Cameron heads east in search of spark

Kate Cameron was leaning towards taking a step back from curling.

She played on a torn meniscus last season and was mentally fatigued at the end of her first Olympic cycle as a skip.

“There’s only maybe one or two teams that really feel happy at the end of the quad,” Cameron told the Free Press on Wednesday.

“We’re all fighting for the ultimate goal of trying to go to the Olympics and we put so much time and energy into doing that and I think for me, this past season was a bit of a bust… I just didn’t know if the grind of doing it all seemed worth the reward anymore.”

She then got an unexpected phone call from Quebec.

Laurie St-Georges skipped the La belle province at the Scotties for five consecutive years (2021-25) before 20-year-old Jolianne Fortin unexpectedly knocked her off in this year’s provincial final.

Looking for a boost, St-Georges contacted the 34-year-old from New Bothwell and not only offered her a spot on the team but asked her to take over skipping duties. The front end features Emily Riley at second and Émilia Gagné at lead.

“You know, it’s funny, I was telling all my friends that when I played against Kate, I was always scared. Her energy is so out there and she’s so fierce,” said St-Georges, 28.

“It’s kind of like you’re shaking in your boots when you’re playing against her so I’m so glad she’s on my team now. With her experience and her shooting, I do think I’m going to be a solid third with our front end and that we’re capable of making the podium next year at Scotties.”

The Manitoban had several offers on the table and was upfront with everyone that she was on the fence about whether she would play at all. St-Georges, who initially reached out in January, remained patient before Cameron confirmed she was in less than two weeks ago.

“I was just looking around at the names out there on the CTRS rankings to see who would be nice to play with and Kate was literally one of the first names I thought of,” said St-Georges.

“I think it’ll be a learning curve obviously, but I’m very excited to learn a new position, embrace a new position, and make the best out of it.”

The new-look squad was officially announced last week.

“This is the first time in over a decade that I’ve had zero familiarness on a team. I’ve always had a player that I’ve played with before, or I’ve been friends with, or I’ve known at some point in time,” said Cameron, who has a silver (2017) and two bronze medals (2021, 2024) in eight appearances at the Scotties.

”So maybe starting over and learning three new people is going to be good for me and they’ve already brought back some of that spark for me. They just have this really fun energy and I think anyone that plays against them or watches them knows that.”

There’s been no word on where Cameron’s old rink — third Briane Harris, second Taylor McDonald and lead Mackenzie Elias — will go from here. The group announced in late February that they were going their separate ways.

Expectations were high after Harris signed on to play third for 2025-26 after her suspension was lifted. Despite all their talent, they finished the year ranked 13th in the country and were forced to watch nationals from home after failing to qualify for the provincial final in January.

“I think we did a lot of right things and we had a lot of good moments, but I think we struggled to put that all together at the same time and that’s what you got to do to be successful in Year 4,” said Cameron.

“We had really good team chemistry off the ice and we knew we were at a disadvantage adding a new player. I think it just wasn’t as seemless as we thought it might have been for doing all the things we did to prepare ourselves for that.”

Cameron, St-Georges, and Co. aren’t committing to a full quad just yet. They’ll test the waters in 2026-27 and go from there. And while they haven’t all met in person just yet, they’re hopeful they’ve found the right formula to be legitimate contenders.

“I would have never said in December that I’m going to be an import player in Quebec, but this opportunity came about and I think it’s just a really good fit for my life right now,” said Cameron.

“I needed to be rejuvenated, I needed to enjoy curling again, and I think this group of women can help me do that.”

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