Cameron juggles takeouts and torts

By: Mike Sawatzky Posted: 9:16 PM CST Monday, Feb. 22, 2021

KATE Cameron found a simple way to balance her day-to-day work duties as a paralegal with the high-stakes competition at the Scotties national women’s curling championship.

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KATE Cameron found a simple way to balance her day-to-day work duties as a paralegal with the high-stakes competition at the Scotties national women’s curling championship.

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KATE Cameron found a simple way to balance her day-to-day work duties as a paralegal with the high-stakes competition at the Scotties national women’s curling championship.

The Manitoba-based third for Alberta’s team in Calgary is doing both, with gusto.

“I have a very supportive work family,” explained Cameron by telephone Monday afternoon. “My boss is really great and the other women I work with have kind of helped cover a little bit while I am gone and that has been quite nice. But it’s definitely different to bring work on the road with me because it’s never been something I’ve had to manage at the same time.

Team Alberta's Kate Cameron during the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Moose Jaw. THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES/Jonathan Hayward

“In the bubble atmosphere I am enjoying it just because it is kind of something to take your mind off of curling and being stuck in a hotel room.”

As the import on an Alberta team skipped by Laura Walker, Cameron seems to have struck a good balance. Walker’s Edmonton squad, which includes second Taylor McDonald and lead Nadine Scotland, was off to a 3-1 start entering Monday night’s game against Winnipeg’s Beth Peterson.

Cameron, 29, is able to perform most of her work duties at Tapper Cuddy, a downtown Winnipeg law firm, while online or by telephone. The start of the COVID-19 pandemic had already created a scenario where she was working remotely from home three days a week. It’s become full-time this week in Calgary.

“I had mapped out what would work for me without overwhelming me,” said Cameron. “In that sense we got really fortunate. We have two days where we only play an evening draw, so I could kind of still work a normal workday. I work quite early in Manitoba so the time change here gets me off even earlier. I’m off every day at just after 2 (o’clock) here in Alberta, so still gives me lots of time to prepare for a 6:30 (p.m.) game.”

For Cameron, who joined the Walker team in 2019-20, divided loyalties remain. When did representing Alberta become more natural?

“Not yet,” said Cameron, who threw third on Michelle Englot’s Scotties silver medallists from Manitoba in 2017. “Obviously, I appreciate the support I’ve received since playing in Alberta but it still feels weird every time I see blue and yellow and I’m representing a wild rose instead of a buffalo, but nonetheless it’s super awesome to play with these girls.”

Travelling from out of province hasn’t been much of a problem, either. Cameron lived in Thompson for three years when she was playing with Winnipeg teams skipped by Englot and subsequently, Allison Flaxey.

“I have already kind of been used to practising on my own, finding a way to get to the events by myself and stuff like that so in that sense it’s not totally different or unfamiliar to me,” said Cameron, who relocated to New Bothwell with her fiance almost two years ago. “However, we made quite a big commitment prior to COVID to make sure that we are together once a month or more to train.

“And with COVID, we’ve been just incorporating that in-person time to virtual time and we have done as much as we can by Zoom or Teams meetings.”

Raunora Westcott, current fifth for the Jennifer Jones team, is a big fan of her former teammate from their days together on the Englot, Flaxey and Kristy McDonald squads.

“She is a great player, she’s hilarious, she’s fun to compete with and she’s intense,” said Westcott.”And she really does bring a lot to any team she plays with. She a young player and I think she’s just got so much fire in her that she’s a good addition for any team.”

Cameron is hoping her team’s current run turns out more successfully than 2020, when Alberta went 3-4 during the round robin and missed the championship round.

“Honestly, our results right now are exactly where we were last year,” said Cameron. “I think the difference… is last year we came out really hot, right from Game 1. I don’t want to use the word ‘coasted’ but we kind of were very comfortable in where we were at in our play and I think we just kind of settled into that a little bit too much or maybe looked at expectations or long term too quickly.

“I think that that burned us, whereas this year I feel like, yes, we do have three wins under our belt but we have worked really hard for those wins.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14