CARSTAIRS - Myla Plett says is will be an honour to represent the province at the upcoming U-18 ladies national curling championships.
“We are super excited to wear the Alberta colours and represent Alberta at a national level,” said the 16-year-old Carstairs resident. “We are looking forward to the experience of going to nationals.”
Plett is the skip of the team that took the U-18 ladies provincial championships in Hinton on Jan. 15, winning a berth at the upcoming 2022 nationals.
Originally scheduled to take place in Timmins, Ontario on Feb. 14-20, the nationals are now scheduled for May 2-7 at the Oakville Curling Club in Oakville, Ontario.
Plett’s teammates are third Rachel Jacques from Edmonton, second Alyssa Nedohin from Sherwood Park, lead Lauren Miller from Airdrie, fifth Chloe Fediuk from Edmonton, and coach Blair Lenton from Airdrie.
Plett has been curling since she was five years old and this will be her first trip to nationals.
“It’s been a long journey to this point, with lots of curling,” she said.
Asked if the team will be making any drastic changes in strategy for the nationals, she said, “We play pretty open and defensive. Our strategy will change depending on the team we are playing against, their strengths and weaknesses. We can change this around a bit.”
The Plett team has something of an ace-in-the hole with coach Lenton having coached at nationals on several previous occasions, she said.
“He has that experience so it will be helpful to have,” she said.
The Plett team has a number of upcoming bonspiels, giving the ladies a chance to polish their game in preparation for the national stage.
“That will help us improve and figure out some strategies and work on our skills a bit more,” she said.
Asked if she likes her team’s chances at nationals, Plett said, “We don’t actually know the skill level (of the competitors) since I’ve never been to the national level before, but my team is pretty strong. They are all well-rounded players so hopefully we can compete for a medal.”
