The 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts will forever hold a special place in the heart of legendary Canadian curler Jennifer Jones.

It’s not because Jones set a record for most wins as a skip at the national women’s curling championship with her 141st career victory, passing the late Colleen Jones, in Sydney, but something even more important.

“My daughters were really young then, so it was one of the first ones that my daughter remembers being at,” said Jones. “I think it’s just the memory of family and being here and the sense of community. One of my teammates had family in New Waterford, so we really got a sense of community when we were here.”

Jones, who formed Team Canada for the 2019 event, said another fond memory she has about the Scotties in Sydney was the fans.

“They were amazing and that’s all you want as an athlete – you just want that loudness,” said Jones, who retired from competitive curling in 2024.

“You want that crazy loud feeling. It’s a dream come true moment when you win or lose to be in an event where people care and they’re cheering. You can almost feel your bones vibrating and it’s one of the best feelings in the world. It’s what you have here in Cape Breton.”

Jones was in Cape Breton as part of the official kickoff event for the Grand Slam of Curling at Breton Crafthouse in downtown Sydney on Tuesday morning.

Sydney will be the third stop in a five-part tour for the Grand Slam of Curling, which will bring 32 top-ranked teams – 16 men and 16 women – from around the globe to compete for a coveted slam title.

The Grand Slam of Curling National will be held Nov. 17-22 at Centre 200 and comes two years after Cape Breton hosted the 2024 World Women’s Curling Championship, which saw Rachel Homan and Team Canada take home the gold medal.

Jones, who won 17 Grand Slam of Curling titles during her career, said fans can expect the best of the best when it arrivals in Sydney in the fall.

“You’re playing against the best teams in the world, you have to be your very best in order to be successful,” said Jones. “Both men and women will be playing on the same draws, so you get a little bit of everything. It was my most favourite event to play in.”

Tuesday’s press conference didn’t provide any major news that hasn’t already been announced about the event, however the Grand Slam of Curling did announce that early bird tickets will remain on sale until the middle of June.

Jennifer Cram, spokesperson for The Curling Group, which runs the Grand Slam of Curling, said the teams for the event will be announced closer to the competition.

Cram also confirmed that all volunteer spots, more than 100, were filled within two days of the event’s announcement in Sydney.

Travis Stone, president of the Sydney Curling Club and local chair of the Grand Slam of Curling National, wasn’t surprised with the quick response from those wanting to volunteer for the competition.

“Our membership at our club is fantastic, and they love having these events and love experiencing them – they’re all really hard working and dedicated people,” said Stone.

“Our club thrives off volunteering, and it translates over to this event. I’m very happy and its fantastic news, so I wasn’t shocked to see that happen.”

Overall, Stone is pleased with the support that has been received to date for the competition.

“Ticket sales have been fantastic, and the support has been fantastic from the community,” said Stone.” As most people have seen the last two times we had events here, the support was fantastic. We love having events in Cape Breton and be love curling, so the two of them together makes for a good combo.”

The Cape Breton Post requested ticket sale numbers to date for the event, but Cram couldn’t provide those details at publication time.

“We don’t publicly disclose ticket sale figures or revenue numbers,” said Cram in an email. “Early ticket demand has been steady since we went on sale in March. Single draw tickets will be available for purchase in early fall.”

Paul MacDonald, facilities manager for Centre 200, said having events like the Grand Slam of Curling helps the venue expand beyond just hockey.

“The hockey team is very important and they’re our main tenant and they generate a lot of revenue for the building, but these events, and we have a lot coming up in the next year, are so important – they’re bonuses if you want to look at it that way,” he said.

“The Grand Slam of Curling is great for the community, especially at the time of year. We’re look at November here. There’re 32 teams and fans and all the hotels will be full – it’s going to be crazy that week.”

The Grand Slam of Curling is an elite series of men’s and women’s curling events. Awarding equal purses to both men’s and women’s teams since 2015, the Grand Slam of Curling advances the sport on a global scale.

For the Sydney event, twelve of the 16 teams from both the men and women’s divisions will be based on world ranking points with two winners from satellite events and two Grand Slam of Curling invites among those playing in Cape Breton.

The National was introduced as a men’s event in 2002 and was added to the women’s side in 2015. Bruce Mouat of Scotland and Rachel Homan of Ontario have won the last two National events in 2024 and 2025.

Since 2019, Sydney and Centre 200 have hosted two major curling events including the World Women’s Curling Championship and the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

The National will mark the first time the Grand Slam of Curling has been held in Sydney.

The Grand Slam of Curling has held events in Cape Breton in the past with Port Hawkesbury hosting the Princess Auto Elite 10 event at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre in March 2017.

Port Hawkesbury also hosted the Grand Slam of Curling National in 2005, 2007, and 2013.

The 2026-27 Grand Slam of Curling season will begin three weeks later than 2025-26 and end three weeks earlier. The month-long Rock League will kick off its regular season on Jan. 7, 2027.

The Grand Slam of Curling will host the Invitational Oct. 13-18 in Victoria, B.C., as the Masters from Nov. 3-8 in Medicine Hat, Alta. The Open will be played Dec. 1-6 in Thunder Bay, Ont., while the Players’ Cup is set for Dec. 15-20 in Kingston, Ont.

The Gland Slam of Curling will not return to the United States next season. The GSOC Tahoe event in Lake Tahe, Nev., will not be part of the 2026-27 season. It was the event’s first-ever international stop last November, and according to reports, didn’t attract well at the box office.

Satellite events for the Sydney-hosted National will be the Stu Sells 1824 Halifax Classic in Halifax, and the St. Paul Cashpiel in St. Paul, Minn.

Early bird full event and weekend passes for the Sydney competition are on sale online at am.ticketmaster.com/c200tickets/buy. A weekend pass is $254 per person, while a full event pass is $382 per person.

When asked what her message to fans would be to inspire them to support the event in Cape Breton, Jones was clear.

“Why wouldn’t you come?” laughed Jones. “You get to come here and watch people chase their dreams. Dreams will come true that week and you can see it live.”

HOW TO GET EARLY BIRD TICKETS:
– Event: Grand Slam of Curling National
– When: Nov. 17-22, 2026
– Where: Centre 200, Sydney
– Tickets: am.ticketmaster.com/c200tickets/buy
– Prices: Full pass $382 per person; weekend passes $254 per person

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