Curler Cathy Overton-Clapham isn't calling it retirement exactly, but it sounds like that's the next step.

Overton-Clapham told the Free Press Friday afternoon she informed her team this week she will no longer be curling with them and has decided to "step away for a while."

"It's really hard to take. I just feel I wasn't able to fill the role as a skip. It just wasn't the right position for me," Overton-Clapham said. "I'm going to step away for a while. I wouldn't call it retirement, exactly. Maybe I will spare next year. That could be fun."

Overton-Clapham, 43, is a five-time Canadian champion and a former world champion. Her team, which includes third Jenna Loder, second Ashley Howard and lead Breanne Meakin, struggled at the recent Manitoba women's championship in Stonewall, missing the playoffs.