WHITBY — Andrea Lawes and Mary Chilvers are particularly proud to be a part of the 2018 Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts, even if it’s not as competitors, as was once often the case.

The 2018 tournament is being held Jan. 10-14 and hosted by the Whitby Curling Club, which is near and dear to the hearts of the two 55-year-old Whitby residents.

Lawes, who won the tournament four times as a player, is a lifetime member of the Whitby club and will serve as a player liaison, while Chilvers, who won the tournament twice, will serve as a commentator for the streaming company Title Sports Live.

“It’s really neat to have such a big event here,” Chilvers said. “Because I competed in it for so many years and now to have it right in our backyard and I get to be a part of the commentating, I’m really excited about that.”

The 12-team championship will feature many of the top names in the sport, including skips Sherry Middaugh, Julie Tippin and Jacqueline Harrison, but unfortunately not defending champion Rachel Holman, who will represent Canada at the 2018 Olympics.

The winning team will advance to the 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Penticton, B.C.

“We’re hoping to get lots of people coming, and I suspect we will,” said Lawes, who looks forward to taking in much of the action herself between her duties. “I’m hoping it will all run smoothly and I can be there mainly as a fan.”

Sheet 1 at the club will be turned into a Brock St. Brewing Company bar, while Sheet 6 will have bleacher seating, leaving Sheets 2-5 as the battleground.

The event will be have a triple knockout format, rather than the traditional round-robin event, and the number of teams has grown from eight to 12.

Visit www.whitbycurlingclub.com for ticket prices and more information.