Prince George is getting ready to host the last of the “Big Three”. First, UNBC organized the CCAA National Men’s Basketball Championship in March. Next, it was the World Baseball Challenge in July.

Completing the hat trick is the much-anticipated Road to the Roar, November 10-14.

Yes, that’s three major sporting events in Prince George spread throughout the year. The previous two were highly successful and early reports indicate that the upcoming Olympic pre-trials curling showdown at CN Centre promises to be one of the most memorable competitions ever held in the city.

This event will feature the best curling ever seen in P.G., possibly the best in Canada. The field of 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams includes the defending men’s Olympic champion, five former World Champions, five Brier Canadian men’s winners, two Scotties Canadian women’s champions and a World Junior Champion.

The triple-knockout format will qualify four men’s and four women’s teams to the Tim Horton’s Roar of the Rings (Canadian Curling Trials) in Edmonton, which will determine Canada’s representatives for the Vancouver Olympics in February. The winners of the A and B finals, and the top two teams in the C event, will advance to Edmonton to join the eight rinks (four men and four women) which have already qualified.

Therefore, the stakes are high. Some things money cannot buy, and a spot on the Olympic team to represent your country is certainly one of them.

Larry Parker, Road to the Roar chairperson, follows curling closer than I do. In fact, he is one of those hardcore fans. I, on the other hand, pay attention to the national and world championships, but I must admit, I am a casual fan, unless a local team is involved.

It certainly is not a surprise that Larry and I have a slight disagreement on the teams that will advance from P.G. to Edmonton.

Men’s Picks

Hartley

Brad Gushue (St John’s, Nfld.)

Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg)

Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg)

Wayne Middaugh (Toronto)

Larry

Brad Gushue (St John’s)

Bob Ursel (Kelowna)

Jean-Michel Menard (St. Romuald, Quebec)

Jason Gunnlaugson (Winnipeg)

Other men’s participating teams are Mike McEwan (Winnipeg), Joel Jordison (Moose Jaw), Ted Appelman (Edmonton), Greg McAulay (Richmond), and Pat Simmons (Davidson, Saskatchewan).

Parker picks Gushue and Menard because they make big shots under pressure. He likes Ursel, a former P.G. resident, to advance because his team is hot recently, winning the West Coast Curling Classic last month in New Westminster and the Curl TV September shootout in Edmonton. He also calls third Jim Cotter, who throws last rock, “dynamite”. He picks Gunnlaugson, as a hunch, saying he is playing well on the cashspiel circuit and enters the event with little pressure since many will overlook his team.

In my mind, Gushue is a no-brainer. He won the Olympic gold medal in 2006. I like former Brier champions Stoughton, Burtnyk, and Middaugh based on experience. They have all been around a long time and have the ability to rise to the occasion even if they have not been at their best in cashspiels.

Women’s Picks

Hartley

Kelly Scott (Kelowna)

Marie-France Larouche (St.Romuald, Quebec)

Sherry Middaugh (Coldwater, Ontario)

Cathy King (Edmonton)

Larry

Kelly Scott (Kelowna)

Marie-France Larouche (St. Romuald, Quebec)

Michelle Englot (Regina)

Rachel Homan (Ottawa)

The other women’s teams entered are Heather Rankin (Calgary), Crystal Webster (Calgary), Krista McCarville (Thunder Bay), Amber Holland (Kronau, Saskatchewan), Eve Belisle (Montreal) and Sherry Anderson (Saskatoon).

Parker picks Scott, #1 ranked in Canada, because she and Jen Jones are the hottest rinks on tour. He likes Larouche, the Quebec champion, based on her clutch shooting. He believes Englot, the 2008 Saskatchewan champion, can get on a roll and will excel on CN Centre ice. His long shot is the youthful team of Homan, the runner-up at the 2009 Canadian Junior Championships.

I agree that Scott and Larouche are the class of this field. I am selecting Middaugh, the 2008 Ontario provincial champion, to make sure there is harmony in the family. If hubby Wayne advances, and Sherry does not, then cold dinners may be on the menu, not to mention the cold shoulder. I am also going with King, a 1998 national champion and the winner of the women’s version of the September shootout in Edmonton, because she is experienced and handles pressure well.

Did you know that curlers are 80 per cent more likely to have consumed rye, 50 per cent more likely to have consumed rum, and 45 per cent more likely to have consumed scotch in the last month than average Canadians? Well, let’s all have a drink in anticipation of five splendid days of curling.

For the winners, champagne, and for the losers, plenty of time to drown their sorrows.

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for Opinion250. Hartley can be reached by e-mail at hmiller@94xfm.com.