Manitoba a major player at Scotties

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This article was published 15/02/2024 (779 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There will be four Manitoba teams and no shortage of storylines at this week’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary.

You have to start with the reigning, defending, four-time national champion Kerri Einarson out of Gimli.

Einarson, who will once again wear the maple leaf as Team Canada, can cement herself in the record books with another first-place finish as no team has ever won five straight.

The 18-team event kicks off today at the WinSport Event Centre and runs until Feb. 25.

“It’s definitely something that we talk about, but it’s not front of mind for everybody,” said Team Einarson second Shannon Birchard. “We have to focus on the present and think about the day-to-day things we can do to achieve that, but we’re not putting any pressure on ourselves in order to achieve it.”

Unlike previous years, Einarson — No. 3 in the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) — arrived at the big stage without having won any tournamnets this season. Their last competition was in January when they reached the semifinal of the Grand Slam of Curling’s Canadian Open.

Ontario’s Rachel Homan and her No. 1-ranked team have won five events during the 2023-24 campaign, including the Canadian Open.

“I think the season has been OK. We’ve pretty much qualified in every event we’ve played in and made a few semifinals. Obviously, we haven’t won any events, and it hasn’t been as strong if you compare it to last year’s season, but there’s been a lot of growth between all of us,” said Birchard. “And we made a few changes at the beginning of the season when it comes to technical, so our mindset has been being patient for the long-term payoff.”

Jennifer Jones, Kaitlyn Lawes, and Kate Cameron are also skipping teams out of the middle province.

Jones, who turns 50 in July, announced Tuesday she’s retiring from women’s curling after this season, making her 18th Scotties her last.

If she can write the perfect ending, she’ll be the first seven-time women’s national champion. She currently shares the record of six with former teammate Jill Officer and Colleen Jones who will be in Calgary coaching Nova Scotia’s Heather Smith.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have played with Jen. We knew this was going to happen at some point,” said Team Jones third Karlee Burgess.

“I don’t think this has added any pressure. For the most part, I think we all recognize we want to have fun this week for Jen and really soak up the whole event as a team, not just because of Jen. But we do want to enjoy this last moment because not a lot of people get the opportunity to play with her.”

They’re not just there for a farewell tour, though. Ranked second in the country, Jones and her young group are legitimate contenders. Last year in Kamloops, they made it to the final before losing the all-Manitoba battle to Einarson.

Jones didn’t have to compete at provincials as they pre-qualified based on last year’s success.

“I feel like we were kind of the underdogs to win since we just formed with Jen and it was our first season together. But I think people have recognized that we are a good team and the three of us (Burgess, second Emily Zacharias, and lead Lauren Lenentine) are at this calibre of play,” said Burgess.

“Last year, we were just going in seeing what happens, but I think we have a shot at winning.”

Lawes will have the Buffalo on her back after winning the provincial crown in Morden. She reached nationals in 2023 as Wild Card No. 1 and ended up losing a tiebreaker to Christina Black out of Nova Scotia to advance to the playoffs.

Year 1 with third Selena Njegovan, second Jocelyn Peterman and lead Kristin MacCuish was a revolving door with players in and out of the lineup due to pregnancies. This time around, Lawes and fellow first-time moms Njegovan — who had to be replaced at the 2023 nationals by Laura Walker — and Peterman are ready to rock.

“My daughter was barely two months old at the Scotties so the fact that I was even there was nothing short of a huge accomplishment for me,” said Lawes.

Lawes, who’s ranked fourth, has no issue with the three teams ahead of her garnering more attention.

“If we fly under the radar a little bit, I’m OK with that with all these storylines going on. We’re just going to stick with our group and what we know, and I really hope we can find our way into that next round this year,” said Lawes.

Cameron, a product of New Bothwell, will be making her seventh appearance on the national stage but first as a skip. Cameron lost the provincial semifinal but earned a berth based on her CTRS ranking. With second Taylor McDonald being seven and a half months pregnant, she’s been replaced by Kelsey Rocque of Carberry, a former two-time world junior champion skip who will be playing in her first Scotties.

“I think the fact we don’t really have any expectations of us is quite helpful. There’s not really a lot of pressure going into this event,” said Cameron.

“I think for us it’s just gelling quickly, and figuring out a way to get the best from eachother while supporting Kelsey and having Kelsey support us and feel a part of our team, I think is very important.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

X: @TaylorAllen31