Saskatchewan’s Barker living the dream

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/02/2017 (3436 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. — Two years ago, when the Scotties came to her hometown of Moose Jaw, Sask., Penny Barker sat in the stands of Mosaic Place and watched the titans of Canadian women’s curling do battle.

As she watched, lofty thoughts flicked through her mind: what would it be like, she wondered, to play on that ice?

“It’s always in the back of your mind, that’s your dream,” Barker said after practice Friday. “You hope you’ll have the opportunity to play in the Scotties at some point in your life, and to win it. So it was exciting to see it.”

She paused, just for a second, and then laughed. “It’s more exciting to be here, though.”

Even after she’d shot her first practice rocks at Meridian Centre, Barker still couldn’t quite believe it. She was wearing her crisp new green jacket, the one she earned as Saskatchewan champion, but the reality hadn’t quite sunk in.

Of all the skips in this Scotties’ main draw, she is the only one who has never been to nationals in any role before.

That doesn’t mean Barker’s team, which includes third Deanna Doig, second Lorraine Schneider and lead Danielle Sicinski, should be taken lightly. They were, after all, big underdogs at the Saskatchewan Scotties.

It’s true, Barker nodded, her team doesn’t play as much as others; they’ve chosen a curling-life balance that only puts them in a few bonspiels each year. So they entered this year’s provincials ranked just seventh out of nine teams.

“We’re really competitive, and when we go out there, we’re playing hard, and playing to win,” she said. “We peaked at the right time when it came to provincials. We were relaxed, focused and ready to get into the Scotties.”

In four previous tries at the Saskatchewan championship, their best showing was a tiebreaker in 2016. This year, they battled to a 4-4 round robin record, which again earned them a tiebreaker against Brett Barber; this time, they won.

Then they just kept winning. In the playoffs, Barker curled out three straight wins to claim the green jacket, defeating four-time Saskatchewan champ Stefanie Lawton in the semifinal and Robyn Silvernagle in the championship match.

“It’s so hard to describe that feeling,” Barker said, of that winning moment. “It’s unbelievable. It’s exciting. It’s all emotions rolled into one. You’re just kind of like, ‘wow, that just happened.’ All the practising paid off.”

If that surprised some in Saskatchewan’s curling community, it did not shock Manitoba skip Michelle Englot. The seven-time Saskatchewan champ — who opened her Scotties with a win — played two years with Barker vice Doig.

“The same thing could happen here, because they’re great shooters,” Englot said. “Penny Barker makes a ton of shots whenever I’ve played against her. They are going to be a very competitive team. You can’t underrate them.”

Still, this is the Scotties now. Instead of local club curlers, Barker’s dance card now includes real Olympic contenders, folks such as Chelsea Carey and Rachel Homan. So to help guide them through, they’ve brought along a mentor.

Behind the scoreboard, Team Saskatchewan is bolstered by decorated veteran Amber Holland, the 2011 Canadian champion and world silver medalist. She’s hopped aboard as alternate, along with her longtime coach Merv Fonger.

Holland, who didn’t convene her own competitive team this year, had subbed on Barker’s foursome for a handful of games both this year and last. So when Barker won Saskatchewan, it just made sense for her to come as fifth.

“Probably because I’ve been here before, maybe had something to do with it too,” Holland said, and laughed.

That puts Holland in a perfect position to serve as a team adviser. Englot thinks that Holland, who has served as CurlSask’s technical and executive director, has a lot to teach about the nitty gritty details of arena ice.

Plus, Holland said, there’s a mental side to managing the frenetic Scotties pace, of which Barker is getting her first taste. Between the games, the autograph sessions and a myriad other distractions, Scotties can be a grind.

“There’s things I think I want to tell (them), to be the best prepared,” she said. “At the same time, there’s things I don’t want to tell (them) about because… being a new team at Scotties and having that newness is part of the experience.”

The Saskatchewan rookies made their Scotties debut Saturday night, suffering a 7-4 loss at the hands of three-time Newfoundland champion Stacie Curtis.

After stealing one in the first, the skip struggled with some early misses, and finished shooting 60 per cent. Still, the team hung tight until Curtis struck for a three-ender in the eighth to take a commanding lead.

Their next test has a twist: Barker will face off against Englot at 8:30 a.m. this morning. She’s played the Manitoba champ many times before, in their shared home province; for obvious reasons, this time will be unique.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca