EJCT 2024 - Prague.
Twelve men's and twelve women's teams were divided into three groups of four each for the purpose of playing the main part of the World Curling Tour junior tournament. In the diverse range of participating countries there were two Czech teams in each category. In both cases they were national teams and also runners-up from the national championship. The system of play, the same for women and men, included direct advancement from the groups for the top four teams in total, and so-called qualifying matches for all others. Although the Krupičková team was stuck in the qualifying net, the other three Czech representatives advanced to the quarterfinals. In the end, the Farková team fared the best, only losing to the Germans in the final and thus placing a solid second. The men's semi-final was without Czech participation. The Jičín curling team (skip Pěnička), who are the Czech national team, were not able to beat the Norwegians in the quarterfinals and together with the second Czech team (Ledoletci) took fifth to eighth place. EJCT 2024 had a nice and calm atmosphere this year. Unlike previous years, it was not staffed with any umpires, similar to the Prague Ladies International held a week ago. It's a big jump - from three to zero. At some moments an erudite umpire was missing, but in truth there were not too many of those moments. The Junior A team played their five games on two indoor lanes, which was nice but a bit surprising. The B team, on the other hand, played only on the outside lanes and played two of their three matches within the group on the deck and with the same stones. Perhaps the lane split could simply be revised for next time. The non-functioning monitors in the restaurant are, of course, an accepted evergreen for us now, something only the Canadians, who brought a talented team of successful junior players (Plett) to Prague, were concerned about. The relatively decent attendance in the audience, better ice than usual and the enthusiasm of the young players made the first weekend in October a pleasant curling experience.
rnPhoto by Team Penny