Jones looks to make name for herself

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This article was published 15/12/2021 (1619 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kaitlyn and Jones are household names when it comes to Manitoba curling. Kaitlyn Lawes owns a couple of shiny Olympic gold medals, while Jennifer Jones has built an incomparable resume in the sport.

But Kaitlyn Jones? Around these parts, not so much.

That could change this week as the relative newcomer to Winnipeg curls with a young, talented team out of Assiniboine Memorial at the 2022 Scotties provincial women’s championship in Carberry. She’s tossing fourth stones, Abby Ackland calls the game and throws third, while Robyn Njegovan and Sara Oliver partner on the front end.

Jones, a former world junior champion out of Nova Scotia, is competing in her inaugural provincial women’s championship — in the province of her birth.

The daughter of an RCMP officer stationed in Wabowden, Jones was born at Thompson General Hospital but moved with her family to British Columbia when she was just a toddler, and has lived in several B.C. towns, as well as Ottawa, Regina, Halifax and Toronto.

“It’s pretty cool, like I’ve come full circle,” Jones said, earlier this week. “There isn’t a whole lot of background with me in Manitoba because I was so young when we left. But it’s my first women’s provincials where I’m from, so that’s pretty exciting.”

The Ackland squad showed some moxie in the Scotties opening draw Wednesday, scoring a deuce in the eighth end and then stealing a pair in the 10th to defeat Jennifer Clark-Rouire of Miami 7-5.

On the afternoon draw, the team won 8-7 against overwhelming Scotties favourite Tracy Fleury of East St. Paul

Jones’ foray into competitive play began in Saskatchewan when she participated in three consecutive junior provincials, winning on her last attempt in 2017. At nationals, her team finished with a 5-5 record to miss the playoffs, however, Jones made a connection that altered the course of her curling journey.

“We had just finished the event and the Nova Scotia coach (Andrew Atherton) asked if I had any interest in skipping their team. And that was about as long as the conversation was,” Jones recalled. “I called my dad (Kevin) immediately and said, ‘I’m moving to Nova Scotia.'”

Two members of the ’17 Nova Scotia team, Kristin Clarke and Karlee Burgess, had won a world junior crown the previous season, and wanted Jones to take the reigns for the ’17-18 season. Lindsey Burgess was recruited to play lead.

“I knew they had won worlds and I knew this was going to be a great opportunity,” she said.

To say the new formula proved favourable would be a huge understatement. Team Jones not only prevailed in the Nova Scotia playdowns but blitzed the field in Shawinigan, Que., to capture the Canadian crown.

And it was on to Aberdeen, Scotland for the worlds in March 2018, although things there got off to a rocky start.

“We were 52 hours delayed there. We had planned to be there early to do some sightseeing and we ended up seeing nothing,” she said. “We got in late on a Friday night and played our first game Saturday morning with no practice time. It was a grind. But as the week went on we just seemed to get better and better.”

Jones and her Canadian crew went 7-2 in the round-robin and then narrowly defeated China in the semifinal. The skipper was sick as a dog but still guided the team to the gold medal following a 7-4 triumph over Sweden.

“I had caught a cold along the way. Luckily, I got a lot of rest the night before,” Jones said. “We had a lot of momentum early and felt like we were always in control the whole game. We got a lead and that helped with the nerves.”

Some doors opened for the world champions, who were invited to play in a pair of Grand Slam of Curling tour events.

After a couple of uneventful seasons, Jones made the switch to Manitoba for personal and professional reasons, and was quickly recruited by Ackland, Njegovan and Oliver.

The team tinkered with the lineup at the DeKalb bonspiel in Morris earlier this month, finally settling on Ackland assuming all skipping duties except for the delivery of the last two stones.

Ackland has high hopes for the new arrangement.

“I wanted to take a step back to third and not skip, and Kaitlyn was a great addition. So far, the season has been about figuring out our team dynamic and growing as a team,” she said.

“Honestly, I think its anybody’s year (at the Scotties). It’s whoever comes to play with their best game this week, including Fleury.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell