The Ford Hot Shots is the annual skills competition preceding both the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's women's and men's national curling championships respectively.
When Ford became a sponsor of the World Curling Championships in 1995, it also began a tradition of the skills competition preceding Canada's national championships.
There are six disciplines that each competitor must do:
The "hit and stay" (they must hit a rock on the button and not roll out)
The "draw to the button" (they must throw the rock as close as possible to the centre of the rings)
The "draw through the port" (the must throw the rock as close as possible to the centre of the rings, but go between two guard rocks in the process.
The "raise" (they must bump a guard rock into the rings as close as possible to the centre)
The "hit and roll" (they must hit a rock at the edge of the rings and roll as close as possible to the centre of the rings)
The "double" (they must remove two rocks with one stone, and end up as close as possible to the centre of the rings)
The 2017 versions of the event will include five new disciplines:
The "Hackner double", replicating Al Hackner's famous double takeout at the 1985 Labatt Brier.
The "Schmirler shot", replicating Sandra Schmirler's in-off at the 1997 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials to send her team to the 1998 Winter Olympics.
A "straight raise to the button"
A "drag-effect double takeout"
An "around the horn triple takeout for two".
In each shot, where the shooter rock comes to rest determines how many points are earned. A rock that ends up on the button receives 5 points. A rock that ends up in the 4 foot gets 4 points. 8 foot, 3, 12 foot 2 and one point if a "shot has been to have provided some sort of positive result."
The winner of the Hot Shots receives a 2 year lease on a Ford vehicle. First and second runners-up receive cash ($2000 and $1000 respectively). In 2009, the women's winner received a lease on a 2009 Ford Flex SEL FWD and the men's winner received a lease on a 2009 Ford F-150 XLT 4x4. In 2013 the lease vehicle was a Ford Fusion SE.
Winning women's vehicles:
1995: Ford Contour GL
1996: Mercury Mystique
1997: Ford Contour
1998: Mercury Mystique LS
1999: Mercury Mystique LS
2000: Ford Taurus SE
2001: Ford Taurus SE
2002: Ford Focus SE Wagon
2003: Ford Focus ZX5
2004: Ford Escape XLT FWD
2005: Ford Freestyle SEL
2006: Ford Explorer XLT
2007: Ford Edge
2008: Ford Fusion SEL V6
2009: Ford Flex SEL FWD
2010: Ford Taurus SEL FWD
2011: Ford Edge FW
2012: Ford Focus Titanium
2013: Ford Fusion SE 2.0L
2014: Ford Fusion SE 2.0L AWD
2015: Ford F-150 XLT
2016: Ford Edge Sport EcoBoost
2017: Ford Escape SE
