Youngsters coming on strong in the Soo

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This article was published 01/02/2010 (6023 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. — A severe shortage of experience didn’t hurt Valerie Sweeting’s team at the Alberta women’s playdowns, and it’s having no impact on the youngsters here.

Sweeting’s team, from the Saville Sports Centre in Edmonton, averages just under 22 years of age. Yet they’ve performed with the outward poise of seasoned veterans at the Canadian Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Actually, the maturing process began more than three weeks ago.

Sweeting third Megan Einarson, 23, second Whitney More, 21, and lead Lindsay Makichuk, 21, ignored the naysayers who had them seeded ninth in a tough Alberta women’s playdowns and went out and beat them all.

Cathy King, a six-time Alberta champion and three-time Canadian champion, couldn’t handle them on that final Sunday. Neither could Olympic bronze medallist Shannon Kleibrink.

Here in the Soo, the roll continues.

“The girls are handling themselves fantastic,” Sweeting said, just moments after Alberta clobbered previously unbeaten Prince Edward Island 13-2 on the morning draw to improve to 2-0. In the afternoon, Alberta again showed plenty of guts against one of the event favourites, Ontario’s Krista McCarville, but suffered a last-rock 7-6 loss.

Sweeting scored six in six to blow the game wide open against P.E.I, tying a Scotties record for the biggest end with 10 other teams. The last time was in 2003 when British Columbia’s Toni Fister racked up a half-dozen against the Territories.

“It’s definitely not common to see (a team of such young players),” Sweeting said. “Sure, experience helps with the pressure side of it, but I think as long as you keep that in check, it doesn’t matter how old you are.”

Youth is definitely in vogue at these Scotties.

P.E.I. has a pair of 21-year-olds, Geri-Lynn Ramsay and Erin Carmody, throwing third and fourth stones, respectively, even though veteran Kathy O’Rourke holds the broom and calls the shots.

New Brunswick skip Andrea Kelly, 24, has Jillian Babin, 20, and Lianne Sobey, 25, on the front end.

And there’s a dozen other players younger than 30.

Makichuk, who has no national experience, said her skip is simply unflappable, noting that the raise double-takeout Sweeting made against Kleibrink in an extra end to secure the Alberta title was the stuff of an old pro.

“Valerie is so, so relaxed out there. She just feels so at home on the ice, and it just filters down to us,” said Makichuk, whose team played an exhibition game against Olympic Trials winner Cheryl Bernard prior to coming to Sault Ste. Marie. “We try to keep our cool on the ice, even though inside we’re jumping.”

The youngest player here is 20-year-old Megan Cormier of Northwest Territories/Yukon. The team is skipped by her mother, Sharon.

Megan’s deceased grandmother, Dora Dalmage, represented the Territories in 1978, the last time the Canadian championship was played in the Soo.

Cormier, who has an 11-month-old son back in Yellowknife, said stepping onto the 4,000-seat Essar Centre ice Saturday was a shock to the system.

“Being the youngest one out here… during our first game it was scary,” she said.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca