The 2011 Casino Rama Curling Skins Game

TSN Skins Game

The TSN Curling Skins Game is an annual curling bonspiel hosted by The Sports Network. "Skins" curling had been developed as a way to make curling more interesting on TV during the time before the free guard zone rule was implemented...

 on TSN

The Sports Network

The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...

was held on January 22nd and 23rd at the Casino Rama

Casino Rama

Casino Rama is a large casino, hotel and entertainment complex located on the reserve land of Chippewas of Rama First Nation, in the town of Rama, Ontario, Canada...

 Entertainment Centre in Rama, Ontario

Rama, Ontario

Rama is the Ontario, Canada home of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and Casino Rama. The community sports complex is called the Mnjikaning Arena Sports Ki, which was the home arena of the Couchiching Terriers ice hockey team, once affiliated with the Barrie Colts. The Ramakings lacrosse team...

. The total purse for the event was CAD$

Canadian dollar

The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

100,000.

Four teams were invited to participate. They played one semi-final each on January 22nd, and the winners played in the final on January 23rd.
Kevin Martin's rink secured the win, taking home a total of $46,000 in a win over David Murdoch. The total winnings for the Martin rink is $57,000, while Murdoch won $25,000.

Teams

Invited to the 2011 Skins game include the defending champion David Murdoch rink from Scotland, the Olympic champion Kevin Martin rink, the World champion Kevin Koe rink, and the Olympic women's silver medalist Cheryl Bernard rink. The invitation of Bernard is the second time a women's team has been invited, the first being Jennifer Jones

Jennifer Jones (curler)

Jennifer Jones is a Canadian curler from East St. Paul, Manitoba. Jones, a lawyer, is corporate counsel for Wellington West Capital and a Windsor Park Collegiate graduate.-Early success:...

 in 2009. Bernard held her own against the heavily favoured Olympic men's champion Kevin Martin, losing by $1000 in the semi-final match, despite winning more skins.

Team Bernard

Calgary Curling Club, Calgary, Alberta

• Skip: Cheryl Bernard
  Cheryl Bernard
  Cheryl Bernard is a Canadian curler from Calgary. She represented Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics as the team's skip, winning the silver medal in women's curling after falling to Sweden in the final....
  
  
• Third: Susan O'Connor
  Susan O'Connor
  Susan O'Connor is a Canadian curler from Alberta. She currently plays third for Cheryl Bernard.O'Connor is a Respiratory Therapist at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary, Alberta...
  
  
• Second: Carolyn Darbyshire
  Carolyn Darbyshire
  Carolyn Darbyshire-McRory is a Canadian curler from Calgary, Alberta. She played second for Cheryl Bernard from 2005-2011.Darbyshire joined the team in 2005 after playing for Renelle Bryden...
  
  
• Lead: Cori Morris

Team Koe

Saville Sports Centre

Saville Sports Centre

The Saville Sports Centre is a sports facility run by the University of Alberta's Faculty of Education and Recreation, where it is located in Edmonton, Alberta. It features a curling rink, tennis courts and a gymnasium....

, Edmonton, Alberta

• Skip: Kevin Koe
  Kevin Koe
  Kevin Koe is a Canadian curler. Originally from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, he now resides in Grande Prairie, Alberta and curls out of Edmonton, Alberta. He is the skip of the current World champion team....
  
  
• Third: Blake MacDonald
  Blake MacDonald
  Blake MacDonald is a Canadian curler from St. Albert, Alberta.For much of the team's history, MacDonald threw last rock for the team, while Koe held the broom. The two switched in 2009, with MacDonald throwing third rocks, but Koe still skipping. MacDonald has been playing with Koe since 2006...
  
  
• Second: Carter Rycroft
  Carter Rycroft
  Carter Rycroft is a Canadian curler from Sherwood Park, Alberta. He was a member of the Canadian Olympic team, skipped by Kevin Martin that won a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics...
  
  
• Lead: Nolan Thiessen
  Nolan Thiessen
  Nolan Thiessen is a Canadian curler from Edmonton. He currently plays lead for Kevin Koe....
  
  

Team Martin

Saville Sports Centre

Saville Sports Centre

The Saville Sports Centre is a sports facility run by the University of Alberta's Faculty of Education and Recreation, where it is located in Edmonton, Alberta. It features a curling rink, tennis courts and a gymnasium....

, Edmonton, Alberta

• Skip: Kevin Martin
  Kevin Martin (curler)
  Kevin Martin , nicknamed "The Old Bear" and "K-Mart", is a Canadian curler from Edmonton. He is a four-time Brier champion, has been to three Winter Olympics and is the gold medal winner in the 2010 Winter Olympics...
  
  
• Third: John Morris
  John Morris (curler)
  John Morris is a Canadian curler, and Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic gold medalist from Chestermere, Alberta. Morris plays third for the Kevin Martin team. Morris, author of the book Fit to Curl, is the son of Maureen and Earle Morris, inventor of the "Stabilizer" curling broom...
  
  
• Second: Marc Kennedy
  Marc Kennedy
  Marc Kennedy is a Canadian curler, and Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic gold medalist from Edmonton, Alberta. Kennedy currently plays second for Kevin Martin....
  
  
• Lead: Ben Hebert
  Ben Hebert
  Ben Hebert is a Canadian curler, a Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic gold medalist, 2008 World Champion and two time Brier Champion from Calgary, Alberta...
  
  

Team Murdoch

Lockerbie Curling Club, Lockerbie

Lockerbie

Lockerbie is a town in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately from Glasgow, and from the English border. It had a population of 4,009 at the 2001 census...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

• Skip: David Murdoch
  David Murdoch
  David Murdoch is a Scottish curler from Lockerbie. Murdoch and his former team of Ewan MacDonald, Warwick Smith, Euan Byers and Peter Smith were the 2006 and 2009 World Curling Champions.-Background:...
  
  
• Third: Warwick Smith
  Warwick Smith
  Warwick B. Smith is a Scottish curler from Bridge of Earn, Perth and Kinross.Smith made his international debut at the 1996 World Curling Championships as the skip for the Scotland team...
  
  
• Second: Glen Muirhead
• Lead: Ross Hepburn

Draw to the button

Kevin Koe's team won the draw to the button contest and an additional $1,000. The total team distance from the button was 3.1cm. Meanwhile Team Murdoch was 39.8cm, Team Martin 194.3cm and Team Bernard at 463.4cm.

Games

Semi-final dollar amounts

• 1st & 2nd end: $1000
• 3rd & 4th end: $1500
• 5th end: $2000
• 6th end: $3000
• 7th end: $4500
• 8th end: $6500

Koe vs. Murdoch

January 22, 1:00pm EST

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Final
Koe	-	$	$	-	-	-	$	-	7,000
Murdoch	$	-	-	-	-	$	-	$	14,000

Martin vs. Bernard

January 22, 8:00pm EST

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Final
Martin	-	-	-	-	$	-	$	-	$11,000
Bernard	$	$	$	-	-	-	-	$	$10,000

Final

January 23, 1:00pm EST

Final game dollar amounts

• 1st & 2nd end: $2000
• 3rd & 4th end: $3000
• 5th end: $4000
• 6th end: $6000
• 7th end: $9000
• 8th end: $13000

+ $15000 bonus for the winner

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Final
Murdoch	-	$	$	-	$	-	-	-	$11,000
Martin	-	-	-	$	-	$	$	$	$46,000

External link

• Promotional site