Joe Frans
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Joe" Frans is a Canadian
curler from Acton, Ontario
. Frans is most notable for being a two-time provincial champion and for being suspended from competitive curling for cocaine
usage.
Frans obtained fame as a curler in 1991, when he won the provincial school boys championship and the provincial junior mixed championship while curling in Smiths Falls, Ontario
. In 1993, Frans won the provincial junior championship while playing in St. Catharines, Ontario
. At the 1993 Canadian Junior Curling Championships
, his team would finish with a 6-5 record. In 1994, Frans would win a second straight provincial championship, this time with Bradford, Ontario
. At the 1994 Canadian Junior Curling Championships
, he skipped the Ontario team to a 4th place finish (7-4 record), just out of the playoffs.
Frans later joined up with another provincial junior champion, John Morris
, playing as his vice. The team played in the 2001 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials
, finishing with a 5-4 record. The following year, they won a provincial men's championship. At the 2002 Nokia Brier
, the team lost in the final to Randy Ferbey
's Alberta rink. The following year, the team lost to Ferbey once again in the Canada Cup
final. Morris left Ontario following that season, and Frans joined up with Wayne Middaugh
, playing as his second. The team won the 2005 provincial championship, qualifying them for the 2005 Tim Hortons Brier
. It was at the 2005 Brier, that Frans was randomly selected to have his urine tested. After the Brier, it was announced that Frans had tested positive for cocaine, which Frans denies using. Nonetheless, Frans was banned from competitive curling for two years. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2005/06/07/frans050607.html It was the first positive drug test in curling history. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Curling/2005/06/08/1076791.html At the 2005 Brier, the team finished with a 6-5 record. Frans curled 81%, fourth among seconds.
Frans would return in 2007, skipping his own team. The 2007 John Shea Insurance Canada Cup Qualifier
being one of his first major events.
In 2009, Frans qualified for the 2009 provincial championship
, where he and his rink lost in the semi-final to Peter Corner
. He qualified again in 2010
and finished with a 6-4 record. In 2011, he was added to the Corner rink and will play second for him.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
curler from Acton, Ontario
Acton, Ontario
Acton is a community located in the Town of Halton Hills, in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada.Acton is located on Highway 7 and the former Highway 25. Acton is served by GO Transit bus service on the Georgetown line corridor.-History:Acton was first named Danville when Settler Wheeler Green opened...
. Frans is most notable for being a two-time provincial champion and for being suspended from competitive curling for cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
usage.
Frans obtained fame as a curler in 1991, when he won the provincial school boys championship and the provincial junior mixed championship while curling in Smiths Falls, Ontario
Smiths Falls, Ontario
Smiths Falls is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the census division for Lanark County, but is considered a separated town and does not participate in county government...
. In 1993, Frans won the provincial junior championship while playing in St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
. At the 1993 Canadian Junior Curling Championships
Canadian Junior Curling Championships
The Canadian Junior Curling Championships is an annual curling tournament held to determine the best junior-level curling team in Canada. Junior level curlers must be under the age of 20 as of December 31 in the year prior to the tournament....
, his team would finish with a 6-5 record. In 1994, Frans would win a second straight provincial championship, this time with Bradford, Ontario
Bradford, Ontario
Bradford is the primary country urban area of the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario, in Canada. It overlooks a beautiful and prosperous farming community, known as The Holland Marsh, located on the Holland River that flows into Lake Simcoe...
. At the 1994 Canadian Junior Curling Championships
Canadian Junior Curling Championships
The Canadian Junior Curling Championships is an annual curling tournament held to determine the best junior-level curling team in Canada. Junior level curlers must be under the age of 20 as of December 31 in the year prior to the tournament....
, he skipped the Ontario team to a 4th place finish (7-4 record), just out of the playoffs.
Frans later joined up with another provincial junior champion, John Morris
John Morris (curler)
John Morris is a Canadian curler, and Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic gold medalist from Chestermere, Alberta. Morris plays third for the Kevin Martin team. Morris, author of the book Fit to Curl, is the son of Maureen and Earle Morris, inventor of the "Stabilizer" curling broom...
, playing as his vice. The team played in the 2001 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials
Canadian Olympic Curling Trials
The Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, also known since 2005 as the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings, occur every four years, in the year preceding the Winter Olympic games. They are held to determine the men's and women's representative at the following Olympics. The system of qualification for the...
, finishing with a 5-4 record. The following year, they won a provincial men's championship. At the 2002 Nokia Brier
2002 Nokia Brier
The 2002 Nokia Brier was the Canadian Men's Curling Championship. It was held from March 9 to March 17, 2002 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta. It was won by the Albertan foursome headed by Randy Ferbey. Ferbey threw third stones throughout the tournament while his mate David Nedohin...
, the team lost in the final to Randy Ferbey
Randy Ferbey
Randy Ferbey is a Canadian curler from Sherwood Park, Alberta.Ferbey is a six-time Canadian champion and a four-time World Champion....
's Alberta rink. The following year, the team lost to Ferbey once again in the Canada Cup
Canada Cup (curling)
The Capital One Canada Cup of Curling is a major men's and women's curling championship in Canada. It is organized by the Canadian Curling Association and is one of its major events on its "Season of Champions"...
final. Morris left Ontario following that season, and Frans joined up with Wayne Middaugh
Wayne Middaugh
Wayne Middaugh is a Canadian curler from Victoria Harbour, Ontario.Middaugh is a two-time world champion, once as second for Russ Howard in 1993 and as a skip in 1998. He has participated and won in seven and participated in 11 Briers- in 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994 as Russ Howard's second and in...
, playing as his second. The team won the 2005 provincial championship, qualifying them for the 2005 Tim Hortons Brier
2005 Tim Hortons Brier
The 2005 Tim Hortons Brier, the Canadian men's curling championship was held at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta from March 5 to 13. The tournament consisted of 12 teams—one from each province, plus a team representing the Yukon and Northwest Territories, plus a team representing Northern Ontario...
. It was at the 2005 Brier, that Frans was randomly selected to have his urine tested. After the Brier, it was announced that Frans had tested positive for cocaine, which Frans denies using. Nonetheless, Frans was banned from competitive curling for two years. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2005/06/07/frans050607.html It was the first positive drug test in curling history. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Curling/2005/06/08/1076791.html At the 2005 Brier, the team finished with a 6-5 record. Frans curled 81%, fourth among seconds.
Frans would return in 2007, skipping his own team. The 2007 John Shea Insurance Canada Cup Qualifier
John Shea Insurance Canada Cup Qualifier
The John Shea Insurance Canada Cup Qualifier was an annual curling bonspiel held at the Ottawa and Rideau Curling Clubs in Ottawa, Canada. In odd years, the event was a qualifier for the men's Canada Cup of Curling while in even years the event is the women's qualifier...
being one of his first major events.
In 2009, Frans qualified for the 2009 provincial championship
2009 TSC Stores Tankard
The 2009 TSC Stores Tankard was the 2009 edition of the Ontario provincial men's curling tournament. It was held on February 2-8 at the Woodstock District Community Complex in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada...
, where he and his rink lost in the semi-final to Peter Corner
Peter Corner
Peter Corner is a Canadian curler.Corner was a member of the 1993 "dream team" of his cousin Wayne Middaugh and the brothers of Glenn and Russ Howard. Corner played lead for the team. All four players would skip teams to provincial championships in the future...
. He qualified again in 2010
2010 Ontario Men's Curling Championship
The 2010 Ontario Men's Curling Championship was held February 1-7th, 2010 at the Strathcona Paper Centre in Napanee.Eleven teams participated. It marked the first year that the defending champion would get an automatic berth....
and finished with a 6-4 record. In 2011, he was added to the Corner rink and will play second for him.