 | About The National |  |
| The National, is one of the four Majors that highlight the World Curling Tour season. Players will be battling for the all important Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) points available at the event. While the qualifying process to reach the 2009 Canadian Trials is somewhat complicated, the fact remains that rinks can greatly increase their chances to compete for a spot at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games through their performance in the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events. The following is a breakdown of the number of points men’s and women’s teams can earn towards qualifying for the 2009 Canadian Trials through their performance at The National: First place: 36.000 points Second place: 27.000 points Third and fourth place: 22.000 points Fifth-Eighth place: 18.000 points Round robin wins for teams not making playoffs 3.000 points per win In November 2005, Port Hawkesbury hosted the National, which saw 8 of the 10 teams that qualified for the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Games, in a pre-Olympic battle, which saw Wayne Middaugh capture the title. This format is a pre-cursor to the 2009 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event being hosted at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. |
 |