*The 2011 Tankard featured 11 of 16 teams that did not qualify for the 2010 Tankard. Of those 11 teams, nine have not played in a Tankard championship for at least three years.
*Although there weren't any local area teams competing in the Tankard, there was one local curler. Travis Gansauge, a former Battlefords resident, was the lead for Team Herbert.
*Jeff Sharp, the third on Carl deConinck Smith's team and second Chris Haichert were members of Pat Simmons' 2005 and 2006 Tankard championship teams. Sharp was also the second when Simmons won in 2007 and 2008. Of the five provincial championship won by Simmons, seven different curlers have played on his team. This 2011 version is playing together for the first time this season.
*Mark Lang, the third for Team Bitz was communicating with his son Matt throughout the week, as he was playing lead for Team Saskatchewan in Calgary at the Canadian Junior Championships. Mark was planning to drive to Calgary Sunday after his team was eliminated from the Tankard to watch his son, who was part of the gold medal winning team.
*The last team to win a provincial curling championship in North Battleford was Michelle Englot in 2008. The Englot team won the Saskatchewan Scotties Tournament of Hearts and finished 5-6 at the Scotties in Regina.
*The Mark Lane rink was announced as the winners of the Norm Balderston Team Sportsmanship Award. The Battlefords rink of Bill Knight, Ellice Mamchur, Morley Dull and Tim Hengen won the award in 1986 when the Tankard was hosted in the Battlefords.
*Pat Simmons became just one of three teams to win five Tankard Championships. Bob Pickering and Ernie Richardson are the others. Richardson is the only one of the three to win a Brier Championship. Richardson won four Briers (1959, '60, '62 and '63).
*Besides Simmons, Scott Bitz was the only other skip at the 2011 Tankard to make an appearance at the Brier.
*Amber Holland, the Saskatchewan Curling Association executive director and winner of the SaskPower Scotties two weeks ago in Outlook, was in attendance at the Tankard. One of her first curling championships competed in at age 14, was held in the Battlefords.
*Kerry Tarasoff, the lead for Team Humble was working double duty during the week, as he set up a live web cast, which was streamed on saskcurl.com. The web cast reached nearly 1,000 viewers during some of the 14 draws throughout the week.
*Saskatchewan's wheelchair team of skip Darwin Bender, third Gil Dash, second Marie Wright and lead Terry Hart put on a demonstration, while getting in some practice time Saturday during the 2 p.m. draw. The team played a game against Tankard host committee co-chairs Doug Fehr and Doug Horn and Chadd McKenzie and Derek Dejaegher of Team Jordison. The National Wheelchair Curling Championship takes place in Edmonton March 20 to 27.
*Team Simmons will be looking for the eighth Brier win by a Saskatchewan rink. Manitoba leads all provinces with 26 first place finishes Alberta has 25.
