SUNDRE — Although they didn’t come home from provincials with any medals, a Sundre High School girls’ curling rink nevertheless exceeded the skip’s expectations by placing fourth.
“I had no expectations of even making it past zones,” said Jordyn Roberts, a Grade 11 student, adding she was pleasantly surprised by and proud of her team’s performance at provincials considering how little time they’d had to prepare going up against veteran rinks that already had plenty of practice under their belts.
With barely two weeks prior to zones, the Sundre team was scrambled together when the school’s athletic director sought to see if any students were interested in playing.
“We really did not have much practise leading up to either zones or provincials,” said Roberts.
As a result of the rush, she said a number of potential players who were interested in joining the team were unable to because of scheduling conflicts with their existing commitments. So, although the team had three players lined up — Roberts, second Raelyn Davidson and third Jade Griffin — the rink still needed a lead. However, Kate Finley, a Grade 10 student who had never really curled before, decided to step up and give it her best shot.
“She did really well and caught on super quickly, which I think both because she’s a great athlete, and also curling is fairly intuitive,” said the skip, adding the sport isn’t necessarily as technique-based as for example basketball, but rather more strategy oriented.
“I really like the strategy of it,” she said. “Curling is like chess, but with rocks, which is kind of fun.”
Prior to competing at the Alberta Schools Athletic Association Curling Provincials 2022, which were held March 4-6 in Lethbridge, the team went to zones as underdogs in Cochrane earlier in February and won a silver medal. Although they needed gold to qualify for provincials, they drew a wildcard entry for a chance to compete at provincials.
Unfortunately, pandemic-related complications hampered their ability to practise full-time this year, said Roberts.
“We really didn’t have a (complete) season where we were practising or playing,” she said, adding the Sundre Junior Curling Club that they’d traditionally played with had temporarily shut down because of COVID and that the high school team was put together “very much last minute.”
And Roberts conceded feeling a bit rusty following such a lengthy hiatus.
“We missed two years. But it felt more like three because we had waited the entire year previously to start again,” she said, calling getting back on the ice again after such a lengthy break “a big jump.”
But old habits die hard, and the motions started coming back before very long.
“I think curling is one of those things that it comes pretty naturally after you throw a couple rocks,” she said. “It was definitely a big change to get back on the ice after almost three years, but it is a lot of muscle memory, so it did come fairly quickly.”
And at first glance, their lack of practise and recent experience was not reflected in their performance at provincials, which included a bid for the gold medal final after placing first in the round robin. And after being defeated for their chance to compete for the championship, they got another chance to play for bronze.
So all things considered, the skip was pleased with the team’s fourth place finish at provincials that offered some intense competition from teams that had the opportunity to practise much more.
“I think it was a really good experience,” she said. “Obviously, coming home after getting so close to going into the gold medal game and just barely missing it, was a little bit disappointing. But with a team with one girl who hadn’t even played before and the rest of us hadn’t really had any practise for the past three years, it was very surprising and heartening that we actually did do that well.”
After all, coming in fourth place as underdogs among the province’s best was in and of itself an accomplishment.
“I’m really proud of the girls, and I think they all pulled together and did really well under the crazy circumstances we’ve had,” the skip said.
“Even though we didn’t place, we surpassed my expectations of it. And honestly, that was all I could hope for,” she said. “Provincials is a big deal regardless of where you place.”
Looking ahead to her upcoming final year in high school, Roberts is optimistic about the team’s prospects of sticking together for another season.
“If we did this well with minimal to no practise, if we can actually prepare ahead of time we could do even better, potentially,” she said.
Bev Konschuh, who for years has been involved with the Sundre Junior Curling Club, said the program remains on hold after two years but is hopeful it might make a comeback next year and that young curlers will rekindle their interest in the sport.
Konschuh expressed gratitude for coach Svend Nielsen, who in a brief period of time was able to impart plenty of knowledge and got the team on the same page.
She also praised the squad and said the skip excels at calling shots and giving her teammates the ice they need to make a shot. With a little more practise, she expects the girls will become “a force to be reckoned with.”
Kaylin Orr, Davidson’s mom, said watching the girls compete and have fun while coming so close to the gold medal round was an exhilarating experience that made the parents proud.
“We all suffered from no-nails when we got home,” Orr said with a laugh.
Although their season is essentially over, the girls anticipate competing for fun in the Sundre Curling Club’s season windup open bonspiel that starts at the end of the month.
Orr also expressed appreciation to the fans and sponsors who supported the team.
