Karwacki doing ‘exactly’ what she needs to do as Team Canada lead

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This article was published 22/02/2024 (657 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY — Krysten Karwacki never imagined fulfilling her childhood dream would be so bittersweet.

It’s always been her goal to compete at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, and she finally has that chance in what is the opportunity of a lifetime. The 32-year-old from Winnipeg isn’t just playing with anybody, she’s the lead for Team Canada’s Kerri Einarson in her hunt for a record fifth straight national women’s curling title.

The opportunity has come at a cost, though. Lead Briane Harris — a huge piece in Einarson’s remarkable four-year reign — was deemed ineligible to compete hours before the opening draw in Calgary last week.

The shocking announcement forced Karwacki — the team’s social media manager and long-time alternate — to go from posting on Instagram to suiting up for a major contender.

“With Briane being my best friend, I really just want to fill her shoes as best as I can. I want to make my shots for her and sweep my heart out for her,” said Karwacki.

“Everything I do on the ice is for her and I’m just trying to do my best out there for her and the team.”

Karwacki has been Einarson’s fifth in the last three Scotties and only saw action in one game. It’s a bizarre situation, and it still hasn’t been revealed why Harris isn’t allowed to play, but Karwacki is making the most of it.

Heading into Thursday’s late draw, she led all leads in the 18-team event in positional per centage at 89 per cent. More importantly, she’s helped Einarson stay near the top as they finished the round robin in second place in Pool A at 7-1. They now meet Ontario’s Rachel Homan (8-0) at 1 p.m. Friday in a 1 vs. 2 qualifier.

“I think being with the girls the last few years has been extremely helpful for me. I feel really comfortable playing with them, and they’ve been really great with me giving me tips along the way,” said Karwacki, who was also with Team Einarson at the last three world championship events.

“As an alternate, I’ve always kind of expected that I could go in for anyone at any certain time.”

Head coach Reid Carruthers is her brother-in-law and couldn’t be prouder.

“I’m missing my sidekick this week on the bench, but she’s out there doing exactly what I need her to do. She’s playing so well,” said Carruthers, the Manitoba men’s provincial champion.

“It’s one of the top teams in the world, it’s a lot of pressure and she’s thriving… Honestly, she’s out there and it’s like she’s playing in a normal league game. It’s like she’s not fazed by the pressure, it’s amazing.”

With Karwacki suddenly changing roles, her mom, Kris, flew out to Calgary a few days ago to surprise her.

“That was amazing. I really didn’t expect anybody to come out because my family is watching my cat,” laughed Karwacki. “I have a baby at home, a fur baby.”

Karwacki’s full-time team — Saskatchewan’s Nancy Martin — lost 10-9 in an extra end to Skylar Ackerman in their provincial championship game. They also dropped the Saskatchewan final in 2023.

“It just didn’t go our way both times, which is OK. At the time, it was really heartbreaking. I always knew there was something bigger and it happened for a reason,” said Karwacki.

“I embraced being the alternate for the Einarson team and they’re an amazing team to be with. Every chance I get to be with them, I learn a lot.”

If Karwacki had won her way to nationals with Martin, Einarson isn’t sure what they would’ve done as they didn’t have a Plan B in place.

“(Karwacki’s) amazing. She’s a great thrower, and I’ve played against her for many years. I knew she’d be a great fit for this team, and she’s fit right in,” said Einarson. “We’re good friends with her on and off the ice.”

The Harris news — and the lack of an explanation — has been the talk of the curling world. To Team Einarson’s credit, they haven’t allowed it to be a distraction.

“We’ve been working really hard off the ice with different specialists to make sure we’re prepared mentally for everything,” said Carruthers.

“We were thrown something this week we weren’t really expecting to face, but the girls really rallied behind each other, and we’ve just been acting like a team and the results speak for themselves on the ice.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

X: @TaylorAllen31