People ask me all the time how curling teams are formed. I know that in many other competitive sports players are scouted, invited to training camps, evaluated on their skills, then placed into teams by a governing body and awarded contracts. In curling - at least in Canadian curling - the process usually goes something more like this:
"Hey, what are you doing next year? Are you interested in putting a team together?"
"Sure, let's go for a drink and talk about it."
On the Ontario Curling Tour, you end up playing in tournaments with the same people multiple times per season so we all get to know each other pretty well. We're Facebook friends, real-life friends, competitors, former teammates, mortal enemies... Everyone has some form of a relationship with everyone else.
I knew who Chrissy Cadorin was, but the first time we said more than "good game" to each other during handshakes was one evening in the winter of 2015 in front of the Listowel Curling Club. I was standing outside in the bitter cold, my hands cupped around a mug of hot coffee, having a moment to myself. I had spent the entire day inside the curling club with my team and I just needed a solitary breath of fresh air before the banquet got started. I had been outside for about a minute when Chrissy came out and spotted me.
"Hey, I didn't know you smoke," she said.
"I don't," I replied, "I just needed a minute."
"Yeah, I hear you."
And that was it. I didn't think anything more of it until January 26, 2016 when I received a Facebook message from her asking what my plans were for the next season. At that point my team had already parted ways and I was feeling fairly skeptical about women's curling as a sensible endeavor. I had discovered that it was extremely rare to find 3 other women who were willing and able to commit to the rigors and sacrifice that a competitive curling season entails. I had seen first-hand the amount of training, coaching, practice, time, and money it takes to be the best and I felt like I was ready to go for it. The problem was that not everyone has the same experience and expectations and I was getting tired of being promised a trip to the moon with no intention of building a rocket ship. Nevertheless, I agreed to meet Chrissy at the Royal Canadian Curling Club downtown Toronto to throw a few rocks and have a conversation.
When we sat down on the couches behind sheet A, I confessed my reservations to her. I told her that I was worried about making a commitment with someone who wasn't on the same page about what the team goals are, what its going to take to get there, and a ready willingness to put in the work. She completely agreed and told me that she had the same concerns. We went out onto the ice and threw stones up and down the sheet, analyzing each others deliveries. I knew she was a good player with a lot of previous accomplishments. I knew that she, like me, had been flying under the radar for the past 5 years. I knew that she was an intense and passionate competitor. I thought to myself, 'what the hell, let's give it one last shot' and told her, "I'm in".
Our team was formed: Joanne Curtis at vice, myself at second, Sarah Jagger playing lead, and Chrissy Cadorin leading the charge at skip. I had no idea what to expect...
"Hey, what are you doing next year? Are you interested in putting a team together?"
"Sure, let's go for a drink and talk about it."
On the Ontario Curling Tour, you end up playing in tournaments with the same people multiple times per season so we all get to know each other pretty well. We're Facebook friends, real-life friends, competitors, former teammates, mortal enemies... Everyone has some form of a relationship with everyone else.
I knew who Chrissy Cadorin was, but the first time we said more than "good game" to each other during handshakes was one evening in the winter of 2015 in front of the Listowel Curling Club. I was standing outside in the bitter cold, my hands cupped around a mug of hot coffee, having a moment to myself. I had spent the entire day inside the curling club with my team and I just needed a solitary breath of fresh air before the banquet got started. I had been outside for about a minute when Chrissy came out and spotted me.
"Hey, I didn't know you smoke," she said.
"I don't," I replied, "I just needed a minute."
"Yeah, I hear you."
And that was it. I didn't think anything more of it until January 26, 2016 when I received a Facebook message from her asking what my plans were for the next season. At that point my team had already parted ways and I was feeling fairly skeptical about women's curling as a sensible endeavor. I had discovered that it was extremely rare to find 3 other women who were willing and able to commit to the rigors and sacrifice that a competitive curling season entails. I had seen first-hand the amount of training, coaching, practice, time, and money it takes to be the best and I felt like I was ready to go for it. The problem was that not everyone has the same experience and expectations and I was getting tired of being promised a trip to the moon with no intention of building a rocket ship. Nevertheless, I agreed to meet Chrissy at the Royal Canadian Curling Club downtown Toronto to throw a few rocks and have a conversation.
When we sat down on the couches behind sheet A, I confessed my reservations to her. I told her that I was worried about making a commitment with someone who wasn't on the same page about what the team goals are, what its going to take to get there, and a ready willingness to put in the work. She completely agreed and told me that she had the same concerns. We went out onto the ice and threw stones up and down the sheet, analyzing each others deliveries. I knew she was a good player with a lot of previous accomplishments. I knew that she, like me, had been flying under the radar for the past 5 years. I knew that she was an intense and passionate competitor. I thought to myself, 'what the hell, let's give it one last shot' and told her, "I'm in".
Our team was formed: Joanne Curtis at vice, myself at second, Sarah Jagger playing lead, and Chrissy Cadorin leading the charge at skip. I had no idea what to expect...
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