Team Skrlik heads to Alberta Scotties with repeat curling hopes in toe

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Brittany Tran has curled for a Canadian championship in entrance of hometown followers.

Kind of.

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“Hometown-ish,” agreed Tran, a Calgary roller recalling her participation within the 2021 Scotties Event of Hearts within the city-hosted COVID bubble at WinSport.

“The followers had been cardboard cut-outs.”

The expertise was distinctive … sure.

However not what it might’ve been with family members and boosters jamming the world for a nationwide occasion.

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So the considered curling in entrance a packed home backing her each transfer is a phenomenal one — and one made doable with a defence of the provincial title by Tran and her Group Skrlik teammates on the 2024 Sentinel Storage Alberta Scotties Event of Hearts working Wednesday by means of Thursday in St. Paul.

“I believe it’d be tremendous thrilling,” mentioned Tran, permitting her thoughts to wander to taking part in subsequent month within the Scotties — the nationwide model — on the WinSport Occasion Centre.

“I believe, simply typically, it’ll be actually good crowds right here and it’d be very nice to play in entrance of massive crowds,” the 30-year-old continued. “I haven’t actually gotten that chance but. The form of the vibes that it brings out, I believe our workforce does very well with that. And I believe we’d get a reasonably good crowd of our family and friends popping out, too, making it just a bit extra enjoyable.”

Certainly, it’s fairly the carrot.

However Group Skrlik first must repeat at provincials this week, popping out victorious — prefer it did in 2023 in Wetaskiwin — from the eight-rink extravaganza being held additional north this 12 months.

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Play begins Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. with the champion squad set to be topped after Sunday’s 3 p.m. remaining.

If at the moment it’s Kayla Skrlik & Co. strolling down the centre of the Clancy Richard Enviornment ice, then it’s a profitable defence of their title and an opportunity to shoot for nationwide glory of their dwelling metropolis, Feb. 16-25.

“It’s no shock that we need to be on the Calgary Scotties taking part in in entrance of all of our family and friends,” mentioned skip Skrlik, who’s flanked by third Tran, second Geri-Lynn Ramsay, lead Ashton Skrlik, alternate Crystal Webster and coach Shannon Kleibrink. “And I believe there’s a little bit little bit of added strain that comes with getting the possibility to play in our hometown. So, yeah, I believe we’ve labored actually exhausting to type of handle that strain and keep calm, cool and picked up going into this provincials.

“However on the finish of the day, it’s the Alberta provincials — there’s all the time going to be strain as a result of the groups are wonderful.”

Maybe sneaky wonderful this winter.

In recent times, the ladies’s facet of curling within the province has misplaced a number of massive names, together with 2018 queen Casey Scheidegger — who stepped again this season to give attention to household and her profession.

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Kate Cameron, the previous third on Laura Walker’s three-time Alberta rep on the Scotties, has moved again to Manitoba.

Heather Nedohin, a two-time nationwide queen, isn’t returning for a cameo — like final 12 months — at provincials.

And there’s no Kelsey Rocque, both, who was perennially within the provincial combine for greater than a decade.

“However there’s nonetheless Selena Sturmay, there’s nonetheless Jessie Hunkin, there’s Serena Grey-Withers … these groups are nonetheless there,” Skrlik mentioned. “There’s good groups, like Abby Marks, that didn’t even qualify for provincials.

“Alberta’s depth is so massive that there’s all the time strain going into provincials, whether or not you’re the favorite otherwise you’re type of an underdog story.”

As reigning monarchs, Skrlik and her Garrison Curling Membership crew — after all — are the faves.

However different ‘tales’ in St. Paul do have their oomph.

Spruce Grove’s Hunkin is available in having gained Saskatchewan in 2019 and boosts third Jessie Haughian (nee Scheidegger) — a 2018 Alberta champ with big-sister Casey — second Becca Hebert and lead Dayna Demmans — all with championship-game expertise.

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Edmonton’s Sturmay is the 2019 Canadian junior champ and contours up with third Danielle Schmiemann — a long-time sidekick of Rocque — and second Dezaray Hawes — who twice has been to the Scotties representing B.C. — so there’s know-how there, in addition to recent competitiveness after taking part in within the Crimson Deer-hosted Canadian Open, a Grand Slam of Curling occasion, final week.

After which there’s massive buzz about Sturmay’s fellow Saville Group Sports activities Centre squad skipped by Serena Grey-Withers, which captured the Canada West championship over the weekend for the College of Alberta.

One other Saville facet skipped by Gracelyn Richards, Sherwood Park’s Tori Hartwell, Edmonton’s Nicky Kaufman — repping the Thistle Curling Membership — and Lethbridge’s Jodi Vaughan spherical out the forged of contenders at this 12 months’s provincials.

However solely Group Skrlik has that added gas of taking part in for a nationwide title in entrance of hometown followers.

“Yeah, I’d say it’s fairly good motivation,” agreed the workforce’s youngest Skrlik, Ashton. “Nevertheless it’s a little bit little bit of added strain, too.”

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Good factor they’ve already been by means of it — and gained it — earlier than.

“And the ladies have been working tremendous exhausting with a sports activities psychologist,” Webster added. “You are feeling your power ranges go up and down as a participant all through completely different conditions. And they also’re going to be very conscious in the event that they’re feeling larger than they’re used to being and utilizing the strategies that they’ve realized by means of their sports activities psychologist to carry themselves to the correct place to carry out. So it’ll be a take a look at for these abilities, however I believe that there’s some good preparation getting into for that.

“On the finish of the day, I might say the Scotties — whether or not it’s in your hometown or anyplace else — is what you try for. And that’s strain by itself, and that’s thrilling to look ahead to attempt to get again there.”

tsaelhof@postmedia.com

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