It was in Saskatchewan where Kerri Einarson’s rink began their ascent to the top of Canadian women’s curling back in 2020, capturing the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Moose Jaw.
Since then, the Manitoba-based team has embarked on a near-unprecedented run which has vaulted the team to contender status year over year.
“Consistency is key definitely in our sport,” said Einarson. “We’ve definitely done that well in previous years, we continue to do that and work on new things to become better and better.”
Team Einarson has been a model of consistency since their initial Scotties victory in Moose Jaw, winning each of the last four Scotties titles.
It’s a streak which has forced the team to lock into the small aspects of curling even more, according to third Val Sweeting.
“We’ve been working harder than we ever have,” said Sweeting. “We’re really focusing on the little details this year. Not that we didn’t before, but we’re really dialing into what are those little things that we can do better? Because everyone is getting better.”
Entering the WFG Masters in Saskatoon as the reigning champions on the women’s side, the Einarson foursome are using the early season stops on the Grand Slam of Curling tour to fine-tune their game even more.
Splitting their first two games at Merlis Belsher Place following a 5-4 loss to Jennifer Jones’ rink, Einarson said it’s an important time of year for her rink with the chance to iron out any mistakes before heading to Calgary in February as Team Canada once again.
“We’re all throwing it really well, so we know that we just have to practice lots leading up to the Scotties,” said Einarson. “That’s something that we’ve been really doing, having good training weekends and keeping that going forward into the Scotties.”
Not only will Team Einarson be chasing a berth at the World Women’s Curling Championship in two months’ time, they’ll also be chasing a piece of history.
If the Einarson rink is able to win their fifth straight Scotties championship, they’ll sit alone with the most consecutive titles in tournament history, passing Colleen Jones and her four titles won with her Nova Scotia team from 2001 to 2004.
While the win would add to their legacy as one of the most consistent Canadian women’s teams of all-time, Sweeting said they’re not putting too much focus on the record.
“We know that the opportunity is there to do that,” said Sweeting. “But I think if we think about it too much and put too much pressure on ourselves, it won’t happen anyways.”
For Einarson, the chance to break Jones’ record would be a highlight for her rink, though it’s too far in the distance to pay much attention to.
This week, it’s about qualifying for the playoffs in the WFG Masters and earning her rink’s first victory on the Grand Slam of Curling tour this season.
“It’s always there in the back of your head,” said Einarson. “It would be pretty amazing and a dream come true, but we’re definitely just going to take it one game at a time and focus on what we need to do.”
Team Einarson (1-1) continues their round-robin on Thursday evening against the KIOTI National champion Eun-Ji Gim rink (1-1) at 8:00 pm.
Comments