The Bluenose Curling Club in New Glasgow, NS, is set to host the Atlantic Curling Tour's largest bonspiel, the Sobeys Curling Classic, where some 44 teams take to the ice to compete for $40,000 in prize money. The Classic will be held November 10-14 at the Bluenose Curling Club in New Glasgow, NS with both the Truro Curling Club and the Pictou Curling Club hosting games as well.

24 men's teams will play a Triple Knockout with the top 8 teams advancing to the championship round. The ladies draw will be a 20 team/4 division round robin with the top two teams in each division making the championship round.

Among the ladies teams competing are all of last year's Atlantic region provincial champions, Shelly Bradley of PEI, Kay Zinck of Nova Scotia, Sandy Comeau of New Brunswick and Heather Strong of St. John's, Newfoundland.

Strong won't be alone representing the rock as Sheila Adams of Gander makes her first visit to the Sobeys. In addition to Bradley and her new team of Janice McCallum, Krista Cameron and Leslie MacDougall, PEI will be represented by Kathy O'Rourke, who along with regular Kim Dolan will be joined by the MacPhee sisters. PEI junior champion, Meaghan Hughes, will also be trying to take home some prize money as she makes her debut at the Sobeys. Comeau will be joined from New Brunswick by Sylvie Robichaud, making her second trip to the Classic. Colleen Jones will compete in the Classic for the first time in a few years as she continues to prepare for the Olympic trials to be held in December in Halifax. Besides Jones and Zinck, expected to contend from Nova Scotia are Jocelyn Palmer, skipping a new team out of Truro, former junior champion Jill Mouzar, former Nova Scotia champion Nancy McConnery with PEI native Marion MacAulay throwing third stones and Jackie Lee Chisholm of Lunenburg. Chisholm, who represented NS in several Canadian junior championships as well as the Canada Games, is making her return to competitive curling after several years away. Christine McCrady of the Rideau Curling Club in Ottawa is the sole participant from outside Atlantic Canada and brings with her a very solid team that should prove tough to beat.

On the men's side, Shawn Adams, fresh from a second place finish at the Don Bartlett Classic in Gander, will be making his 10th appearance at the Sobeys Classic and has the same very strong team that wound up as 2005 Brier runners-up. Adams will join Jones in looking to take home an Olympic spot at December's Roar of the Rings. Teams expecting to battle Adams for the top prize include former Russ Howard third James Grattan of NB. Grattan has put together his own squad for this year and is off to a great start winning two spiels and finishing as the runner up in a third. Mike Kennedy of Grand Falls will return to the Sobeys with another former Howard team member, Marc LeCocq throwing third stones. PEI will be represented by last year's provincial champion Rod MacDonald as well as perennial contender John Likely, Eddie MacKenzie and Andrew Robinson. Nova Scotia teams expecting to do well include the winner of this year's Lakeshore spiel, Doug MacKenzie, reigning Nova Scotia mixed champion Brian Rafuse, former Canadian mixed champions, Scott Saunders and Steve Ogden, as well as last year's champion, Mark Kehoe, who has a new team with former Rafuse third Curt Palmer throwing third stones.

Play will begin on Thursday, November 10th at 6:00 pm at both the Bluenose and Truro Curling Clubs with the final scheduled for Monday at 3:00 pm at the host Bluenose Club.

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