Fleury ready to challenge for Olympic spot

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This article was published 10/09/2021 (1667 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tracy Fleury has a calm heart and peace of mind as she embarks on the most significant season of her curling career.

Her one-year-old daughter, Nina, is thriving.

“She’s doing good. Her first year was a tough one and she was on medications for a long time. But she’s off them now and she’s seizure-free, so she’s doing well,” said the 35-year-old skip from Sudbury, Ont.

Born last July, Nina was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy, called infantile spasms, that necessitated hospitalization in November. Fleury chose to forgo the 2021 national Scotties women’s championship in February in Calgary to be with her baby.

“Her health’s in a good spot and it’s nice that my husband (Brent) can take the time off to be with her, so I know she’s in good hands when I’m gone,” added Fleury.

And she’ll be on the road quite extensively this fall, guiding a talented team with a heavy Manitoba flavour as it prepares for the Canadian Olympic Trials, set for Saskatoon in late November. Playing out of the East St. Paul Club, Fleury is aligned with third Selena Njegovan, second Liz Fyfe and lead Kristin MacCuish.

The World Curling Federation’s third-ranked women’s foursome is hoping to don the Maple Leaf at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.

Fleury earned a Trials spot by way of a top-three placing in the Canadian Team Ranking System (2018-20), prior to a curling shutdown — owing to the COVID-19 pandemic — until the resumption of competitive play inside the Calgary bubble earlier this year.

Consequently, while many of the country’s finest foursomes still seek a berth, the pressure’s off Team Fleury, the 2019 provincial Scotties champion, which kicked off its fall prep work in style last weekend, orchestrating a stunning comeback victory in the final of the Oakville (Ont.) Labour Day Classic.

Fleury ran the table (7-0) at the cash bonspiel, earning an 8-7 win over Suzanne Birt of Charlottetown in the final, despite trailing 7-4 with two ends to go.

“We were feeling really good about how we were throwing and that gave us some confidence,” she said. “There were a lot of great teams in the field that we got to play, so it gave us that experience playing high-level competition so early in the season and boosting our confidence.”

Chelsea Carey replaced Fleury at the Calgary Scotties, however, the regular skipper slipped into the bubble in mid-April and rejoined her teammates for a Grand Slam event — the Champions Cup — guiding the squad to a playoff spot.

After a summer of fitness training — in their respective cities — and periodic team meetings on Zoom, Fleury’s crew met up in Edmonton for a weekend of rock throwing, a much-needed rehearsal for a six-event fall run prior to the big show in Saskatoon.

No one on Team Fleury has ever been immersed in the pressure cooker that is the Olympics Trials event.

“When we put this team together three years ago, the main goal was the Olympics. So, when we did earn our first Trials spot it was a big accomplishment. It’s nice to have that spot sewn up, and we can focus on preparation and not on qualification,” said Fleury. “Lots of practice time, lots of team meetings and enough competitive games. We feel we have a nice mix.”

Next up for the team is the Sherwood Park (Alta.) Curling Classic, starting Sept. 17.

Booked to join Fleury in the nine-team women’s Trials at SaskTel Centre (Nov. 20-28) are two well-decorated Manitoba quartets, two-time reigning Canadian champion Kerri Einarson and two-time world champion and 2014 Olympic champion Jennifer Jones. To date, no local men’s teams have qualified, however, the Jason Gunnlaugson and Mike McEwen crews from Winnipeg will challenge for two available berths at a special five-team “direct entry” challenge in Ottawa later this month.

Meanwhile, several ‘Toba teams are still intent on qualifying for the Trials through a “last-chance” event in Liverpool, N.S., including three women’s teams, Beth Peterson and Darcy Robertson of Winnipeg, and Altona’s Mackenzie Zacharias, and a pair of Winnipeg men’s teams, Pat Simmons and Braden Calvert.

And a pile more from Canada’s second tier are eyeing a place in the Liverpool event, including Abby Ackland of Winnipeg, along with Corey Chambers, Jacques Gauthier, Sean Grassie, William Lyburn, JT Ryan and Ryan Wiebe, all of Winnipeg.

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This weekend, McEwen, Gunnlaugson and Simmons are in the mix at the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard event, while former Winnipegger Matt Dunstone and his Regina crew are also competing. Jones is battling on the women’s side of the same bonspiel.

Out west, Zacharias (2020 Canadian and world junior champion), Einarson and Robertson are in the 16-team field at the Saville Shootout women’s event in Edmonton. So, too, is Carey, a former Winnipegger who won a pair of national Scotties representing Alberta (2016, ‘19) but is now skipping a new team based out of Regina.

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It’s fitting a mixed-doubles tour would materialize in Manitoba, the birthplace of Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris, who partnered to win Olympic gold at the Winter Games in PyeongChang 2018.

Commitments are already in place for four events on the Manitoba Mixed Doubles Curling Tour, with the opener set for Morris, Sept 24-26. Events are also scheduled for Dauphin (Oct. 22-24), Brandon (Dec 11-12) and the Tour Championship back in Morris (March 25-27).

Interested curlers or clubs looking to host additional events are encouraged to email mbmdtour@protonmail.com or contact the tour co-chairs, Kristen Beaumont (204-801-5515) or Steve Michaleski (204-803-1288).

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell