My picks for Scotties all-stars

My picks for Scotties all-stars

Here is the list of my Scotties all-star selections.

The all-stars used to be voted on by the media, but the system was changed a few years ago and the awards are now handed out on the basis of shooting percentage during the round robin.

Stats are a good way to judge how a player curled, but just like batting average or goals against average, it doesn't tell the whole story, as there are other variables that can come into play as well as other stats.

Therefore, here is my all-star teams that I picked based on what I saw this week. The official all star list will be released following tonight's draw.

Note: the past two years Manitoba has swept the all-star selection (and three years ago had three first-team all-stars). They are on pace to do it for a third straight year, which is amazing.

Skip

1^st team all-star: Jennifer Jones, Manitoba

Jones has been amazing all week and leads all skips in percentage going into the last draw at 86 percent. It seems she has gotten stronger during the week.

2^nd team all-star: Rachel Homan, Ontario. If I picked this team a bit earlier I might have picked Homan over Jones, but Homan has slipped a little bit over the past few games.

Honourable mention: Andrea Crawford, New Brunswick. Mostly based on the past couple of days. She has really carried New Brunswick over a stretch of games. Team Canada's Heather Nedohin has had her moments, but has had a couple shaky games.

Vice

1^st team all-star: Kaitlyn Lawes, Manitoba. Has been solid all week. Can't help but think that along with Rachel Homan, Lawes in the future of women's curling.

2^nd team all-star: Going with Jeanna Schraeder from British Columbia. One of the best thirds in the game.

Honourable mention: Beth Iskiw, Team Canada. Has been strong all week long. Emma Miskew from Ontario has also been impressive with a couple blips.

Second

1^st team all-star: Going into the last draw, both Manitoba's Jill Officer and Ontario's Alison Kreviazuk are tied in percentages at 83 percent. It's like asking us to pick between apple pie and apple crisp. They're both good so we will go with both of them.

2^nd team all-star: Sasha Carter, British Columbia. Has played well.

Honourable mention: Team Canada's Jessica Mair is among the leaders in percentage. Quebec's Brittany O'Rourke has a bright future in the sport.

Lead

1^st team all-star: Dawn Askin, Manitoba. The gold standard, we'll just leave it at that. Head and shoulders above the others.

2^nd team all-star: Laine Peters, Team Canada. Has been steady all week and key for Team Canada's strong start.

Honourable mention: Jen Baxter from Nova Scotia has had to curl with the Golden Girls, so she had a lot of sweeping to do. She has played well.