2008 final was won by Quebec's Marie France Larouche, and was attended by nearly 1,000 people.