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Curling Fans Can Vote for Final Eight Players, Starting Today at EverestCurlingChallenge.comThe Everest Curling Challenge will air on TSN and be streamed live on ESPN3 this August

Everest Funeral Concierge, Title Sponsor of the Everest Curling Challenge, today announced 24 of the world’s top curling players will face off in a unique, mixed-format competition at the first ever Everest Curling Challenge, taking place in Fredericton, NB on August 25 – 27, 2017. The inaugural event will be broadcast on TSN and streamed live on ESPN3, and sees the participants compete for the chance to win a prize of $200,000, the largest single prize in the sport.

“We are ecstatic to bring together 32 of the world’s top women’s and men’s curlers to this one-of-a-kind, never-seen-before world-class curling event,” said Mark Duffey, CEO and President at Everest Funeral Concierge. “At Everest, we pride ourselves on being innovators and we believe the future of the sport of curling lies in its ability to evolve in exciting ways that will attract a new generation of players and fans.  For the first time, curling fans can even choose who they see play.”

Confirmed participating players include:

• Team Gushue (Brad Gushue, Brett Gallant, Mark Nichols, Geoff Walker) – 2017 World Champions
• Team Homan (Rachel Homan, Emma Miskew, Joanne Courtney, Lisa Weagle) – 2017 World Champions
• Team Koe (Kevin Koe, Marc Kennedy, Brent Laing, Ben Hebert) – 2016 Brier Champions
• Team Carey (Chelsea Carey, Amy Nixon, Jocelyn Peterman, Laine Peters) – 2016 Scotties Champions
• Team Jones (Jennifer Jones, Kaitlyn Lawes, Jill Officer, Dawn McEwen) – Current Olympic Champions  
• Team Jacobs (Brad Jacobs, Ryan Fry, E.J. Harnden, Ryan Harnden) – Current Olympic Champions

“I’m extremely honoured and excited to have the opportunity to participate in the Everest Curling Challenge. It’s going to be a blast,” said Jennifer Jones, Canadian curler and Olympic gold medalist. “I’ve worked with the Everest brand in various capacities over the last few years and what they are doing to help develop the sport of curling and create excitement for the sport across North America is outstanding! I have no doubt this property will be a catalyst in the growth and development of our sport.”

Randy Ferbey, Founder of Everest Curling Challenge, commented, “North Americans are at the forefront of the growth of this sport, not only locally but on a global scale. This event will showcase the sport of curling like it has never before been played. We have players from across the globe participating in this event that will truly be a unique experience for both players and curling fans across North America.”

Everest also announced that, starting today, curling fans world-wide have the chance to choose the final eight participants by placing their vote at www.everestcurlingchallenge.com. The final players will be selected from a choice of six teams. Fans can vote for their favourite men’s and women’s teams through June 22, 2017. The list of potential participants features the current men’s and women’s European Champions, and the top two ranked teams from the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRC) following the list above.

Players from the two teams who receive the most votes will join the other confirmed participants as they compete for the $200,000 prize. The final players will be announced on Friday, June 23 at 1 pm EST.  

The event format and team rosters for the Everest Curling Challenge will be announced in the coming months. Follow @EverestCurling and visit www.EverestCurlingChallenge.com for more information. Watch a video here to learn more about Everest. Tickets for the Everest Curling Challenge are on sale now at www.EverestCurlingChallenge.com.

About EverestEverest is the first nationwide funeral concierge service. An independent consumer advocate, Everest was launched in Canada in 2001 with the goal of creating a continent wide service to help streamline and simplify the process for grieving families. Its sole purpose is to provide information to consumers when they need to make informed choices about funeral-related issues. Serving as an impartial advocate, Everest is not a funeral home, nor does it sell funeral goods or services and does not receive commissions from funeral homes or other providers in the funeral industry. Today, Everest services are available to more than 25 million people in Canada and the United States. Visit www.EverestFuneral.com for more information.

About TSN TSN is Canada’s Sports Leader and #1 specialty network. With a broad portfolio of multimedia sports assets, Champions Live Here as TSN delivers world-class content across its industry-leading platforms including five national television feeds, TSN.ca, TSN GO, and TSN Radio stations across the country. With more championship events than any broadcaster in the country, TSN’s deep and diverse roster of live sports programming includes the Grey Cup, IIHF World Junior Championship, Hockey Canada events, CFL, NFL, NBA, MLS, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, Season of Champions Curling, FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, Premier League, MLB, Golf’s Majors, NASCAR, F1, Grand Slam Tennis, UFC, NCAA March Madness, and Skate Canada and Rugby Canada events. TSN is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. (TSX:BCE) (NYSE:BCE), Canada’s largest communications company.

About ESPN3ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually.  It is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and streaming devices through the ESPN app. The network is currently available nationwide at no additional cost to those who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.  It is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.

Media Contacts
For Everest:
Jessica Dell’Aquila
Jessica@republicstory.com 
O: 416-537-4444 x 1009
M: 416-624-5807

For TSN:
Christy Sullivan 
Christy.Sullivan@bellmedia.ca 
O: 416-384-3624
M: 416-557-2840