Englot ready to earn her own jacket

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This article was published 27/01/2018 (3171 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PENTICTON, B.C. — Even after she notched her first Scotties win in a red-and-white jacket, Michelle Englot still didn’t quite feel like the skip of Team Canada.

Wearing the maple leaf is special, she agreed, and she wears it with pride. Besides, in a different sort of way, her team earned it: they delivered one of the most thrilling national finals in memory last year, against Rachel Homan.

Yet the fact that she was elevated to Team Canada only after Homan won the Olympic trials is still in her mind.

“We’re the token Team Canada,” Englot said with a laugh, after the first draw of the round robin. “It’s just a jacket. The goal here is to come out and play strong and make the playoffs and win this thing, and earn our own jacket.”

So far, so good for Team Englot in Penticton. On Saturday afternoon, Englot, third Kate Cameron, second Leslie Wilson and lead Raunora Westcott opened their week with a patient 6-2 win over British Columbia’s Kesa Van Osch.

It was a measured game, no surprise for the steady skip. After trading singles and blank ends with Team B.C. for most of the game, Englot pounced for a deuce in the eighth, then stole two in nine to seize the winning lead.

“We’re still getting a feel for the ice,” Englot said. “We had a few we over-iced and underthrew, and need to get a little bit better handle on the ice, and a little bit quicker start. Other than that, we’re playing really well.”

Also of interest for Manitobans: reigning provincial champ Jennifer Jones and wild-card winner Kerri Einarson were set to open their Scotties on Saturday night, with games against Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, respectively.

Those draws ended after press time, but check winnipegfreepress.com for full details.

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Meanwhile, there are a multitude of bright stories converging at this 2018 Canadian women’s curling championship. For instance: after just one game, Team Quebec’s Emilia Gagné has already set a surprising Scotties record.

At just 18 years old, she is the youngest skip ever to lead a team onto the national stage — and the youngest to record a win too, with a 9-2 victory over Nunavut in the week’s opening draw at South Okanagan Events Centre.

“A win on our first game, it’s an amazing feeling,” she said, moments after the handshakes. “We felt like we played very well. We felt like there was no pressure. Just enjoying the game and enjoying the crowd. It was great.”

Whatever happens going forward, these four teens could become the darlings of this Scotties. Their rise to the Quebec title was surprising: just weeks ago, the foursome from Alma, Que., lost their provincial junior semifinal.

After that disappointment, Gagné thought it was the pressure: they “wanted to win too much,” she said.

But they had another opportunity. In December, Quebec’s curling association invited four junior teams to join the women’s provincial field, which only had five entrants. At the women’s provincials, Gagné’s team came in loose.

“We were pretty calm,” she said. “We had not really high expectations, we were just happy to be there.”

Well, it worked: they upset three-time Quebec champion Ève Bélisle to secure their national berth.

“It took us many days to realize that we won, and we will be at the Scotties,” Gagné said, beaming. “We really realized it when we got on the plane.

“We were like, ‘Hey, we’re going to the Scotties!’ It was a great feeling.”

Next up, Gagné will face Englot’s Team Canada this morning. They don’t feel any pressure, she said.

“At our young age, we’re here to get experience,” Gagné said. “We’ll try to get the score as close as possible. Playing against these teams that are at the top of the Canadian ranking, we’ll learn a lot, and that’s what’s important.”

Englot — on the other end of a career’s arc — is looking forward to meeting the youngsters on the ice.

“It’s pretty incredible,” she said, of Gagné’s achievement. “This really sets the stage for a lot of curling careers, and if you can make it to the Scotties, there’s nothing that compares in terms of the whole experience.”

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It’s a little strange, to look at a Scotties field without Chelsea Carey: despite losing an Alberta semifinal and Friday night’s last-chance wild-card game to reach nationals, the former Manitoba champion has had a brilliant season.

Still, with Carey out of the Scotties, a question: What could come next, for third Cathy Overton-Clapham?

Over the years, the Manitoban veteran has several times stated her intention to retire. Next thing you know, she’s throwing rocks on your television, competing in a high-stakes international tournaments or an Olympic trial final.

“I never have a plan to play, and then somebody needs a player,” Overton-Clapham said on Friday night. “I love the game, a lot. I love the people involved in the game and I love to compete. So it’s hard to turn offers down.”

Carey recruited Overton-Clapham last year, after former third Amy Nixon abruptly retired. The partnership flourished: Overton-Clapham’s calm presence seems to be a good match for Carey, who wears her curling heart on her sleeve.

The results don’t lie. With Overton-Clapham at her side, Carey made playoffs in every event she entered, reached the Olympic trial final, and won her first grand slam title. She rose to be second-ranked curler in Canada, this year.

“We had a great year, we really have,” she said. “Obviously, this (wild card loss) stings a bit.”

Could it be a winning combination for the next Olympic quadrennial?

Too soon for any of that talk. Right now, Overton-Clapham said, she’s not even thinking about next season. She has a full plate in the coming months: first, a gig with NBC at the Olympics, followed by two grand slams in April.

Whatever comes after that, well, there’s a darn good chance her phone will be ringing.

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In a way, the spirit of curling lives as much through the fans, as the players.

Consider the heartwarming moment in Saturday’s opening draw, as Team Nunavut was facing young Team Quebec. It’s the first time a Nunavut team has competed on the main Scotties draw and they’re not likely to be competitive.

Indeed, after just three ends against Quebec, the Iqaluit team — skipped by Ontario free agent Amie Shackleton — was losing 5-0 and not generating much. But in the fourth, Shackleton had a chance to score with her hammer.

As that draw rumbled in for a single, the crowd let out a thunderous roar of encouragement, cheering the determined rock down the home stretch. A fine way to show love to a team that could use a little bit extra, here in Penticton.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca